#BlogTour Games People Play by Owen Mullen

It’s my turn on the Blogtour Games People Play by Own Mullen.

About the Author

Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete.  In his earlier life he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family will be published in January 2021. Sign up to his newsletter here

Follow @OwenMullen6 on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Youtube, Goodreads Author page, Bookbub page,

About the book

When a baby is stolen from a Scottish beach, private investigator Charlie Cameron reluctantly agrees to take the case.
While her parents are just yards away, thirteen-month-old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland. Three days later, her distraught father turns up at private investigator Charlie Cameron’s office. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has taken his daughter. And why.

Against his better judgment, Charlie takes the case—and when bodies are discovered, he suspects this may not be an isolated crime. Is there a serial killer whose work has gone undetected for decades? Is baby Lily his latest victim? Charlie won’t be able to give up on this case. Memories and guilt from his childhood won’t let him…

Review

 Private Investigator Charlie is reluctant to take on the case of a missing baby. It sails too close to the home of his nightmares and his feelings of despair and doubt. Choosing to help the parents of a young baby, an innocent child with not so innocent parents – it’s a case that stirs up trouble and emotions.

Charlie Cameron is driven by his own baggage, the memories and flashbacks that dictate his emotional state of mind. This new case is too close to previous experiences, perhaps it’s also the reason he can’t let it be until he knows the truth.

The fact Charlie is unable to leave his own trauma in the past is very much what flavours the entire story. He is this straight talking PI and yet at the same time he is the child who wants to – needs to know the truth. The question is whether he will ever get a satisfactory answer.

I think truth is the commodity around which the story revolves. Different versions of it and yet also the one that is beyond the truth – that dangerous layer of thin ice between assuming and actually having your suspicions acknowledged is the basis of everything.

It’s a slow burner written with a certain style and voice Mullen brings to the table. It gives readers the crime, mystery and also this snappy realistic vibe, and yet the emotional element is just as strong. This is the first in the series and hopefully one of many going forward. I also hope readers will finally get some answers about his sister, although a compelling drawn out cat and mouse game between the bad guy and Cameron would be equally as interesting.

Buy Games People Play at Amazon Uk or got to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Boldwood Books pub date 20 April 2021. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BlogTour I Lost My Compass at the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five by Clara L. Molina

It’s my turn on the BlogTour I Lost My Compass at the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five by Clara L. Molina.

About the Author

Clara L Molina writes Science Fiction books most of the time, dabbles in comic drawings occasionally, and writes to laugh at herself all the time. She has a computer science degree, but has been a lifelong writer. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoys fresh air and days where her hair is not frizzy.

Follow @BoxaEl on Twitter, Visit elboxa.com 

About the book

Sophia Lorenzo awoke with no memory or identity and given a mission to murder a mysterious man named Murich Rhys. What will she do? There’s only one way to find out as she heads to his castle and embarks on a long and arduous journey to complete a task she does not want. 

Can she battle the scorching heat of the desert? What lies in the wake and maze of the forest? Can she escape from the Snow Dwellers and the inhabitants of the contentious city of Absolute Zero? 

She heads to the castle to discover who she is and why she was given this task. The truth is just as crazy as her mission. Sophia Lorenzo finds her compass on the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five.

Review

Sophia Lorenzo awakens with no memory in the Cursed City. A city where messages drop from the sky. I wondered of there were shades of an abstract Dorothy on her way to the Emerald City being spoken to from above by the wizard.

It’s a short read, around 136 pages. It’s a speculative read with elements of sci-fi and dystopian genres. It reads a little bit like a series of short excerpts. Now and again the speculative nature is replaced with doubt about the nature of her reality. About her conscious state and subconscious meanderings.

At times it felt as if the structure of the sentences was slightly off and the in general the story seemed a little disjointed at times. Not always unusual when it comes to speculative fiction – the very nature of the genre allows for a crossing of boundaries and breaking of established rules.

There are some intriguing ideas and plenty of creativity. Perhaps less trying to outsmart the reader and a bit more clarity to ensure readership.

Buy I Lost My Compass at the Bermuda Triangle at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogBlitz A Little Birdie Told Me by Sharley Scott

It’s my turn on the Blitz Tour A Little Birdie Told Me by Sharley Scott.

