blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: How to Slay at Work – Sarah Bonner


When your boss is at a conference in a city where there’s a suspicious death, it’s unlucky.

If it happens twice, it’s odd.

But when she’s in the same city at the same time as a third unexplained death . . .

Could she be a stone-cold killer?

Millie’s always known her boss Freya is a psycho – the demanding and ever-changing coffee orders, the cryptic instructions, the apparently expected mind reading and don’t even start on the insistence that Millie wears heels . . . All. The. Time.

But it only extends as far as exacting office standards. Right?

As Freya’s assistant, Millie has privileged access to her diary and travel history and when a pattern emerges of men (who seem to have no connection to each other) dying in cities where Freya is travelling, Millie is determined to figure out what’s going on.

After all, a stone-cold killer could be exactly what Millie needs . . .

A sharp, funny and deliciously dark thriller that fans of Katy Brent, Bella Mackie or Killing Eve will love.

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Sarah Bonner is the author of several bestselling psychological thrillers.

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My thoughts: Millie’s boss is demanding, exacting and something of a nightmare. But is she also a serial killer?

Getting a promotion (with no pay rise, or new job title) means suddenly having to travel to Paris, where Millie sees something a bit odd, why is her boss scaling the hotel balconies?

Doing some digging into a series of deaths that match Freya’s travel plans and even the hotels she’s stayed in leave her with more questions than answers, so she starts snooping. 

Millie has her own secrets and plans, and this might actually work in her favour, if her boss doesn’t kill her first.

This is really funny, pitch black humour, which I love, it’s smart and a bit silly. I really enjoyed it. Millie’s not a great detective even though she does uncover some interesting things. But Freya is genuinely stone cold, terrifying psychopath material. There’s a lot of twists, especially towards the end, as things head to a point of no return. Great stuff.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Torments – Michael J Malone

Hiding from the world in her little white cottage on the shores of a loch, Annie Jackson is fighting to come to terms with the world of the murmurs, a curse that has haunted female members of her family for centuries.

While she is within the ancient, heavy stone of the old dwelling, the voices merely buzz, but the moment she steps outside the door they clamour to torment her all over again, bringing with them shocking visions of imminent deaths.

Into this oasis comes her adoptive mother, Mandy McEvoy, begging for Annie’s help. Mandy’s nephew Damien has gone missing, after dropping off his four-year old son at his mother’s home. Unable to refuse, but terrified to leave her sanctuary, Annie, with the help of her brother Lewis, is drawn in to a secretive, seductive world that will have her question everything she holds dear, while Lewis’ life may be changed forever…

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone thrillers followed suit.

The Murmurs, first in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, was published to critical acclaim in 2023. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist.

My thoughts: Annie has finally found some peace, but then her cousin goes missing and she and Lewis team up to look into his disappearance. What they end up tangling with is way more complex and scary than they expected. Annie’s gift – those whispers in her mind might help but they could also put her in harm’s way. 

There are dangerous people who believe in some dark things, who have caused terrible harm to others because of it, and now they have Annie in their sights.

Annie and Lewis aren’t detectives, they’re not equipped to go around asking questions of some of the more troubling and dangerous people who they come across. They’re also aided though by a few good souls, thankfully.

Darker and more twisted than the previous book, Annie is dragged into a world of the Occult and dark magic beliefs. I can’t imagine that she and Lewis will survive intact after this and all the tragedy they find. But it’s totally compelling and gripping to read.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Black Hollow – Rachael Holyhead

Derbyshire, England 1977

Marie is a girl with strange obsessions and a free and often wayward spirit.

Anna is shy and bookish, kept on a short rein by her repressive parents.

An unlikely alliance. A friendship forged in blood. Families intertwined forever.

Autumn 2010

A brutal murder is just the case chain-smoking detective Kate Fox has been waiting for, except her nemesis has other ideas.

Newton is struggling to live up to his own high standards. As he grapples with chronic pain and a hidden phobia, his wife leaves him and things begin to unravel.

As Anna comes to terms with her father’s murder, Marie returns after more than 30 years, sending her well-established drink problem spiralling out of control.

