Tag Archives: Kindle

10 Questions with…..Brian K. Larson

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So since is started to really get into reading a few years ago i’ve become a big fan of Brian’s work. He has fun ideas and his storytelling has always kept me hooked. Today happens to be release day for his latest work Time Squared. Look out for my review in the not to distant future!

Happy release day Brian!

Now, Brain has very kindly answered a few questions. Sit back, enjoy and at the end of it i hope you’ll be tempted to give Brian’s work a try if you haven’t already

Let’s talk about your latest released book. Tell us a short blurb about the book, please?

Time Squared is a book about, well, time travel. Here’s the synopsis:

Jonas Arnell, Tipper Montgomery, and a crew of seven launches from Jupiter Station on the Aevus. They’re sent to investigate a mysterious signal coming from the star Gliese 667.

Nearly destroyed from a surprise attack to prevent the mission, they retire into cryogenic sleep for the nineteen month journey.

When they awaken, their world is turned upside down as they discover the origin of this mystery signal; their own ship. Only the crew and the ship’s skiff are missing.

Landing on the planet, they discover a time chamber where an accident has altered their time-line. Now they must travel through time to stop the paradox from occurring.

Where did your idea for the story come from and how long did it take to write?

This book was originally inspired by the 1960’s TV show, “Time Tunnel” that I watched as a kid. I was enthralled by the idea, or, possibility, that we could travel through time.

Time Squared was one of my easiest books to write with a completed manuscript in two months. I love science fiction and when you toss time travel in, well, it becomes even more awesome.

How did you come up with the title?

Time Squared has several been inspired by many different works. However, one comes to mind is an episode on Star Trek: The Next Generation called Time Squared where Captain Picard discovers his shuttlecraft floating in space. When they bring it onboard, Captain Picard is inside. It’s a wonderful time travel episode. However, the crew in this book finding themselves and the title are the only things you will find familiar. The story does take on its own life and after ready a couple of chapters, you will be hooked.

 

 

 

Do you stick to one genre or do you dabble in others, too?

I mainly write Science Fiction. However, my last 3 book series titled ‘Warlords,’ mixed science fiction and fantasy. I had one review state that he loved the books and I didn’t trip over one genre over the other, it was blended nicely.

What are you currently working on?

Currently, I’m working on volume 2 in the ‘Time’ series titled, ‘Time Fractured.’

Which manuscript did you have the most fun working on?

By far, the manuscript I had the most fun writing was the third book in the ‘Warlords Series’ titled ‘Blood Scroll of Antares.’ The words flowed onto the page, and I had a clear understanding of every aspect of the story. I found my groove on this one for sure.

 

Let’s talk about you, the author, now. What do you do when you aren’t writing?

If I’m not sitting behind my keyboard writing my next best seller, I tend to binge watch Netflix series. My favorite one is newest ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ followed by ‘Fringe.’ Currently, I’m just starting season 3 of ‘Lost.’

 

 

Tell us about your favorite cause.

I support the International Dyslexia Foundation. They help others recognize and deal with Dyslexia.

 

Are you coffee or tea?

Most definitely a coffee person, but I do like tea as well.

And lastly, what is the one thing you wish people who DON’T write would understand about writing?

Writing is NOT an easy profession. Sure, the story ideas come fairly easy. However, it takes a lot of planning such as world building and creating unique character that reader will love. Lastly, it’s not all about writing. When you’re an independent, or Indi author, my job’s not done when the manuscript is done. Revisions, editing, doing the book layout, as well as all the marketing fall to author. Having some experience in business with project management does help a great deal.

Author Bio:

Brian was born and raised in Seattle in 1959. He grew up in the town of Mount Lake Terrace, a small suburb north of the city. Brian, being the youngest, had two siblings, his eldest brother, Mike and sister, Pam. School was challenging, as Brian suffers with Dyslexia, a learning disability that affects 1 in 15 Americans. That didn’t stop Brian. He was named “bookworm” in school because he always had his nose in a book.

