Deadline-Blog Tour (Review)-Thriller-Available Now

I really enjoyed the set up for this book. Seemingly disparate people are visited in different situations, but they all end up in the same result.

Dead.

It reminded me of the beginning of a television show or movie, because it set the stage for the reader to try to figure out what the victims had in common. I liked that challenge.

And there is a challenge in this book. There is a lot going on. Fair warning: do NOT try to read this when you are distracted or on the fly when you have time for a few pages.

The author has crafted a story that demands attention to detail as the plot twists its way from serial killers to political intrigue, from police procedural to morality story.

Trust me, it all works for one page-turner of a book.

I thought the pairing of a fallen WaPo writer (American) and a female officer with a secret she struggles to keep hidden (British) was unique. Their baggage both hinders them and gives them insights to the problems at hand.

They both also have something to prove which drives them to discover who the perpetrator is. I don’t know if it was just me, but there were a few times that I felt like they were competing against each other. Not overtly, but just…I dunno. Just a feeling.

I thought the use of red herrings and unexpected twists was well-done. They all seemed natural and none of them were of the “gotcha/wait what?” type. You know, the ones that come out of nowhere and leave you scratching your head?

Oh, and don’t get too attached to any of the characters. You can probably guess why, but I will neither confirm nor deny if your guess is accurate.

I really got into this book. It allowed me to sink into another world and be absorbed by a fast-moving plot with interesting characters.

Not a book vacation, but a definite brain-break that I enjoyed immensely.

Twitter: @GradusPrimus
Instagram: primusgradus

About Geoff Major:

A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.

As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books.

Blog: https://lets-start-at-the-very-beginning.blogspot.com/

Ring of Spies (#3)-Blog Tour (Review)-Historical Spy Thriller-Available Now

Hands down, one of the best historical espionage thrillers I have ever read. I mean, not that I read a lot in that genre, but I’ve certainly done my share with Len Deighton and Phillip Kerr. I was really excited to find this author.

My love for historical fiction is known to anyone who has read even a few entries on this blog. Most of them are straight fiction, although a few have had a mystery involved. This is one of the first in my current reading streak that is straight-up espionage. And the timing couldn’t have been better.

Going off-track for a moment: My family and I recently found “Churchill’s Secret Agents ” on Netflix. It was a reality show where the participants went through the same training that SOE agents did during WWII. It was extremely well-done and very informative.

It also put me in an excellent frame of mind for this book.

In this third Richard Prince adventure, his task is more dangerous than previous ones (apparently – more on that in a minute). When British paratroopers are ambushed, it’s up to him to figure out how the enemy knew where they would be. Or is it the enemy? Is there a traitor in the midst, or is the espionage just that intricate?

Like I’m going to tell you any of those things.

The plot is extremely detailed, and the author knows how to build the tension that surrounds spying in a time of war while keeping it realistic and not verging into fantastical. It would have been easy for the author to go for the thriller and lose plausibility, but he didn’t.

As to be expected with an espionage thriller, there are intricacies, twists, and surprises. These were all well-done and kept me engaged through the entire book.

The only negative I have (and this is totally on me) is that I had not read the previous books. While the plot in this book is a standalone, there is an awful lot of backstory that is missing if you don’t have the first two books under your belt first.

I know that I would have enjoyed this book even more than I did if I had read the first two; there would have been more depth to the character, I think, and some of his motivations might have been clearer.

I’m going to remedy that by grabbing the first two but do yourself a favor and start with them. Read them in order. And don’t read them quickly. Allow yourself the time to sink into Richard Prince’s world. You won’t be sorry.

Twitter: @alex_gerlis 
Facebook: alexgerlisauthor/
Website: http://alexgerlis.com/ 
Instagram: alexgerlis/ 

About Alex Gerlis:

Alex Gerlis is the author of the acclaimed Spies series of four Second World War espionage thrillers which are noted for their detailed research and intricate plots and feature two great adversaries: the British spymaster Edgar and his Soviet counterpart Viktor. The television/film rights for The Best of Our Spies have been bought by a major production company.

Born in Lincolnshire, Alex was a BBC journalist for nearly 30 years. He lives in west London with his wife and family and three black cats, a breed which makes cameo appearances in his books. He’s a lifelong supporter of Grimsby Town, which has provided some preparation for the highs and lows of writing novels. When asked if he has worked in the field of espionage he declines to answer in the hope some people may think he has.

Book Review: Every Last Breath

I’ve been reading a lot of romance novels lately, so I was more than ready to read something different, and this was the perfect choice!

Writing a spy novel can be challenging. Not only are there big shoes to fill and be compared to, but it is also all too easy to write a caricature of spies or a story that is too far-fetched to be believable. Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan avoids all of that.

To be perfectly honest, I think it might be just as difficult to write a review of a spy novel, because it would be too easy to give away plot points. The real fun of a spy novel is figuring out where the plot is going next – and far be it for me to give any of that away.

I really enjoyed the character reveals that kept popping up throughout the book. Past and current relationships play a huge part in the plot, and everything is deftly written. I did get a little bit of a “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” vibe from parts of the story – but this was much better.

The spy stuff is pretty damn cool as well. Q (James Bond) would be proud of some of the gadgets the agents used. And the intelligence gathering/op planning was absolutely fascinating. I liked that the threat they were trying to stop was realistic, as were the motivations of the bad guys. It made the suspense more visceral (especially imagining how easy it would be for this to happen in real life).

I also appreciated that the main character was a kick-ass female who could hold her own against all of the alpha males.

I could write more, but I would be in danger of giving plot points away, and I hate to do that. Do yourself a favor and get this book right away. You’ll be turning pages well into the night because you won’t be able to put it down. It looks like this might be the first in a series and I can’t wait for the next ones. My Goodreads review is below.

Now Available 4/30/ 2019

Every Last Breath (Final Hour #1)Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Shades of Tom Clancy and John le Carre, this book has everything a reader could want out of a spy thriller. The action starts at the very beginning and doesn’t let up until the last pages. There are chases, twists, the evilest of bad guys, a global threat, and a rekindled romance. Honestly, this was a page turner that I could not read fast enough. I love a book that makes me feel like I’m watching a movie, and this one definitely fit the bill. Visit my blog at www.firefliesandfreekicks.com for a more detailed review, but trust me, this is one exciting novel, and I hope to read more by this author. This review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC provided by NetGalley.

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