Set in a fictional town in Derbyshire, England, this gripping saga takes you on an emotional journey, with an abundance of twists and turns…

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Rachael Holyhead was born in the industrial heart of Sheffield. She grew up in South Yorkshire, at the edge of the Peak District.

She attended Carter Lodge Comprehensive School and read History at the University of Liverpool.

A lifelong Sheffield United supporter, she also loves snooker and is an all-round armchair sports fan.

Still passionate about history, she has eclectic reading tastes, enjoying everything from the Brontës and Wilkie Collins to more modern writers of mystery, horror and crime.

As a child, Rachael began writing stories and letters for her Uncle, who was stationed overseas with the army.

She considers Liverpool her second home and loves the city’s music, culture and maritime heritage. Her roots remain in Sheffield, where she lives with her sons and her pet cat, Luther.

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My thoughts: the murder of a local business owner has complicated links to the past for his daughter Anna, who has never quite put the past behind her.

The police are looking for someone with a reason to kill, and after a neighbour also dies, seemingly of a heart attack, Kate I’d sure something more complicated and connected to the secrets that lie in the past.

Anna’s friend Marie has returned to town, armed with knowledge Anna doesn’t have, does she have any connection to the deaths or at least some idea of who Anna’s father really was.

A clever, knotty story with lots of twists, moving back and forth as the truth slowly reveals itself, both Anna and Kate are drawn into the things bubbling below the surface of the town.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blogathon: Little Sister – Isabel Ashdown

After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. With the past now behind them, the warmth they once shared quickly returns and before long Jess has moved into Emily’s comfortable island home. Life couldn’t be better. But when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care, the perfect life Emily has so carefully built starts to fall apart.

Was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before?

My thoughts: I’m a big sister and while my younger sister sometimes drives me nuts, I would do anything to keep her safe. I think it’s why I found Jess and Emily’s story and their relationship at times hard to believe, especially what happened between them as teenagers. 

Daisy being kidnapped is absolutely awful, but none of it was Jess’ fault, if anything Emily has a not insignificant role in what happens – as does her husband, who isn’t as wonderful and trustworthy as she thought.

But as the story unravels and the long separation between Jess and Emily – sixteen years – and the reasons why – or the reasons that Jess thinks and what Emily did turn out to be very different. That was what was shocking. As an older sister, yes sometimes I have wanted to get rid of sister – maybe not permanently, and resented her, of course. But I would never stoop as low as Emily did, never drive a wedge between parents and child.

I think I had such a strong reaction to this book not just because of my own sibling relationship, but because I am surrounded by sisters. My mum is an older sister, my dad has two older sisters, many of my friends are older (and younger) sisters. And even at their worst, I can’t imagine any of them doing what Emily did. She’s monstrous. But it’s all hidden so well behind a veneer of charm, success and happiness. The ending might be quite twisted, but a part of me can’t blame Jess for wanting to put Emily in her place, for taking a sort of revenge.

It’s also incredibly well written, moving back and forth between the sisters, creating empathy and antipathy as you learn more, the darkness of Emily’s cruel behaviour, Jess’ own plotting to finally get one over on her sister.

Cassie (Emily’s step-daughter), a big sister herself, is contrasted against the nasty relationship between Emily and Jess, is more empathetic. There’s a big age gap between her and Daisy (I have a friend with a similar one, it does complicate things sometimes) but Cassie doesn’t resent her sister, the way Emily does hers.

The book is excellent, the writing strong and the plot intense, something I’ve really come to enjoy in Isabel’s books. A real pleasure to read even as I sort of hated Emily!

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Poison in Piccadilly – Kelly Oliver


London 1918: Is Fiona Figg ready to exchange her sleuthing cap for a bridal veil?

Fiona is set to tie the knot with her dashing captain, Archie Somersby. But, while Fiona is busy planning her happily ever after, side-kick Kitty Lane and a group of judo-chopping suffragettes are kicking up trouble at the Piccadilly Jujitsu Club.