Brian received his MBA in 2010 in Business, now writes for fun, living his lifelong dream of writing science fiction books. He enjoys his off time, with his seventh grade sweetheart, Diana Rose now for going on sixteen years. She has been by his side and continues to supports his writing. Brian says that without her encouragement, his dream would never have become a reality. They now live in Marysville, Washington, and enjoy three wonderful kids and eight grandchildren. They range from newborn to thirteen, and he says they are so special and great to have around.

It is Brian’s hope that through his writing he will fill hearts with joy to readers all over the world, sparking their imaginations.

Links:

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/bklarson

Time Squared link US: https://amzn.com/B01F6A9I2Y

Time Squared link UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01F6A9I2Y/

Personal: www.secretofthecrystal.com

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

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Title – Games People Play (Charlie Cameron #1)
Author – Owen Mullen
Genre –  Crime Fiction/Mystery
Length –    405 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

On a warm summer’s evening thirteen month old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland, taken while her parents are yards away. Three days later, the distraught father turns up at Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron’s office and begs him to help. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has stolen his daughter. And why.
Against his better judgement Charlie gets involved in a case he would be better off without. But when a child’s body is discovered on Fenwick Moor, then another in St Andrews, the awful truth dawns: there is a serial killer out there whose work has gone undetected for decades. Baby Lily may be the latest victim of a madman.
For Charlie it’s too late, he can’t let go. His demons won’t let him.

The stunning first novel featuring Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron. Games People Play will have the reader guessing to the very last page.

Review

This book starts with a bang.. I literally felt compelled to keep reading just so I could find out the truth about what happened.

Charlie is a PI who’s tasked to find a missing person, he knows he should take this case since it’s too close to an ongoing police investigation but he just can’t help himself.

Along the way we find out more about the PI’s own past and his motivations which gave him some depth and made him likable, he’s flawed but you want things to go his way.

The book has two stories playing side by side, one being the investigation and the other Charlies own complicated life. This brought a freshness to the story.. with each turn of the page the story would shift focus seamlessly kept me engaged and interested in what was happening

The story was well written and planed out. I must admit I did not see the ending coming until the author put all the pieces together.. it really had a wow finish for me..the hand over mouth moment when you finally see what Charlie has figured out.

Suspense is the word that best describes this book.. it’s all about the build-up and Owen Mullen did this really well. Some books just make the suspense plane boring but not this book!

The characters were great and I really loved the development throughout of the main character Charlie as you slowly learn more about him

For me this definitely is one of the best Crime Fiction novels I’ve read, not only does it have the investigation side you’d expect but with the underlying story behind Charlie I couldn’t help but be hooked in.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series

My thanks go to the author for the opportunity to read/review their work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Darkness Descends by Peter Arvo & Lauren Arvo – Review

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Title – Darkness Descends (Elemental Kingdoms #1)
Author – Peter Arvo, Lauren Arvo
Genre –  Fantasy/Young Adult
Length –    317 Pages
My Rating – 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

Once there were many kingdoms of myth and legend, but six stood apart from the rest. They may have lost their origins, but they still possessed their elemental abilities of creation as well as destruction. Their rule was about to be threatened by an unseen group, who have waited patiently to make their move.

A group of powerful royal blooded teenagers are about to experience the time of their lives, but also have their lives turned upside-down. They will have to go beyond what they thought possible, stretching their skills, friendship, courage, love, and powers to the breaking point.

Review

I’m going to level with you, I requested to review this book for a couple reason. Firstly I liked the cover and the plot behind the book, who doesn’t love a bit of fantasy where people have powers. The second reason and also the main reason behind me wanting to review the book is I loved the story behind it.. I loved the fact Lauren came up with the idea and with the help of her father Peter has helped it come to fruition. I always love to see parents support their children.

I loved the story, the idea those with royal blood have elemental powers was a nice idea. I particularly liked the idea each kingdom had their own powers and these powers can be used in different ways or even combined.

The plot itself is pretty straight forward, Hawten sets out on his mission to get help for his kingdom and in the process is meets the teenage members of other royal households who join him. It was a fun read, although something like this wouldn’t happen in real life I did think the authors managed to get the rebellious and adventurous sides of teenagers across nicely.