About the Author

Sharley Scott is the author of the Devon Seaside Guesthouse novels – Bedlam & Breakfast and B&Bers Behaving Madly – and the Maddie Meadows series.

Sharley is a guesthouse owner in South Devon. She is thankful to have been blessed with lots of amazing and kind-hearted guests, who are nothing like some of the fictional characters featured in the Devon Seaside Guesthouse series.

The Two Lives of Maddie Meadows – and its sequel The Gift of a Rose – portray the life of a working single mum. Some of the mischief Maddie’s little one, Josh, gets up to will be familiar to all parents. In real life, Sharley has carried out the threats she made to her son decades ago and now gets her own back him by telling tales to his girlfriend (some of the incidents in the books are inspired by him), although he returns the favour by recounting utterly embarrassing stories about his mum.

Sharley’s latest novel ‘A Little Birdie Told Me…’ is being published in February 2021. This book goes back in time to the late eighties: a time of fun music, interesting fashion, strange hairstyles and no internet or mobile phones. Fancy having to talk to each other! (Says the author who frequents Facebook too often).

With that in mind, Sharley can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SharleyScott3/ or follow Sharley on Twitter: @SharleyScott

About the book

It’s 1988. The era of young love, with Scott and Charlene melting hearts in Neighbours, and a new princess for the Royal Family. With Bros, Madonna and Wet Wet Wet in the charts, and children hoping for Ghostbusters’ toys in their stockings.

But it’s not all fun for Belinda. If her life was a board game, she’s losing at snakes and ladders. Once she’d been working her way up one of those ladders but, thanks to her snake-like polytechnic lecturer, she’s toppled from the rungs. Now she works in an old people’s home, where her chief duties involve cleaning toilets and emptying commodes.

At least her lovely colleague, Joe, offers excitement in her otherwise dreary life. But Belinda can’t believe he’d be interested in someone like her. Not when her pretty friend, Tracey, only has to glance at a man to have him fall for her.

But just when it seems things are looking up for Belinda, the residents’ precious possessions start to go missing. Then she witnesses a disturbing incident and doesn’t know what to do. Luckily, Belinda has Joe to guide her – until she discovers that he’s hiding a secret, one that forces her to make an agonising decision.

Will she continue to hide in the shadows, never speaking out – or will she put her future on the line to stand up for what is right? After all, she’s caring for a generation that’s lived through two wars. Now it’s time to fight for them.

Review

Belinda has started a new job at a care home – totally unsupported and without any kind of dialogue or instruction. In fact some of the colleagues appear to be working against her and another new colleague. It’s not long before she realises there are things happening at the care home that aren’t acceptable and that the elderly people need someone to look out for them.

The read is a blast from the past and a nostalgic walk if you were a certain age during the 80s. It’s more a story about learning to love yourself for who you are and not who people think you should be. At the beginning Belinda is very much a woman lacking in confidence and subservient to everyone around her. She tends to ignore her gut instincts, especially when it comes to working in a care home. During the story she learns to stand up for herself and others, which is a milestone for Belinda.

The author gives readers a story that will pull at the memory strings for certain readers and perhaps make others take a moment to consider the situations of the elderly in care homes. I can’t imagine feeling more disempowered and vulnerable than as an elderly person who has reached an age where living alone has been deemed no longer sustainable. Alice’s story in particular is quite tragic and routed in realism. The plight of women when they are considered a nuisance, a troublemaker and refuse to fall into line with what society deems normal.

Buy A Little Birdie Told Me at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

#MiniBlogBlitz The Warrior’s Innocent Captive by Ella Matthews

It’s my turn on the Blog Blitz for The Warrior’s Innocent Captive by Ella Matthews.

About the Author

Ella Matthews lives and works in beautiful South Wales. When not thinking about handsome heroes she can be found walking along the coast with her husband and their two children (probably still thinking about heroes but at least pretending to be interested in everyone else).

Follow @ellamattauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit ellamatthews.co.uk, Buy The Warrior’s Innocent Captive

About the book

An impossible choice: His family or love – As steward to the Earl of Borwyn, Erik Ward had only admired sheltered noblewoman Linota Leofric from afar – until he has to escort her on a dangerous journey. When she’s kidnapped, he rescues the courageous beauty, revelling in finally having her in his arms. But Erik has a secret plan to reunite his family – now he’s forced to choose between that and his growing feelings for Linota…

Review

This is the third book, and the last as I understand it, in the House of Leofric series. I would suggest reading the others to get a better view of the interwoven storylines and characters.