When Kitty is found unconscious in the locker room during a high-stakes competition, Fiona must forsake her bouquets and bridal gown to investigate. Her sleuthing leads to a posh lady’s luncheon where a mysterious death crashes Fiona’s wedding plans.

To make matters worse, the arch-nemesis of all things matrimonial Fredrick Fredricks is up to his old tricks, attempting to put the brakes on Fiona’s journey down the aisle. Will he succeed in tripping up
Fiona’s wedding vows? Or will she finally say “I don’t” to the charming devil?

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Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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My thoughts: Fiona is finally about to marry her beloved Archie, or is she? Obviously charming German spy Frederick Fredericks says she shouldn’t, but she’s sure he’s just meddling with her. But after Kitty gets a bump to the head and loses her memory – telling Fiona she’s an MI5 agent and needs to find a woman called Jane, but not able to even remember her canine sidekick, Poppy. 

Fiona needs to find out who conked Kitty on the head, what it has to do with the war and the Irish independence struggle, and decide whether or not she’s actually going to marry Archie.

Without her usual know-it-all partner, but with Clifford acting as chauffeur, it’s off to Ireland on the hunt for a shillelagh with a distinctive shamrock decoration, and someone with it in for Kitty. Fiona gets arrested for murder along the way, and gets to wear some of her beloved disguises, as she unravels what happened to Kitty, and waits for the teenage spy to get her memory back. 

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Murder in the Mayfair Hotel – Fliss Chester

In a candlelit ballroom, London’s most fashionable amateur sleuth, Cressida Fawcett, is dancing the night away in her sparkling silk dress. It’s a night Cressida will never forget. Because outside the window, there’s a body under the falling snow…

Christmas Eve, 1925. The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is delighted to attend an exclusive ball at London’s glamorous Mayfair Hotel. When she steps out into the moonlit courtyard with her little pug Ruby wrapped in her furs, she is thrilled to see a dashing man propose to her best pal under the swirling snowflakes. But instead of squealing ‘yes’, Dotty lets out a terrified scream…

Because floating in the fountain, with her long blonde hair rippling in the ice-cold water, is the body of their dear friend Lady Victoria Beaumont.

It’s clear the wealthy young beauty was murdered, whacked over the head with a bottle of champagne. Would Victoria’s elderly husband Lord Beaumont kill his wife over rumours of her younger beau? Or did someone clobber Victoria to prevent her producing an heir for the Beaumont fortune?

A snowstorm prevents the authorities from arriving, and just as Cressida searches for clues, she finds herself locked inside a large wicker hamper. Why does the scent of the hamper’s smoky luxury tea remind her of the crime scene? And will a suspiciously rotund Ruby follow her snuffly nose and find Cressida in the nick of time?

Trapped in the hotel with a killer lurking among the guests, will Cressida lose someone dear to her heart? And when she finds a clue among the Christmas crackers, can Cressida solve her most mysterious case yet?

The perfect cozy whodunnit for a cold winter’s night. Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss won’t be able to put this down!

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Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

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My thoughts: Heading to a glamorous party at the Mayfair Hotel on Christmas Eve, the last thing Cressida and her pals are expecting is to find one of their friends dead in the hotel fountain just as Dotty and George are about to make a huge decision.

Once the detectives arrive and lock down the hotel, Cressida realises that they only have a few hours before the party ends and the guests start making a fuss about leaving.

Obviously the best detective on the team is pug Ruby, who makes time between finding clues, makes time to sample the hotel’s delicious spread. 

When another person is killed, and Cressida knocked unconscious and locked in a giant hamper, it’s clear that the murderer isn’t done yet. They’ve still got to evade the police, Cressida and her friends, and of course Ruby. 

With the humour and entertaining twists this series always displays, this is a smart, entertaining festive case for Cressida and Co. 

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Murder at Midwinter Manor – Anita Davison


Escaping the city doesn’t mean escaping the criminals…

1916, Midwinter Manor: Desperate for a Christmas weekend break from war-torn London, Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take Bartleby the cat and themselves off to visit Hannah’s sister, in her beautiful country estate, deep in the English countryside.

