#BlogTour Maltese Steel by Stuart Field

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour Maltese Steel by Stuart Field.

About the Author

Stuart Field is a veteran who now works in security after serving twenty-two years in the British Army. As well as working full time he writes in his spare time. Stuart was born and raised in the West Midlands in the UK. His love for travel has been an inspiration in some of his work with his John Steel thriller series. As well as future John Steel novels, Stuart is working on a new series and standalone novels. Follow @StuartField14 on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Visit stuartfieldcrime.com

About the book

A woman is found dead on the island of Gozo. The cops say she fell from the Azure Window tourist spot, but her father thinks otherwise. CIA Section Chief Foster needs help to prove it was murder, so he turns to the only person he knows can get the job done: John Steel.

The Hive, securely seated under the US Embassy on the island of Malta, is an operation that monitors all passage from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe and the US. A platform that requires the latest in technology and facial recognition.

In seven days, that software will be updated. In two days, all hell will break loose. And the clock is ticking for an attack on American soil. Together with the beautiful Sammara Malk of Mossad, can Steel find out who killed Lucy – and stop whoever is behind the impending attack?

Review

In this book I think more than ever the reader gets to see the two sides of Steel. The man he was before his own life was turned upside down and the man he subsequently became. The cold unfeeling expert only lets his warmer side shine through now and again. It just won’t do to let anyone perceive any weakness on his behalf. Not even old friends.

Saying that he is also incredibly loyal and when his comrade-in-arms calls in his hour of need Steel doesn’t hesitate to rush to his aid. He pulls out all the stops to discover whether his goddaughter fell to her death of her own accord or was she helped?

It’s a crime come espionage story with a main character who really doesn’t give two monkeys what people think of him. The end justifies the means, right. I guess that is what makes Steel such an interesting character, the fact he completely ignores all the rules to get results. His enemies underestimate his tenacity – he is like a dog with a bone. A bone he is willing to set fire to if needed.

It’s in need of a really good edit. I can see readers getting hung up on that and not being able to enjoy the story because of the mistakes, flow and structure. It could possibly just be a question of the wrong kindle edition being uploaded though, because I have read others by Field and not encountered any problems.

It’s a fast paced crime series with a bite. Field appears to be letting Steel drift into a more sinister, dark and ruthless direction, which is fine when it comes to the perpetrators and them getting what they deserve, but it would be a pity to see what’s left of his humanity disappear. 

Buy Maltese Steel at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Terminal Velocity – A Next Chapter Imprint; pub date 20 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Hidden Steel by Stuart Field

It’s my turn on the BlogTour Hidden Steel by Stuart Field. It’s the second book in the John Steel series.About the Author

Stuart Field was born in the UK, in the West Midlands. He spent his early years in the army, seeing service in all the known (and some unknown) hotspots around the world. He now lives in Germany with his wife Ani. When not engaged in highly confidential security work, he writes thrillers which perhaps mimic his life-experience more than the reader would like to believe.

Follow @StuartField14 on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Buy Hidden Steel

About the book

In the UK, Detective John Steel is investigating the organization who killed his family. When he comes across information that something big is going to happen on the cruise ship Neptune, Steel goes undercover. He has fourteen days to figure out what is going to happen – and to stop it.

In New York, Steel’s NYPD partner, Detective Samantha McCall, is investigating a series of deaths. All seems run of the mill for the homicide detective until they find out that the deaths are somehow connected to the cruise ship John Steel is on.

McCall is convinced there is a mole in the department, but can she figure out who he is – and who he’s working for? Meanwhile, Steel is running out of options… and the clock is ticking.

Review

This is the second book in the John Steel series, both books can be read as standalone novels.

The book seems to be split into two storylines with no apparent connection, aside from the fact John Steel and Sam McCall know each other. Steel is on a cruise ship playing his – my name is Steel, John Steel – role. He does have a wee bit of super spy aura going on. He is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

He is working undercover chasing something based on information that the Neptune is linked to a possible crime in the making. He isn’t sure what he is looking for he just knows that something wicked this way comes.