Erik is a wee bit of an anti-hero or perhaps a bit of a bad boy? Then again he could just be a man who is forced to make certain choices to fulfill family loyalty, but that also means others view him as a man who thinks nothing of committing a betrayal.

It’s a historical romance with an emphasis on the love aspect, as opposed to a read that focuses on the historical element. It’s very much a story of torn loyalties and love that springs up in the most unexpected of places. An escapist read with plenty of burning desire, misunderstandings and ultimately one that leads to the right choice or not as in may be.

There was more character depth this time, which was a lot better than in the previous books. The author gave the reader much more back information on the ins and outs of the Leofrics. The emotional tug of war of guilt and blame opens up a whole different world of opportunities.

Buy The Warrior’s Innocent Captive at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Mills & Boon Historical pub date 18 Mar. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Harper’s Highland Fling by Lizzie Lamb

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour Harper’s Highland Fling by Lizzie Lamb.

About the Author

After teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing. She joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed by Boot Camp Bride. She went on to publish Scotch on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts. 

Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and has hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones, Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels. Lizzie romance Take Me, I’m Yours, set in Wisconsin, also achieved BEST SELLER status >travel>USA. Her latest novel – Harper’s Highland Fling – has been declared her ‘best one yet’ by readers and reviewers. In it, two warring guardians are forced to join forces and set off in hot pursuit of a runaway niece and son. She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and spends most of the summer touring the Scottish Highlands researching men in kilts. As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone to waste as she is building a reputation as a go-to peaker on indie publishing, and how to plan, write, and publish your debut novel 

 Lizzie lives in Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David. She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . . Subscribe to her newsletter

Follow @lizzie_lamb on Twitter, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on Pinterest, on Amazon, Visit lizzielamb.co.uk, Buy Harper’s Highland Fling

About the book

After a gruelling academic year head teacher Harper MacDonald is looking forward to a summer holiday trekking in Nepal. Her plans are scuppered when her wayward niece, Ariel, leaves a note announcing she’s running away with a boy called Pen. The only clue to their whereabouts is a scribbled footnote: I’ll Be in Scotland. 

Cue a case of mistaken identity when Harper confronts the boy‘s father – Rocco Penhaligon – accusing him of cradle snatching her niece and ruining her bright future. At loggerheads, Harper and Rocco set off in hot pursuit of the teenagers, but the canny youngsters are always one step ahead.  And, in a neat twist, it is the adults who end up in trouble, not the savvy teenagers. 

Can Cupid convince Harper and Rocco that they have found their soul mates? Fasten your seatbelt for the road trip of your lifetime – It’s going to be a bumpy ride. 

Review

Harper is determined to find the boy who has turned the head of her niece and convinced her to run off. Imagine the shock when she finds the young boy is an older man. It infuriates Harper, enrages her even until she realises she has made a grave mistake.

Rocco is in fact the father of the suspect and irritated by the highhanded and obnoxious school teacher. It’s not exactly an ideal situation when the two of them set off on a trip across the country to save the two lovebirds from making any kind of long-term mistake or so they assume.

It’s very much a story of two people who perhaps wouldn’t have met under normal circumstances and certainly never connected. Given the extraordinary situation both Harper and Rocco are given the time to get to know each other on a completely different level more than just shallow and superficial.

Lamb gives readers an amusing combative couple who end up becoming connected in a way they didn’t expect. Love is hard to find, especially when you are not looking for it. The two of them become embroiled in a tug of war of words, emotions and actions, which culminates in a wonderful love story.

Buy Harper’ Highland Fling at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : http://www.goldcrestbooks.com, pub date November 9, 2020. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BlogBlitz A Prescription for Madness by Linda Fawke

It’s the Blog Blitz for A Prescription for Madness by Linda Fawke

About the Author

Linda Fawke is an arts person who studied science but always wanted to write. Now retired, she indulges this passion, writing fiction and non-fiction, even occasional poetry, preferably late at night. She has now written two novels, ‘A Taste of his own Medicine’ and its sequel, ‘A Prescription for Madness’ using her background in pharmacy as the setting of both. These are easy books to read, suitable for Book Club discussions. ‘ A Prescription for Madness’ is more serious than the first book, dealing with such issues as pregnancy in later life and Down’s Syndrome.