The huge house is full of relatives, friends and merrymakers, and everyone’s excited to have a Christmas to remember.
But then, when a fellow-guest’s body is found in the library – apparently bludgeoned to death – and a precious ruby is stolen from another guest, it appears that it’s going to be memorable for all the
wrong reasons.

With the house snowed in, and the rural police force completely incapable of finding a single credible suspect, Hannah and Aunt Violet realise that once again it’s going to be down to them to get to the
bottom of it.
Because whoever’s behind the crimes must be at Midwinter Manor… And if they’re not found, who knows what their next ‘gift’ will be?

A totally unforgettable Golden Age, country house, cozy crime novel, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, and Agatha Christie.

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Anita Davison is the author of the successful Flora Maguire historical mystery series.

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My thoughts: I am not a huge fan of the extended family Christmas, and for good reason. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in close proximity to your relatives, including the ones you wouldn’t choose to be with, so when Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet head to Midwinter Manor, home to Hannah’s sister Iris, her husband and children for the festive season, even before anyone gets murdered, things are tense.

Iris’s deeply annoying sister-in-law is obsessed with the ruby her family gave her when she got married. She’s handed it to her eldest daughter, who is getting married soon. It’s a big, ugly lump of red and no one except Norah is keen on it.

When one of the guests is found bludgeoned to death in the study, his death seems completely random. He wasn’t the nicest man, but he wasn’t the worst either. Then the ruby is missing, and perhaps he was killed by a thief? The local detective thinks so, and pins it all on a footman. Luckily Hannah and Aunt Violet are on hand to untangle things and solve the crime.

There’s a car chase through the snowy woods, a soldier with shell shock, an annoying neighbour, various other hijinks ensue and Christmas isn’t quite the holiday Iris wanted it to be. But Hannah has some news that might just save the festivities too. 

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

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Cover Reveal: The Weekenders – David F. Ross

Glasgow, 1966: Stevie ‘Minto’ Milloy, former star footballer-turned-rookie reporter, finds himself trailing the story of a young Eastern European student whose body has been found on remote moorland outside the city. How did she get there from her hostel at the Sovereign Grace Mission, and why does Stevie find obstacles at every turn?

Italy, 1943: As the Allies fight Mussolini’s troops, a group of young soldiers are separated from their platoon, and Glaswegian Jamesie Campbell, his newfound friend Michael McTavish at his side, finds himself free to make his own rules…

Glasgow, 1969: Courtroom sketch artist Donald ‘Doodle’ Malpas is shocked to discover that his new case involves the murder of a teenage Lithuanian girl he knows from the Sovereign Grace Mission. Why hasn’t the girl’s death been reported? And why is a young police constable suddenly so keen to join the mission?

No one seems willing to join the dots between the two cases, and how they link to Raskine House, the stately home in the Scottish countryside with a dark history and even darker present – the venue for the debauched parties held there by the rich and powerful of the city who call themselves ‘The Weekenders’.

Painting a picture of a 1960s Glasgow in the throes of a permissive society, pulled apart by religion, corruption, and a murderous Bible John stalking the streets, The Weekenders is a snapshot of an era of turmoil – and a terrifying insight into the mind of a ruthless criminal…

Publishing 13th February 2025 by Orenda Books

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Author curated playlist: ‎David F Ross Presents: The Weekenders (1969) by David Ross – Apple Music

David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social-media commentator, author and enabler by night. His debut novel The Last Days of Disco was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and optioned for the stage by the Scottish National Theatre. All five of his novels have achieved notable critical acclaim and There’s Only One Danny Garvey, published in 2021 by Orenda Books, was shortlisted for the prestigious Saltire Society Prize for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year. David lives in Ayrshire.

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Blog Tour: Murder on a Country Walk – Katie Gayle

Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…

When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…

But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?

When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why? Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?

A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.

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Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

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My thoughts: I kinda love Julia, she’s just a really nice person, smart and kind and funny. However she does have the worst luck ever, always finding dead bodies – often of people she knows. This time it’s the village vet, Dr Eve, a woman Julia only saw a few days previously.