I have to admit my favourite character was Ahmu and I loved  he had his own section at the end of the tale where his journal entries were listed

The story is a coming of age tale based on fantasy, these young boys and girls are out to find themselves and learn about their powers as well as help Hawten.

My overall impression of the book is that it is well planned out and very interesting to read, the only two things that could be improved for me were the chapter length and the amount of detail thrown in the story.

Some of the chapters were around 50 – 60 minutes in length and I just felt this was a little too long for a YA book.

The flow of the story was good but at times you had a lot of information thrown at you to describe a place or a person. The information was great at helping you visualise but at the same time it did slow the flow of the story and I think the story would have worked just as well with a little info left out

All in all I really enjoyed the book it was fun to read with lots of potential. I’m very much interested in reading the second book to see how the story progresses

If you’re a fan of YA novels then add this  to your TBR pile, I have a good feeling this series will only improve as it goes forward

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Flood by Steven Scaffardi – Review

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Title – The Flood
Author – Steven Scaffardi
Genre –  Lad Lit/Humour
Length –    359 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

One bet, four girls, eight weeks, multiple dates. What could possibly go wrong?

Following his traumatic eight month dry spell, Dan Hilles is back in the driving seat and ready to put his dating disasters behind him.

But if only it were that simple.

After a drunken afternoon in the pub, fuelled by the confidence of alcohol, Dan makes a bet with his three best pals that will complicate his love-life more than ever when he brazenly declares that he could juggle multiple women all at the same time.

With just eight weeks to prove his point, Dan is about to find out how hard it is to date a flood of women without them all finding out about each other, especially when they come in the shape of an ex-girlfriend, a stalker, the office ice queen and the one that got away.

The Flood is the hilarious follow-up to The Drought by lad lit author Steven Scaffardi, chronicling the adventures of unlucky-in-love Dan Hilles. Available at Amazon and all good book retailers from March 2016.

Review

The Flood is the second novel in the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series. If you haven’t already read my review of The Drought, check it out here.

We are back with Dan Hilles and his very unfortunate love life..If you haven’t read the first book don’t worry, the author weaves such a good story they work well as standalone tales.

If possible this book was even better than the first, for me it had more cringy moments where I found myself laughing on public transport.. at one point I even let out a little snort..not my finest moment I’ll admit.

The guys in the story are a very likeable bunch. I think the author really does give a true male perspective. Yes we can be tits sometimes but for the most part we mean no harm.. we just don’t use our brain as much as we should… and we can end up in some awkward situations just like Dan.

From the opening chapters and synopsis I thought I had a good idea what the direction the story would go in but with all the twists and turns the author throws in I literally had no idea what would happen next.. the only thing I knew for certain is that I had to keep reading.

One of the things I liked most in this book is we are introduced to some very weird and fun new characters… some were so unpredictable you just had to keep reading to see what they got up to next

If you read my reviews you’ll know I’m not one for spoilers.. but the ending blow me away.. didn’t see it coming a mile off and I’m eagerly looking forward to more from the author.

I definitely feel the characters have grown a little since the first book, although not very much ha ha they’re still the fun bunch of lads that had me laughing in The Drought.

Overall I felt this was a honest, funny and clever tale that pretty much anyone will enjoy.. how can you not 🙂

If you’re looking for a nice fun read then this is the series for you. It keeps you hooked and leaves you wanting more..

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work..it was my absolute pleasure

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Nursing Fox by Jim Ditchfield – Review

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Title –  Nursing Fox
Author – Jim Ditchfield
Genre –  Historical Fiction
Length –    291 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

At the outbreak of World War I, Lucy Paignton-Fox enlists in the Australian Army Nursing Service and leaves her family’s cattle station in the Northern Territory to join the war effort. During the Gallipoli campaign she serves in hospitals in Egypt, but when the Anzacs are posted to France she moves with them. A talented and spirited nurse, with dreams of one day becoming a doctor, Lucy finds more opportunities than she ever imagined: working alongside doctors and surgeons, sharing the soldiers’ dangers, helping them through their pain, and making lifelong friends.