She has been a winner of the Daily Telegraph ‘Just Back’ travel-writing competition and has published in various magazines including ‘Mslexia’, ‘Litro’ online, kshire Life’ and ‘Living France’. She was a finalist in the ‘Hysteria’ short story competition.

Linda blogs at www.linimeant.wordpress.com where her ‘Random Writings’ include a range of topics from travel to ‘Things that pop into my head’.

Follow @LindaFawke on Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, Buy A Prescription for Madness

About the book

When successful business-owner Kate Shaw realises she is pregnant, after a fling with a previous lover, she has life-changing decisions to make. She needs to be in control of her life. Pregnancy in her fifties was never part of the plan. It becomes her secret.

The risks of having a baby at her age are clear but she struggles with the idea of an abortion. No-one understands her increasingly erratic behaviour as the preoccupation takes over her life.

Her marriage is precarious; the relationship with her former lover uncertain. Is this the way to madness?

Review

Kate Shaw finds herself in a bit of a pickle. A bout of illness turns out to be an unexpected pregnancy. The problem is that the baby-daddy could be someone other than her partner. A husband who seems to be very distracted lately, perhaps he has secrets of his own.

Kate finds it increasingly difficult to hide both her situation and resign herself to the truth of it. It starts to rattle her so much that she thinks she is going slightly mad. Such a life-changing decision is enough to throw anyone into a state of chaos and confusion. Keep the baby – get an abortion? What should she do?

Overall it could do with a little more depth,  especially when it comes to the topics at hand. The stories of women at a certain age tend to sink into obscurity and certainly when it comes to women who get pregnant when they are middle-aged. It comes with it’s own set of physical and psychological issues, which are completely different to a woman in her younger years.

This is very much a story about a woman discovering what she wants from life, and finally understanding that she doesn’t want to be complacent and settle for what society expects her to settle for. It’s okay to want more, to want a fulfilled relationship and life. Five decades doesn’t mean it’s time for the scrapheap or that you come with your own invisibility cloak as an older woman. You are still lovable, sexually attractive and visible to society in general – even if the majority of people treat you like your time is up.

Buy A Prescription for Madness at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BlogTour Dreaming Under an Island Skye by Lisa Hobman

It’s my turn on the BlogTour Dreaming Under an Island Skye by Lisa Hobman.

About the Author

Lisa Hobman has written many brilliantly reviewed women’s fiction titles – the first of which was shortlisted by the RNA for their debut novel award. In 2012 Lisa relocated her family from Yorkshire to a village in Scotland and this beautiful  backdrop now inspires her uplifting and romantic stories. Sign up to Lisa Hobman’s newsletter

Follow @LisaJHobmanAuth on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit lisajhobman.com, Buy Dreaming Under an Island Skye

About the book

Is there really such a thing as a second shot at true love? After three wonderful years of marriage, librarian Juliette Fairhurst’s heart is shattered when her husband, Laurie, is taken from her much too soon.

Devasted, Juliette decides to take a sabbatical and reconnect with her mother’s birthplace, the village of Glentorrin on the picturesque Isle of Skye.

Welcomed by most of the villagers, Juliette throws herself into an idyllic community life, taking on the role of temporary summer guardian at The Lifeboat House Museum; a role that offers her the perfect escape from the tragedy of her real life.

During her time on the island, Juliette clashes with brooding single dad and artist, Reid Mackinnon and is befriended by his son Evin and dog Chewie. It’s clear that divorced Reid is struggling and scarred by his own painful experiences.

Can these two lost souls find a lifeline to rescue each other? Or will their pasts scupper their second chance at real happiness?

Review

The story begins with Juliette’s dreams coming true only to be shattered soon after. In an effort to try and find some semblance of happiness or peace after a tragedy that has left her frozen in time, she decides to spend some time in her mother’s birthplace, which is the beginning of a brave new Juliette.

The first encounter with Reid, a single father recovering from the kind of divorce that leaves devastation in its wake, is a bit like embracing a cactus. The two of them are reluctant to engage with each other in any way other than on different ends of a barge pole. It’s frosty, despite the beautiful surroundings.