Meanwhile Sam McCall and the rest of the NYPD team are dealing with a series of deaths. What appears to the inexperienced to be accidental is something more nefarious to the more weathered eye of McCall.

I like the way the author creates this imperfect perfect and almost mystical figure in Steel. His reputation proceeds him as he appears to save people and situations with such ease and power. Then Field balances the story by giving readers the normality of his police colleagues. The banter, the crime and the personalities, it all gels really well.

It’s a fast-paced thriller, a combo of police procedural and action thriller. Field presents both storylines as separate entities at first, which makes for a split read, but not a disjointed one. The two are woven together naturally as the read progresses.

Buy Hidden Steel at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback and digital formats by Next Chapter Publishing on 25th December 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Steel and Shadows by Stuart Field

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour Steel and Shadows by Stuart Field. It’s a combination of police procedural, thriller and mystery all in one action-packed read.

About the Author

Stuart Field was born in the UK, in the West Midlands. He spent his early years in the army, seeing service in all the known (and some unknown) hotspots around the world. He now lives in Germany with his wife Ani. When not engaged in highly confidential security work, he writes thrillers which perhaps mimic his life-experience more than the reader would like to believe.

Follow @StuartField14 @CrimeSceneBooks on Twitter

Buy Steel and Shadows 

About the book

No-nonsense NYPD detective Sam McCall is investigating one of the deadliest and most complex cases of her career when the mysterious, yet infuriatingly intriguing, John Steel insinuates himself into the department. What appears at first to be the work of a serial killer soon encompasses a cast including violent Russian gangsters, creepy psychiatric doctors, the homeless community and ghosts from the past for both McCall and Steel. This fast-paced thriller combines grit and glamour, the

well-drawn characters engage the reader from the outset and the Big Apple is beautifully captured in all its majestic, romantic, seedy, grimy colour. This debut novel keeps the reader gripped from start to finish with a breathtaking joyride through a wild series of unexpected twists and turns, inevitably falling into the pitfalls of thinking you’ve solved the mystery, only to find yourself wrong-footed on the next page.

Review

The story reminded me of a mixture of Die Hard action meets love hate relationship of Lethal Weapon, except instead of two male leads you have McCall and Steel in the starring roles. Steel is charming and polished, whilst McCall is more brusque and down to earth. McCall is never quite sure whether she wants Steel to fall down the nearest manhole or slide naked into her shower. Either way it makes for some interesting tension in this unwanted and unusual work relationship, and on top of that Steel seems to end up allegedly dead quite a lot.

Steel should fill out an application form for the Justice League, they could probably use Steel aka Mr Indestructible on their team. The man literally survives entire buildings falling on him. Perhaps the trauma he went through as a young man has made him feel as if nothing can touch him. The guilt of being the sole survivor of the attack on his family has made him reckless with his own safety.

This isn’t just fast-paced it whizzes, there is so much going on at times it felt as if there were too many sub-plots shooting along at the same time. The book starts off with the traumatic incident that takes the lives of Steel’s family and then hops straight into the sub-plot about a serial killer who targets specific women.

The relationship between McCall and Steel promises to deliver plenty of future book material. There is an undeniable spark between the two of them, despite the fact their working relationship can be a bit erratic because of the way Steel works. It’s kind of the act first and tell everyone what you are up to after the fact relationship.

Field brings the action, there is no doubt about that, and he also brings an element of mystery to the story when it comes to Steel and this strange shadowy figure which appears now and again. It’s a combination of police procedural, thriller and mystery all in one action-packed read.

Buy Steel and Shadows (John Steel thriller series Book 1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Crime Scene Books, Pub Date 11 October 2018

Coming in 2019: Hidden Steel (John Steel thriller series Book 2) Steel Justice (John Steel thriller series Book 3)