Monthly Archives: June 2020

The Last Battle- Agent of Rome #7 – Audio Release! GIVEAWAY!!

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Did you miss the news? Nick Brown author of the Agent of Rome series recently released book 7 – The Last Battle on audible, which is narrated by the wonderful Nigel Peever!

Here’s the blurg –

Aurelian, Emperor of Rome, has one last enemy left to conquer: In Gaul, the usurper Tetricus holds sway, and Aurelian will need every last man if he is to unify his domain and bring peace to the Empire.

One of those men is Cassius Corbulo, now seconded to the legion of Prefect Venator in southern Gaul. When a leading general is abducted on the eve of battle, Cassius is ordered to find and rescue him before the enemy gain crucial intelligence. As ever he is accompanied by attendant Simo and Indavara, the ex-gladiator bodyguard. After a punishing few years, both Cassius and Indavara doubt themselves: Do they still have the strength and courage to survive this deadly mission behind enemy lines?

Their foe is Volosus: A veteran agent as resourceful as Cassius but far more ruthless. If he is victorious, Tetricus will gain a crucial advantage that might turn the tide of the coming war.

Who will survive the Last Battle?

Would you like the chance to get your hands on a free copy? Yes? Ok well I’ve got 2 codes to help give away.

To be in with a chance of winning you just must answer two simple questions –

  • Who narrates The Last Battle?
  • During The Last Battle who is Emperor of Rome?

If you need a hint you can find both answers on this very page.. it’s as simple as that.

Send your answers in an email to me 😊 giveaways@davidsbookblurg.co.uk

You have until Sunday 5th July, midnight UK time to enter. Two winners will be randomly selected and notified on Monday 6th!

By entering the competition you allow your email address to be shared with the author only for the purposes of you receiving a code for your download 😊

What have you got to lose?

Goodluck!!! 🙂

Betray Them All (Detective Solomon Gray #7) by Keith Nixon – Review

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Today I’m reviewing Betray Them All (Detective Solomon Gray #7) by Keith Nixon

Here is the blurb –

Genre – Police Procedural Thriller

It’s 3am on a wet, dreary morning in the south of England. Detective Inspector Solomon Gray raids an ordinary-looking house, but inside he finds the exception: an illegal cannabis farm run by a sixteen-year-old held against his will.

Within minutes Gray rushes to another nearby incident. A homeowner has stabbed and seriously wounded a burglar. Semi-retired Charles Sowerby, claims self-defence against the intruder – a traveller by the name of Aidan Jupp, a man with a violent history of targeting society’s most vulnerable.

The stabbing heightens local tensions, inflamed by far-right anti-immigrant activists and the Press. Jupp’s family swear revenge on Sowerby. Then Gray discovers Jupp wasn’t acting alone, so who’s his partner?

Somehow the cannabis farm and the stabbing are connected. Can Gray figure everything out before local tensions boil over?

Set in the once-grand town of Margate, the now-broken and depressed seaside resort becomes its own character in this dark detective thriller, perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, and Peter James. Betray Them All is the seventh book in this best-selling series featuring Detective Inspector Solomon Gray.

Review

We are back with our favourite detective Solomon Gray, or Sol to those who know him well.

From the outset things look juicy. There’s a raid on a house, a cannabis farm is located but the boy found there is unwilling to talk.

There’s no time for Gray to do much more as he is called away to a burglary gone wrong. It seems clear cut at first. Intruder gets what’s coming to him as the homeowner defends himself, there are just a couple facts that don’t add up.

Tensions rise quickly. The burglar is part of a group of travellers. The locals do not like them and it’s only a matter of time before things come to a head and someone else gets hurt.

This is an extreme headache for Sol as there is little he can do, although he does manage to form an agreement of sorts with the travellers. They seem to like his style and approach to things, and they trust him though there is only so much they can control too. Sol must work fast.

As the blurb for the book suggests the cases are linked and I won’t spoil how but as always, the author manages to weave a wonderful complex tale. Nixon really is adept at this kind of story, effortlessly putting you there with Sol. Things click into place and there is that magical moment when all becomes clear.

As a fan of series it was great to see a recurring character pop up and for us to learn of his part in recent events. Again I cannot spoil it, but this ongoing situation of Sol’s is brilliant, and I do wonder how long it will be before Sol takes a fall.

Sol has the added stress of a baby on the way, it wasn’t planned and it’s even more complicated since she is a colleague, and no one knows about them. It’s this personal stress that really makes the character likeable. We all go through difficult events we would rather not, but to give him that human side enamours you to him.