Hobman draws upon the perfect imperfection of life and the way some paths are marred by tragedy whilst others live in blissful ignorance of the same. It’s not unusual for two people stricken by mishaps, grief and trauma to happen upon and connect with each other. I think this storyline will resonate with readers because it has one foot grounded very firmly in reality.

It’s a tale of pain and grief, but also one of courage and perseverance. A message about not giving up even when things seem impossibly dark – you just never know when another door will open up.

Buy Dreaming Under an Island Skye at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Boldwood Books pub date 23 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Waterstones.

#BlogTour The Juggle by Emma Murray

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour The Juggle by Emma Murray.

About the Author
Emma Murray is originally from Co. Dublin and moved to London in her early twenties. After a successful career as a ghostwriter, she felt it was high time she fulfilled her childhood dream to write fiction. Sign up to her newsletter

Follow @murrayemma on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Amazon, on Bookbub, Visit emmamurray.net, Buy The Juggle

About the book

‘You can have it all,’ they said. ‘Happy children, happy marriage, great career – no problem,’ they said…

Mother-of-one Saoirse is just about holding it all together – combining part time work with the school run, while her husband David gets to focus on his career. But when David loses his job, everything has to change.

With no hesitation, Saoirse suggests she takes on the role of main breadwinner. After all, how hard can it be? And when a new client offers her a life-changing sum of money, Saoirse can look the other over-achieving Woodvale school-run mums in the eye with pride.

But there’s a problem with keeping too many balls in the air – eventually one is bound to drop. And when that happens – well, who knows what the consequences could be…

Laugh-out-loud funny, achingly relatable, but with a heart of gold, and warmth running through every page. This is the perfect read for anyone who has way too many balls in the air! The novel may or may not have been inspired by real life…

Review

Saoirse isn’t exactly the plan by the minute and very organised kind of mother, she is more of a fly by the seat of her pants kind of mother. She finds the Organic Mommy gang quite annoying and tries to connect with the outsiders at school, as opposed to the women who think they can guilt trip you into changing the way you parent.

Her home life is about to change when she becomes the sole breadwinner, which changes a lot of things. She is convinced it’s going be a doddle, but she couldn’t be more wrong. Talk about juggling ten balls with one arm tied behind your back. What could possibly go wrong?

There is no doubt that the author captures the idiosyncrasies of playground culture, the Mommy brigade and the unrealistic amount of pressure placed predominantly on young parents, but especially on women. There always seems to be division and multiple factions when it comes to the important topics of pregnancy, motherhood and parenting.

Other women are the worst perpetrators when it comes to mommy shaming. Things like a C-section isn’t a real birth, breast or bottle feeding or in this case snacks full of E numbers or purely healthy snacks. So many controversial points that are used to isolate and pressure mothers who choose to parent without the invisible authority of the Mommy state.

Although the read is full of serious moments and is highly critical, rightly so I might add, of the parent playgroup culture for one – it is also one filled with moments of humour. They are the kind of moments other parents will find completely relatable. Screaming kids, small humans who insist on befriending the enemy, and trying to navigate marriages, friendships and relationships at the same time. It’s a chaotic and yet quite honest read.

Buy The Juggle at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Boldwood Books; pub date 11 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Waterstones.

#BlogTour The Dream that Held Us by Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang

It’s my turn on the BlogTour The Dream that Held Us by Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang.

About the Author

Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang is a British author whose work focuses on cultural and historical fault lines and has strong international themes.  Rhiannon was born and grew up in Yorkshire and has studied, lived and worked in Europe and Asia.  She read Oriental Studies (Chinese) at Oxford University and speaks Mandarin and Cantonese.  Rhiannon lives in a former farmhouse in rural England with her family.

Follow @rhiannonjtsang on Twitter, on Instagram, on Goodreads, on Youtube, on Facebook, on Amazon, Buy The Dream that Held Us

About the book

Another stunning Anglo-Indian love story from the author of The Last Vicereine, Penguin Random House 2017. 

October 1985, Ash Misra leaves a blood-stained Delhi for Oxford University. Haunted by a terrible secret, he just wants to forget. Music and fresh violence bring him to fellow student and amateur violinist, Isabella Angus, but duty and the burden of history keep them apart. A quarter of a century later against the background of the global financial crisis, Sir Peter Roberts, former Master of Woodstock College, receives a letter from Ash for Isabella. They are no longer young but they had made a tryst with destiny; old terrors and suppressed desires return. 