But with war comes suffering. Lucy sees it all around: sorrow, disease and death. How long can she stay separated from it all?

Adam Hayward joins the British Army after a devastating attack on his family. Accepted into the air force, Adam tests his luck in the cockpit fighting for those he loves. But with aircraft technology booming, can Adam continue to stay ahead of the game?

John Mitchell’s determination leads him slowly up the ranks. With more responsibility than ever, he becomes disillusioned with the horrors of war, but he can’t help admiring the brave nurses who do so much to help the wounded men.

Nursing Fox details the experiences of Australian nurses during the Great War. It honours their journeys and shows the impact that the nurses had on the soldiers with whom they crossed paths.

Review

This has without a doubt been one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read, A beautiful and emotive tale that had me engrossed from the start.

The story is told from 3 different points of view, Lucy, Adam and John. Set within World War I they are thrust into the war effort and each play a part in each other’s lives. The tale starts slowly but then you get carried away and I just couldn’t put it down

At times the tale was heart-warming..at others gut wrenching. It really made me feel glad for the freedom I’m lucky to have.

For me I feel the book did a good job and developing the characters, they felt real and I loved all 3..each strong but with their own issues they have to overcome.

One of the best things about this book for me is it really showed you well how nursing was conducted during the war. We all know fighting men died but have you ever thought of those close to enemy lines who were there to help the wounded? I know it’s something I’ve never really considered.

The story mainly follows Lucy and her part within the war effort, she has a lot to deal with.. not only are people around her dying but she also has to deal with superior’s looking down on her for wanting to better herself. Lucy seemed so strong but at times you can tell the struggles the character must have been going through

This story isn’t the kind of book to make you laugh, at times you might smile and at other times you might shed a tear..there’s this sense right from the beginning that not everything will end well.

Another thing that I really liked about the book was the pacing of the story. Never too much, never to boring with the perfect amount of detail and story to keep me reading well into the early hours of the morning.. and the ending!! I’m never one for spoilers but I felt the last few chapters suited the story perfectly.. I can’t imagine the author finishing the book any other way

In conclusion, this book was a real treat. It picks up on the courage and effort both woman and men (and horses J ) put into the war effort and does it in such a way that by the end of it you feel you’ve had a history lesson rather than simply reading a story.

Well worth reading in my opinion

My thanks go to Odyssey Books for the chance to read/review the book

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Blog Tour – Soho Honey by A.W Rock – Review

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Title – Soho Honey
Author – A.W Rock
Genre –  Crime
Length –    356 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

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Synopsis

This contemporary crime story takes place over three weeks in November and unfolds against the multi-cultural backdrop of Soho, London. Branen had to leave the UK six years before to escape his complex clandestine history and the consequences of a crime that achieved worldwide notoriety. When his daughter is brutally murdered in Soho he believes that he could be the reason. He returns to his old hunting grounds to find the killer. His search brings him into conflict with the British Secret Service and Soho’s underworld. He is forced to flee Soho again after a tragic meeting with his ex-wife. His past has caught up with him and the hunter becomes the hunted. Now forty years old Branen wants to stop running and to remove forever the continuing threat to his life. In an effort to get rid of his pursuers he is faced with the prospect that his only chance of survival could lead to his death.

‘I have now read the novel myself and I think it’s very good… I will not be the only publisher who finds it first rate.’ Christopher MacLehose, Publisher of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – part of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy.

Review

This book surprised me. The synopsis was interesting but I was hooked into the story quicker than I imagined I would be..the book just got better and better as it went on.

The very first part of the book is a bit of background on Branen.. all very interesting but I was waiting to get to the good stuff…and the author didn’t keep me waiting long.

As soon as Branen’s daughter is involved the fast pace of the story turns to suspense and a brilliant story builds up leading on from her murder.

For me two characters stood out, Snowman and Harry.. these guys play pivotal parts in the book and I just loved any scene with them in.