As important as character development and plot are, I also have high demands when it comes to writing style, how the tale is paced, how language is used. Nixon just knows exactly what I need as a reader. The flow is perfect, chapter length spot on allowing you to really enjoy the tale. The only downside is I now must wait for the next book to be released!

Nixon is a master of the police procedural thriller and I eagerly await more 😊

5/5 Stars!

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.

 

The JJ Stoner Series #7, #8 & #9 by Frank Westworth

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Today I’m going to be doing 3 quick reviews for Frank Westworth author of The Killing Sisters and The Stoner Series.

Frank is adept and writing short sharp self-contained espionage thrillers packed with action..but few words.. that’s just JJ Stoner’s style! These novellas feature characters from the authors full length novels and serve to support the series but at the same time act as an intro for anyone wanting to learn Frank’s style of storytelling.

7

Seven Hells – Here’s the blurb

A terrorist atrocity will occur today on the crowded streets of a British city. The authorities have been forewarned, and tactical squads scramble to likely locations. They’re playing a waiting game with a deadly opponent, a religious extremist with a lethal message in mind. But who will make the first move?

JJ Stoner – the ex-military man with a sideline in silencing people – should play no part in this operation. But an old opponent from the times of the Troubles has other ideas. He knows who to manipulate to lure Stoner into the killing zone – and into conflict with his closest friends and allies…

Review

We are back with book 7 in the JJ Stoner series.

It starts with a meeting between Stoner and The Hard Man.. Stoners boss. Drinks have flowed and the conversation turns to work.. but of a more personal motivation… Stoner doesn’t do personal.

The meeting ends abruptly as a terrorist threat has been reported and there’s still time to stop the attack!

JJ is thrust back into contact with his ex-lover, Bernadette, who has a source.. but they will only meet with Stoner. There is some tension building I can feel it.

As you can imagine things do not really go to plan and Stoner is lucky to not have his ass blown off.

There’s a few twists along the way and I always love how Stoner is a man of few words..the more you read the more you think you know him.. but you don’t..you never quite know which direction he will take but rest assured it will be the way packed with explosions and bullets.

Another cracking instalment from the author.

4/5 Stars!

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.

 

8

CzechM8 – Here’s the blurb

The life of a contract killer can be complicated.

JJ Stoner’s boss wants him to kill someone. His best friend’s girlfriend also wants him to kill someone. His best friend could kill him for getting cosy with the wrong woman.

Stoner just wants to ride his Harley – but the forces of law and order have other ideas…

Review

JJ just wants a simple life.. point and shoot.. no hidden agendas..no deceit..but that will never happen in his line of work.

This book heavily involves Shard, a colleague of Stoners. Shard seems to be quite jealous of Stoner talking to a woman.. why? Well this lady has had one or two dances in the bedroom with Shard if you get my drift.

To be fair to Stoner.. she just wants him to kill someone for her.. but this isn’t just an ordinary man either.

In typical Stoner fashion the job is done.. deniability concrete. I loved the Yuri’s..brought in to help Stoner with a particular part of the plan. The mission goes quite smoothly for once!

I always love that the author lets Stoner’s passions shine through each tale.. In this one it’s his love for motorbikes..at other times it’s his music..it just adds a little depth to a man of few words.

4/5 Stars!

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.

 

9

Nine Lies – Here’s the blurb

Even an accomplished assassin can have a bad day. JJ Stoner certainly didn’t expect brain tissue and skull fragments to feature quite so prominently in a routine surveillance operation. That’s bad enough, but things get worse as the week goes by.

Machiavellian inter-agency intrigue sees Stoner pretending to be a Russian agent while fulfilling a mission for the CIA. Somehow JJ ends up at the wrong end of a gun barrel, dodging bullets. And not all of them miss their target…

When you’re a deniable – potentially disposable – covert operative, killing people is sometimes the easy option.

Staying alive isn’t always so straightforward.

Review

So…Stoner gets shot!! Yeh that got you listening.

The tale starts with JJ Stoner and Stretch McCann on a routine mission, interagency cooperation. Things go smoothly.. so much so The Hard Man, JJ’s Boss has another job for him and JJ decides to bring Stretch along for backup.

Things go sideways.. and it’s not coincidence either.. but who set them up..and who’s the target, Stoner or Stretch, and why?

Well JJ won’t let a little bullet stop him getting to the bottom of things but it does take some well placed connections to put the pieces together.

I quite enjoyed this one, showing Stoner isn’t invincible and I loved the back and forth between Stoner and Stretch…brothers form different mothers type of feel.

4/5 Stars!

To find out more head to Goodreadsor Amazon.

Overall I really enjoy these books, short sharp and enticing. There’s always that wiggle room for interpterion.. you never quite know how Stoner will react and it is this unpredictability that keeps me reading.