Of course Julia starts digging, the supposed accident isn’t one, and Dr Eve was worried about something. Is it to do with her job? Or maybe the Padel club she’s part of?

As Julia investigates, she ruffles someone’s feathers, but can she and lovely Labrador Jake solve the vet’s death and catch the killer.

This series gets better with each book and I love how the other villagers have become more and more involved with Julia’s investigations. I also loved how many adorable dogs this one contained, although Jake is still my favourite.

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

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Blog Tour: Food Fight – Bill Todd

Thirteen students on a party night dream up a plan to save the world. They will create an app to slash food waste and improve diet.

A decade later green activist Astra Wallace hires Danny Lancaster to trace her uni friends.

Despite the help of ex-gangster entrepreneur Big Eddie Archer and reclusive Ukrainian tech wizard Steroid Stepan, Astra’s pals are hard to find.

The trail leads to celebrity chef Bix Battersby, a TV action hero, feisty retired medic Lillian Bayliss, and her lively cavapoo Petal.

It’s a twisting trail made harder by friction between Danny and Astra. But their uneasy partnership reveals people are dying.

One thing Danny’s dead sure of – this FOOD FIGHT is going to get messy.

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I’ve spent my working life as a journalist. You meet a lot of people, see things, learn stuff. For a crimewriter, it’s a plot factory.

I’ve also done a lot of travelwriting. It’s not all cocktails under the palm trees but it is a fantastic job that’s taken me to more than 40 countries, from the white wastes of Arctic Finland to the deserts of Namibia.

People often ask my favourite place. In a world of globalisation, many destinations look the same but Iceland and Namibia are like stepping onto another planet. Go if you can.

I’ve also enjoyed a long love affair with Western Crete, the mountains, coastline, food and people. And I was delighted and surprised to receive the Ed Lacy Gibraltar travel award in 2007.

Another interest is my family tree. I’ve traced the ancestors back to William of Byfield, a farmer in 1600s Northamptonshire, just down the road from Shakespeare.

I love maps. They might seem old fashioned in the age of GPS but they tell stories, make promises. I have a ragbag collection of more than 3,000.

I’m also a fan of interesting cheeses, good beer and wilderness. They’re like Marmite, you’re an empty places person or you’re not.

I have written six crime thrillers and a book of short stories featuring Danny Lancaster, a wounded Afghanistan veteran turned private investigator. They are:

The Wreck Of The Margherita

Death Squad

Rough Diamond

Rock Hard

Gargoyle Pixie Dog

Godlefe’s Cuckoo 

Last Orders

I’ve also written three non-fiction books. GUNNER is based on my father’s World War Two diary. PIGTAIL PILOT is the tragic story of a talented young woman pilot. A CROCUS FROM JERUSALEM is about a 19-year-old country lad’s journey to war in the Middle East in 1917.

If you fancy a chat I’m easy to find.

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My thoughts: When I was a student we were always coming up with things to change the world, usually in the pub, and that’s where the ideas stayed. The students in this book actually put the idea into an app that they intended would somehow solve food waste. However someone has taken over the app and twisted it to suit their own needs. And they’ve been killing off the other members of the group in a series of “accidents”.

Hired to look into these deaths, PI Danny Lancaster is struggling a bit, his leads seem to head in the direction of a celebrity chef and his brittle wife. But they both insist they don’t care about the app or the money the last founder standing could gain.

With the help of his friend, retired doctor Lillian and one of the surviving members of the group, Astrid, as well his friendly Ukrainian hacker Stepan and former gangster Eddie, who look into a few things for him, he starts to piece the clues into an answer.

This was really clever, it twisted this way and that, the plot increasingly fiendish as a trio of thug brothers, a rogue police detective and a few other strange characters get involved and chaos ensues. I was hooked, couldn’t put it down as I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. I was particularly fascinated by Stepan, who in between helping Danny, is hacking into satellites and websites to aid his countrymen against the Russians, he’s clearly damaged and has lots of secrets. But there was something rather endearing about him and his fragility, I wanted to know more. I also wanted to know more about Lillian, who is pretty incredible. Definitely going to read the rest of the series and learn more about Danny and his adventures.

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