Review

Is it true that there is nearly always a person who could have been more to you than they actually were, but it just wasn’t the right time or place. Circumstances keep people apart, but if given the opportunity is there something from the past worth rekindling? In a sense that is the story of Ash and Isabella.

Isabella has always felt as if her life was one she wasn’t supposed to have lived. One of missed moments, but as a reader I think we see things with more clarity than the woman who lives and feeds off a dream and the past.

Her counterpart doesn’t appear to have given her the same afterthought though. He has taken different paths, lived normal male clichés and perhaps more by accident returned to a love once lived. It’s story of beginnings, endings and reconnection. Driven mainly by Isabella who has let herself become immersed in what could have been and the pain of loss.

The writing weaves in and out of beautiful prose and then into a more contemporary story and language mode. It’s a hard one to pinpoint – as a reader you can feel that the author is on the verge of the kind of book you always remember and are in awe of the lyrical sound as the words meld together to become one harmonious song. Not quite there yet though. Two sides of the coin are vying for pole position, which gives the read the feeling of being drawn in by the serenity and then being thrust out again by a different style entirely.

I think Tsang is certainly an author worth revisiting. Eventually the walls will fall and the story waiting to be told will out.

Buy The Dream that Held Us at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Bunny Publishing; pub date 18 Jan. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org. Waterstones.

Other books by Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang – Novels: The Woman Who Lost China, Open Books 2013, The Last Vicereine, Penguin Random House 2017, Short Story Anthology: Hong Kong Noir, Akashic Books 2019

#BlogTour A Deadly Deal by Simon Fairfax

It’s a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour  Deadly Deal by Simon Fairfax.

About the Author

As a lover of crime thrillers and mystery, I turned what is seen by others as a dull 9 – 5 job into something that is exciting, as close to real life as possible, with Rupert Brett, my international man of mystery whose day job is that of a Chartered Surveyor.

Rupert is an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances who uses his wit, guile and training to survive.

Each book is written from my own experiences, as close to the truth as possible, set against world events that really happened. I go out and experience all the weapons, visit the places Rupert travels to, speak to the technical experts and ensure that it as realistic, as possible allowing you to delve deep in to the mystery, losing yourself in it for a few hours.

Follow Simon on LinkedIn, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit simonfairfax.com, Buy A Deadly Deal

About the book

Moneymakers are king, no matter their methods. When an honest man stumbles into their world of deceit, will they drag him down to destruction?

London, 1986. Rupert Brett is eager to make his mark. But even though he’s newly qualified to tackle jobs within the cutthroat property brokering industry, his ambitions are blunted when he must face off against ruthless competitors. And with his career on the line, he finds himself adrift in the murky waters of insider trading where knowledge is the real currency.

Clinging to his ideals but beginning to realize how deep the corruption goes, Rupert’s unprepared when a group of hard-nosed developers frame him for murder. With few friends and the law on his tail, his only way out may be a bargain with the devil. Can the young surveyor thwart his enemies’ plans in time to save his reputation and his life?

A Deadly Deal is the immersive first book in the Deal Series of historical crime thrillers. If you like conflicted characters, rich period details, and complex plotting, then you’ll love Simon Fairfax’s gritty page-turner.

Review

Eager to make his stamp on his new job, surroundings and impress his colleagues, Rupert wades into the kind of business machinations that will take you straight to prison. Competition is fierce and competitors are willing to not only be cutthroat, but also take down everyone in their path, especially when their illegal schemes are rumbled.

Suddenly he finds himself accused of murder. Ethics and any kind of moral compass seem to be a unicorn in this area. Rupert has to learn to act with the same kind of lack of morals. To fight fire with fire, as opposed to sitting back and letting himself be railroaded.

It has the same kind of debauchery and ruthless calculation of Wolf of Wall Street. Locker room preening and well executed scapegoating. The business of Chartered Surveyors appears to be way more corrupt and lethal than anyone could ever imagine.

The first few chapters are quite busy, as the author builds the world of said business and the common interactions between the main players. It’s very much a laying of groundwork, as the reader is led into a business and corporate espionage thriller.

This is the first in the Deal series and one wonders where the author will take Rupert next – there are only so many scenarios the inner world of chartered surveyors can offer up, which means Rupert might just find himself in the middle of something entirely different. I guess we shall see.

Buy A Deadly Deal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.