One of the best things about this book is how the author has decided to write it. Each part of the story is broke down into manageable chunks clearly stating who is involved. This style of writing made it very easy for me to read and helped reinforce the character info you’ve learnt as you can clearly see their progression. There is also a section at the beginning of the book which details each character.. I must admit I skipped this and don’t think it did me any harm.. the author explained each characters and their motivations well enough during the story

The plot line has twists and turns and was exciting to read.. with each page turn i was left wondering what else could possibly happen! I won’t lie there is a lot going on within the plot but for me it all worked. It’s a gritty crime drama full of suspense.. for me it was like James Bond.. but with a lot of drugs involved set in the seedy underworld of Soho.

I’d definitely like to see where the author goes next. If you enjoy crime gritty/dirty/dark crime books this book will work for you.

Thank you to Kate Appleton @ Authoright and Clink Street Publishing for this review copy.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

I Can I Will – Debra Benson – Review

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Title –  I Can I Will
Author – Debra Benson
Genre –  Short Stories/Romance
Length –    52 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Andrea’s life fell apart when she was laid off from a good paying job, but she found comfort in church, and then in the gentle arms of the Reverend. That would have been the perfect solution if he wasn’t already married to her best friend, one thing led to another and things just happened. What happens when two people in need of love find each other? Can Andrea and Melvin find their way past sin and salvage their personal lives, as well as their standing with God?

Review

At 52 pages this book is short but like me you’ll be surprised how much has been crammed in.

One of the biggest issues you can have is leaving the reader feeling deflated like they haven’t got their monies worth from a short story.. well not this stories.

The author managed to weave what felt to me as a complete story in so few pages and actually had me feeling for the characters.  When each new character is introduced the author gives you a little insight but as the story progresses you get to see things from their point of view and things aren’t as clear cut as they might appear.

I think the story has done well to highlight what can happen in relationships; as much as we love someone everyone has the human need to feel loved. Romance is not a genre I tend to enjoy but this was a real treat

For me the way the author wrote this book was brilliant, with the story moving from one person’s perspective to another. This give the book a great feel and I constantly changed my views on the characters with every turn of a page

If you enjoy a good short story this is perfect, it didn’t feel lacking in anything. The pace of the story was perfect, the writing style made it all flow nicely and my biggest love in any story. Character development was there in abundance.

If you’ve not read a short story before then give this one a go! I doubt you’ll be disappointed

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read and review the book

To find out more head to Goodreads, Smashwords, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Lad Lit Blog Tour – The Drought by Steven Scaffardi – Review

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Title –  The Drought
Author – Steven Scaffardi
Genre –  Lad-Lit/Comedy
Length –   336 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Dan Hilles is a pretty regular kind of guy – regular job, regular bunch of mates, regular male aversion to shopping. But following his break-up with long-term girlfriend, Stacey, he finds himself single again. He’s been out of the game for a while and is a little out of practice. Soon, the very irregular and increasingly worrying issue in Dan’s life is the extended drought he finds himself suffering. And we’re not talking the climate change, scorched earth, God I’m parched variety.

You’ve got to hand it to Dan though – it certainly isn’t from a lack of trying. With stalwart mates Ollie, Jack and Rob on hand to lend their collective pearls of male wisdom and arrange the odd road trip, you’d think Dan’s days of languishing in a sexual wilderness would be numbered. Even best friends can’t help prevent the kind of surreal holes Dan just can’t seem to help digging himself into. And with each failed attempt, his self-esteem plummets to the point where he wonders if ‘little Dan’ will ever work again.

Good job he has Kelly, his reliable and sympathetic colleague, to confide in. As a woman, she can perhaps shed some female light on why he’s failing so miserably with the opposite sex, balancing out the testosterone-fuelled ‘advice’ from the lads. Surely Dan can’t go wrong with Kelly teaching him the various intricacies of a woman’s mind.

Steven Scaffardi’s first novel will have every guy laughing out loud in recognition and every girl secretly worrying – is this how men really think? A new talent to watch out for on the ‘lad-lit’ scene.

