Tag: blog tour

In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, Mossad’s London station chief Eli Amiram is fighting battles on all fronts. When his ambitious rival plans an assassination on British soil – supposedly authorized by Trump supporters – Eli suspects a deeper conspiracy.

Meanwhile, British intelligence asset Petra is hunting for redemption. Tasked with recruiting Wasim Al-Arikhi – whose sister she failed to save from becoming a suicide bomber – Petra’s drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Can Wasim be trusted or has she become a target?

As Eli and Petra’s paths converge, they discover that in the shadow world of international espionage, the greatest threats often come from within. They must confront not just their enemies, but their own moral choices.

A sophisticated spy thriller that weaves together tradecraft, betrayal and the human cost of intelligence work.

Merle Nygate is a screenwriter, screenwriting lecturer and novelist. Her career has taken her from working on BAFTA winning TV to New York Festival audio drama to writing original sitcoms. She previously worked for BBC Comedy Commissioning. She has been a writer and script editor across multiple genres. Her first espionage novel won the Little Brown/UEA Crime Fiction award. Her second was a Sunday Times Thriller of 2024.

My thoughts: A very timely read, concerning itself with the immediate aftermath of the October 7th attack in Israel and the Mossad agents stationed in the UK.

Eli is an interesting figure – he’s worried about the temporary head of the Washington office, who is all gungho for an assassination to take place on British soil, but his information is a bit suspect and Eli needs to prove it’s a bad call.

He’s also attempting to recruit a student – Wasim who he thinks might be a good source of information. But after being rebuffed he sends in Petra, who knew Wasim’s sister. Unfortunately Wasim has to come to the attention of a rather troubling individual and now Petra has to resolve things.

There’s a bit of sneaking around in the countryside, meetings in coffee shops and restaurants with spies from other countries – and their own side, and personal problems for Eli and his number two.

It was a really interesting read, and managed not to be too weighted or lecturing. Even the Mossad agents are at a loss as to how to react to the events unfolding in their home country, they just have to try to focus on their jobs. It was a clever, intelligent thriller and the characters are engaging and realistic.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

In a waiting room hidden high away from everyone, six disgraced celebrities are desperate to recover their heavily tainted reputations. An incredibly controversial new gameshow is offering them a route back to the big time, along with a $7.2 million cash prize. But with no consolation
prizes and serious consequences every time someone loses out, will signing up prove their salvation or their downfall?

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Half-Mexican, half-Welsh and growing up in London, Alex Raphael was surrounded by different influences and interests. But it was always books that spoke to him most and had the greatest impact.

He started writing when at college, where his love of reading evolved into a desire to write, in particular focusing on poetry and short stories. Studying English and American Literature at university meant he took a break from writing, as well as giving him the chance to see more of
Mexico on his travels. He concentrated on his journalistic career while working on different writing projects, but his favourite genre of literature has always been short stories as they are what first inspired him to write.

That’s why his first book was The Summer of Madness, a romantic short story that tells of a guy who goes out to try to win his ex-girlfriend back. Will you be rooting for Kurt and his big public gesture or is it more complicated than that and you don’t want her to date him again? Either way you’ll get to know a memorable set of characters along for the ride.

His second book Illusions, Delusions reflects Raphael’s love of alternative short stories from the writers of his childhood and challenges the idea of the narrative. Will your favourite be the story in
the form of a questionnaire, a poem or a set of jokes, among the seven very different styles?

Alexander Raphael’s third book is Always Never, Rarely Sometimes, featuring original premises and distinctive characters with his trademark imagination, humour and memorable dialogue. Among others, meet a sinister magician with an array of pranks, a long-suffering husband finally becoming
more decisive and a group of young guys intrigued by a pretty woman at another table.

Alexander Raphael’s latest offering is The Gameshow, about six disgraced celebrities who are unaware of just how much trouble they are in, having signed up for the most provocative of television shows. His satirical debut novel is a look at the constant decision-making needed by stars
to remain popular and relevant, and just how desperate they can become when the wrong decisions are made.

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My thoughts: Six disgraced celebrities, including an American football player, a comedian and a singer, are offered the opportunity to reclaim their spotlight by going on a mysterious new gameshow.

With a spin of the wheel one of them will face their biggest fear – there can only be one winner, it’s all a game of chance and under constant camera surveillance, will one of them crack before they face their fears?

It gets controversial and the enigmatic producer, Selina, refuses to step down the game, pushing the contestants to their limits and amping up the tension.

Even the end of the game comes with a twist, one you won’t expect.

Clever and with a sinister undertone, this is one show you won’t want to miss.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.