I'm a sucker for a freebie and that's how the following book ended up in my lap. It is the third in the series. I don't think there is much point now of reading book 1 and two as the writer has given a few reminders about the previous books. Not enough for me to know exactly who every one is but enough to take the surprise out of the first. I gave it 4 stars and would urge anyone who likes high octane thrillers with a black ops plot to start at book one.
Ridge Walker finds himself in unfamiliar territory (Japan),
when his friend Thad is accused of a murder he didn’t commit. He is out of his
depth after making some questionable decisions and underestimating a ruthless
killer. Luckily Thad has a powerful dad, but not even he can anticipate what
waits for him in Japan. This was a high octane thriller with some nail biting
scenes. I Liked the scenes set in Scotland, it is clear that the writer has a
fondness of the Scottish Isles. The problem I had with the book was that I came
into the series at book 3. I had not grown into the characters and some seemed
to be a bit too unlikely, especially the diamond dogs. Alex Breck does fill us
in about the characters pasts but a lot has happened in the previous books and
I would recommend starting at book one.
Writing the books was the easy part....now the struggle to let the world know they're there....
Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Tuesday 13 June 2017
Wednesday 5 April 2017
Trafficking: (Powell, Book 1) (Volume 1) by Mr Bill Ward
One thing I love about being a reviewer is just picking up books without knowing anything about it, apart that it is from an indie author. I've not read anything mainstream or of the best seller list for a long time. They do say variety is the spice of life and I certainly got some spice in this thriller. The last book I read did not have anything more racy in it than a kiss. This one had your reviewer blushing a number of times. Not for the fainthearted and I give it 4 stars.
Trafficking: (Powell, Book 1) (Volume 1) by Mr Bill Ward on Amazon.com
Trafficking: (Powell, Book 1) (Volume 1) by Mr Bill Ward on Amazon.com
Trafficking is a gritty thriller that highlights the plight
of women that get lured to Britain with non-existing jobs and end up in the sex
trade. We meet Afina, a young Romanian women who goes to Brighton with the
promise of a well-earning bar job. She finds out the brutal truth as her
passport is taken off her and she is raped. This book is also an introduction
to the character of Powell a man drawn into Afina’s dangerous world when his
daughter becomes a tragic victim of Afina’s escape attempt. Powell is a man
with a tragic and dark past. He has worked for the government in the past and
his training kicks in when he decides to trace his daughter’s assailant. There
are so far 3 books in the series and I think this is a promising start to a
series for fans who like their thrillers fast paced and are not averse to
graphic scenes of sex and violence. Powell is a man with a number of different
facets to his character that will make him a good lead for a series. I think
Afina will feature in the next book. She seems plucky enough as she didn’t just
accept her lot; she tried to get away from her gangsters. I wasn’t too sure
about the other characters in the book and could have done without the lesbian frolicking.
It seemed a little too flippant for the rest of the story. Book 2 is going to
take us to Saudi Arabia and a different story line and auxiliary characters
will be a good thing. All in all a fast pace and thrilling read.
Saturday 1 April 2017
Shell Game: A Contemporary Thriller by K.H.Bixby
As I had a couple of days holiday and a 4 hour train journey, I had time to read. So here is the review of one thriller and I'm halfway through the next. This one was quite innocent in its tone, no sex or swearing. But it did have some scenes of torture which came as a bit of a shock considering how the rest of the story was handled. I gave it 4 stars.
A young boy loses his closest family and is taken to New
York by his uncle. They are Jaharin, a fictional ethnic group without
statehood. When oil is discovered on the land they inhabit; their powerful host
is ethnic cleansing without the world noticing. We catch up with the young boy
Sami many years later and he now works in finance.
This story has many elements which make this thriller seem
eerily familiar; one group of people oppressed by a more powerful group, the
world turning a blind eye to a small ethnic group. And the all-powerful oil and
financial companies that put money before people. Sami is a sympathetic
character; he has made a success out of his life despite difficult beginnings.
Money and a cosy life has not made him immune to the plight of his people and I
can understand his need to help the Jaharin, even though the way he does it isn’t
legal. The romance between Sami and Sarah is developed slowly and with a somewhat
innocent touch. (Rather refreshing to not have any sex scenes!) The pace of the
book is slow and steady but keeps the reader engaged. The only criticism I have
is that the scenes of torture come as a bit of a shock (I had to skip a few
pages as I can't stomach animal cruelty even if it is fictional), it contrasts
sharply against the innocent romance of Sami and Sarah and the warm
relationship between Sami and his uncle. It does however illustrate that even
though life might seem comfortable and cosy, brutal reality (like the Syrian conflict
at the moment) is never far away.
Tuesday 12 April 2016
The Lafayette Campaign by Andrew Updegrove
I do like a good conspiracy thriller now and then, and this one has a good dose of humour and satire to make it an entertaining read. I gave this 5 stars.
The Lafayette Campaign by Andrew Updegrove on Amazon.com
The Lafayette Campaign by Andrew Updegrove on Amazon.com
This is a tense political thriller with a healthy dose of
satire, also a very entertaining read. Frank Adversego is a computer expert
that is called upon by an un-named US government agency when they have a
suspicion that someone has hacked the electronic voting system. Some unexpected
results in the republican preliminaries have set alarm bells ringing in
Washington. Frank sets to work figuring out how the hackers got in, but gets
distracted by a young French student that keeps crossing his path. He soon
finds out that he can trust no one and that he is alone in stopping the presidential
election from being rigged. The Lafayette campaign is full of surprising plot
twists and turns, but at all times disturbingly believable. This is a clever
piece of storytelling that combines politics, technology and human emotion.
Frank Adversego is an interesting character with a fascinating
job. He is also very human. We get to see his more vulnerable side; he is
middle aged, lonely and wants to get in better shape physically. Frank is not
one of these uber geeky smart tech wiz- kids that annoyingly spot straight away
how a cyber-hack was done. Frank like most of us stumbles about in the dark for
a while and is at times too trusting. But he is also diligent and committed and
with hard work he solves the case.
I read this book
during the 2016 primaries and caucuses which fitted perfectly with the story; I
even started wondering if Mr Updegrove was clairvoyant so closely matched his
story with all the shenanigans in the republican primaries and the unexpected
rise of DT. This is book 2 in the series and I haven’t read book 1 (not yet but
hope to soon), but it stands on its own and can be read out of order. Frank
Adversego is certainly a character I want to revisit.
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