Review

First let me say this.. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as much or laughed as hard as I did reading this book, multiple times a had to cover me face to stop the laugh coming out while on public transport.

This book follows Dan and his numerous disasters in the dating world. Although I felt for the guy I couldn’t help but laugh at the events that played out.

One of the best things about the book for me was that the author hit dead on with the events, so much so that it reminded me of my own life at points during my late teens/early twenties. I identified with the characters and could see a lot of my own friend’s personalities in Dan’s friends.

The book is well written and funny and is told at a good pace. I found myself getting to the end of a chapter and pausing to take in the events, chuckle some more and review the events that have played out in my own life

For me this was a very honest tale of a young man, recently single looking to get his end away, he’s not looking to hurt anyone and I’d like to think most men will identify with that.

Overall the book was brilliantly funny and spot on with the comedy, made up of funny events and some very cringy ones that will leave you with a smile on your face.

When I first heard about this book I did wonder if it was better suited to a male audience and thanks to my friend Sarah @ bytheletterbookreviews I’m very glad to say she found it just as funny as me. You can see her review here…. And I definitely agree with Sarah’s comment that this would a brilliant TV show

If you’re looking for a fun read this is definitely one to pick up! My thanks go to Steven for the opportunity to read/review the book.

I’m half way through the follow up book ‘The Food’ and can tell you so far it hasn’t disappointed.. just as funny and I’m dying to read more.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Look out in the near future as I hope to feature Steven on my “10 Questions With” section

Lad Lit Sunday

#LadLitSunday – Steven Scaffardi

#LadLitSunday is a social media hashtag I created to encourage more readers to discuss, debate and celebrate great lad lit novels.

Lad Lit is a subject and genre I have written about on many occasions, and is indeed very close to my own literary heart as my comedy book series Sex, Love and Dating Disasters has often been dubbed chick lit for men, or lad lit.

The genre is awash with British talent from undisputed kings Nick Hornby and Tony Parsons, to men’s magazine favourites Danny Wallace and Mike Gayle, and best-selling self-published authors Nick Spalding and Jon Rance.

In an interview with Matt Dunn, I asked him how male writers tackle the genre differently to their female chick lit counterparts, and he said: “I think we just tell it how it is from our point of view. Or rather, how we see it. Which is kind of how it is, if you believe all that ‘perception is reality’ bollocks. Which I do, obviously.”

To me lad lit does not stop with books about relationships from a man’s point of view. Lad lit can be thrillers or crime stories with a strong male lead character, with pages full to the brim with testosterone! It’s lad humour, lad emotions, lad heroes!

Over the last few years I have met a number of really cool authors and readers on the internet on sites like Goodreads, and I honestly believe there is a place for lad lit at the top literary table. A number of total strangers who have read my books and really enjoyed them having never even heard of lad lit before testifies to that. Hopefully #LadLitSunday can help in a small way make raise the profile.

To take part in #LadLitSunday simply use the hashtag when posting a comment on your social media feeds and Steven will do his best to mention all of the best comments on his blog.

Empress of Antares by Brian K. Larson – Review

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Title –  Empress of Antares (Warlords 2)
Author – Brian K. Larson
Genre –  Science Fiction
Length –   380 Pages
Publication – Nov 2015
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

The ancient Antarian scrolls spoke of legends regarding a female warrior from an unknown house. In this second installment, the life blood from the Beast of the Valley of Trenches can bring fortitude to the new Empress of Antares.

“Know that there will be two paths to take. One path will bring your own destruction, the other, the annihilation of Earth.”

The Empress must choose the right path blindly, because of the missing scrolls. Will she choose the right direction, or will time run out on saving humanity from the Warlords? Join Admiral Jedediah Fitz and Major Race Jennings as they prepare for the invasion.

Review

Empress is the second book in the Warlord series by Brian K. Larson. You can check out my review for The Warlords of Anatres here..

If you’ve read the first book you won’t be disappointed. It’s written in Brian’s classic style of easy reading but one hell of a fast paced ride.

The twist and turns come at you so fast in this book it’s got so much going on but that’s what makes it fun to read.. you don’t have time to get bored

There are a lot of characters mentioned at times in quick bursts so it does take a little while to get used to the characters but once you do it’s a great story.

Something stood out for me with this book, that being character development which I’m a big fan of.. if you are reading a series of books you need them to develop at a decent pace and I think the author did a great job with building on the characters from the last book. I would have liked more from Race in this book if you read the book you can tell why he’s overshadowed in this one.. it’s not his tale this time.. I hopeful for more from him in book 3 which I’ve already downloaded and I’m looking forward to getting to grips with it

All in all this is another solid book from Brian, if you enjoy his work you’ll love this one. The why I describe his work is simply fast paced science fiction made simple.. Brian gives you just the info you need.. doesn’t over complicate things and lets you enjoy the ride

As with the author’s previous work it’s perfectly suited for an adult to read or a young adult, his writing style makes it so easy to read so even if you aren’t the most confident reader you’ll be fine with this

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette – Review

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Title –  The Theseus Paradox
Author – David Videcette
Genre –  Crime, Thriller.
Length –  438 Pages
Publication – Nov 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

“I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story…”
How much is fact and how much is fiction, only YOU can decide…

‘A chillingly credible tale based on real circumstances.’
‘A five-star, explosive finale.’
‘Leaves the reader hungry to research this version of events!’
‘A believable conspiracy theory with an incredible ring of truth.’
‘This fictional thriller holds a lot of water. Do not miss!’
‘A powerhouse of a fact-fiction mash-up.’
‘A stunning ‘big reveal’ at the end.’
‘Brilliant stuff that smacks you in the face!’

July 2005: in the midst of Operation Theseus, the largest police investigation that the UK has ever known, Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan begins to ask difficult questions that lead to the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend and his sudden suspension from the Metropolitan Police.

Who masterminded London’s summer of terror?
Why can’t Flannagan make headway in the sprawling investigation?
Is Jake’s absent girlfriend really who she claims to be?

While hunting for the answers to the most complex case in British history, one man will uncover the greatest criminal deception of our time.

Terror, extremism and fear of the unknown,
Sometimes the answer is much closer to home.

The author: David Videcette is a former Scotland Yard investigator who has worked on a wealth of infamous cases, including the 7 July 2005 London bombings. He has twenty years of police and investigative experience as a British detective, specialising in counter-terrorist operations and organised crime. He currently consults on security operations for high-net-worth individuals and is an expert media commentator on crime, terrorism, extremism and the London 7/7 and 21/7 attacks.

David says, ‘I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story..’

Review

Ok so this was a really interesting one for me, based around the 7/7 bombings it gives you a very plausible, fast paced tale.

Jake the lead character is great, he relies on his gut instincts.. he’s a pain when it comes to his bosses and police procedure but he gets results… the line is blurred a but when it comes to Jake but this gives him great depth and makes him believable. He’s flawed and it makes you like him.. I hope there’s more to come as I’d love to see his character develop further

One thing I really enjoyed was that this book shows you there are lots of things going on behind the scenes that we never know about. There’s must have been so much evidence to collect that it did become more of a hindrance than helping with the investigation. This book gives a well rounded view of an investigation not just a clear cut line that some novels do

The fact the author is former Police works well for him, the book flowed so well. Credit to the author his knowledge made this such a good tale you could believe this is actually what did happen.. Everything is spot on.. everything is explained perfectly.

Another great feature in the book is the super short chapters, packed full of info that build in intensity as the book progresses. You could argue that some chapters didn’t really need to be split up but it made the story such a fast flowing ride that you barely notice you’ve been reading for an hour

In the end the plot, although about a sensitive subject worked well and I didn’t see the twists coming that the author through in. David clearly had put a lot of time into this tale and it pays off big style

If you’re a fan of the genre you’ll love this and for anyone who has never ready a crime book before this would be the prefect intro.

My thanks go to the author for the chance to review the book. In complete honesty I will be adding David to my “authors to watch list” so I don’t miss when he releases a new book

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com