Tag: thrillers

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Book Blitz: Submit – Jillian D. Wray

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Submit copy

We are thrilled to share this GORGEOUS upcoming release by Jillian D. Wray! Submit is available this month. Read on for more details!

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Submit (Nothing Lasts Forever #1)

Expected Publication Date: July 2023

Pre-order link

Genre: Romantic Suspense/ Romance

Tropes:

🖤Age Gap
🖤Broody Possessive Alpha
🖤Fated Mates/ Star Crossed Lovers
🖤Tasteful Spice

When I first met Willem, he swept me off my feet. I was pursued. Adored.

But over time, I began to give in to all of Will’s desires and demands and lost sight of who I was. Whenever I felt like I could finally break free… he would find a way to reel me back in.

That’s how I ended up here, in Aruba. With a fiancé who’s never around and a lonely, solitary existence filled with cooking meals and keeping house.

Meeting Casper was a pleasant surprise. With his brilliant green eyes, tanned skin, and brooding demeanor, I find myself irresistibly drawn into his orbit again and again. Without even trying, he makes me feel seen for the first time in years.

Maybe it’s the way he corrects my stance on the kite board. Maybe it’s the side glances he thinks I don’t catch. But the more time I spend with him, the more closed-off he becomes – and the more I want to break through his tough exterior.

When Will and I’s relationship takes a turn for the worse, Casper helps me escape my prison. But I never expected the secrets that would be exposed… or the danger that’s about to come for us both.

In over my head, I quickly realize that at least one more time, I will have to submit to someone else’s control.

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About the Author

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Jillian has worked in the healthcare industry for over 10 years. With no formal education in creative writing, she sat down one night during the pandemic to give her mind a break from facts and sterile objectivity. In doing so, she discovered a love for losing herself in a story all her own. Even though she continues to work her “regular” job, she’s always planning, plotting, and scheming for ways to make her next characters fall in love.

Her characters are inspired by people she has met over the years and their stories could happen to anyone. Realistic, flirty, quick reads are what you’ll get when you crack open one of her novels.

When she isn’t working or writing, you can find her in her garden, on a plane, or 50ft below the surface of the ocean breathing bubbles and chasing fish. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and three stepkids.

Jillian D. Wray

Alternate Cover

JW_Submit

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Blog Tour: The Chemical Code – Fiona Erskine

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Racing towards the dark heart of Brazil, explosives expert Jaq Silver has one goal – vengeance. When her enemies take what she treasures most, she resolves to make them pay. Unsure who to trust, alert to hidden agendas, Jaq is hunting solo. As summer temperatures rise, the web of danger and corruption tightens around her. What is in the mysterious box, Jaq has inherited from her grandmother? Can Jaq be sure she is chasing down the right target? And who is pursuing her?

An exhilarating tour around Brazil from the gold mines of Goiás to the glorious beaches of Rio, THE CHEMICAL CODE combines non-stop explosive action and Bond-style villainy with the scientific know-how that makes the Chemical Detective series so unique.

FIONA ERSKINE is a professional engineer based in Teesside, although her work has taken her around the globe. As a female engineer, she has often been the lone representative of her gender in board meetings, cargo ships and night-time factories, and her fiction offers a fascinating insight into this traditionally male world. She is the author of The Chemical Detective, The Chemical Reaction and The Chemical Cocktail, all published by Point Blank. The Chemical Detective was shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award and The Chemical Reaction was shortlisted for the Staunch Prize in 2020.

@erskine_fiona @PointBlankCrime #ChemicalDetective

My thoughts: Jaq Silver has inherited a gold mine somewhere deep in the Brazilian rainforest, only she’s not interested, but plenty of other people are. She just wants to find her son, given away and adopted at birth. He’s out here somewhere but the people chasing her will stop at nothing to get the mining rights and keep her away, they’ll destroy and kill in order to stop her.

On her trail is federal police officer Gracà Nunes, she’s new to the job but has good instincts, and something tells her Jaq is a woman to watch out for. As the women’s paths lead them to the same place, but from different angles, bodies pile up and they both face danger. But can Jaq outwit her enemies and find her son? Will Gracà catch up with her and get to keep her job by solving the big case?

There are subplots involving bank managers and environmental scientists, stolen moments with kitesurfers and daring ocean rescues. It’s all very high adrenaline stuff, Jaq’s a bit of an action hero as well as a clever engineer, but not necessarily a great detective. As she zigzags across Brazil searching for her son, doing the odd spot of actual work and plotting revenge, other things rumble on in the background and she seems to be connected to it all.

Intelligent and drawing on real events for inspiration, this will hook you and suck you into its fast paced tangled web of corruption, crime and crazed colonels.

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

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Blog Tour: The Bigamist – Rona Halsall

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‘I’m sorry, Sam’s not available,’ says the woman who answers my husband’s phone. I can’t place her voice, so I politely ask who she is. Her answer sends my world spinning out of control: ‘I’m his wife.’

I know I want to marry Sam the moment I meet him. After I lost my beloved mother so suddenly, this charming, softly spoken architect with his deep-brown eyes is just the fresh start I’ve been searching for.

I’m delighted to be expecting our first child before we’ve even had a chance to plan a honeymoon. I want our family to work so I try to ignore his long work trips. I turn a blind eye to the private calls he takes and I listen to his excuses about why the money keeps disappearing from my bank account. After all, he has no idea what I’ve been doing in our house whilst he’s away or how I really made that money.

Then I find out Sam’s got more to hide than I ever imagined was possible. Because my husband is leading a double life. He’s already married to someone else.

But what Sam doesn’t know is that he’s not the only person keeping secrets.

And he has no idea how far I’ll go to protect myself…

A totally unputdownable, twisty, will-leave-you-gasping story of marriage, guilt and lies. If you love Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, you will not be able to sleep until you’ve finished every last page of The Bigamist.

Amazon

Rona is the bestselling author of psychological thrillers published by Bookouture. She loves to turn domestic storylines on their head to keep her readers guessing what the heck is going on.

She has been a bit of a nomad during her adult life, moving around the north of England, before settling in Snowdonia, North Wales where she brought up her family while working as a business mentor. She now lives on the Isle of Man with her little nutter of a Border Collie, Maid. You’ll find all the places she’s lived in her stories!

She is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful glens and beaches on the Island while she’s plotting her next book. She has three children and two stepchildren who are all grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of material for new stories.

To find out more about Rona and her novels, visit her website and sign up to her newsletter to get the latest info on new books and offers.

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My thoughts: no one in this story is really who they seem, Sam, Faith and Emma are all carrying secrets, some much darker and more twisted than others. In a way they all deserve each other, they’re not nice people.

Marrying Sam is a pretty intentional thing to do, considering what Emma’s hiding but Sam isn’t to be trusted and neither is his sister Faith. They’ve got a past no one would be proud of.

As they try to keep everything hidden, events start to overtake them and things begin to surface, there’s some suspect paperwork in Sam’s office, paintings that belong to Emma show up in one of his client’s homes, Emma’s phone is full of things she can’t let anyone see and Faith is always popping round uninvited.

Things go from bad to worse very quickly and now they all need to work out their end game and how to evade the police, who’ve started asking questions. But who will survive the deadly game they’re all playing and what will the cost be? Gripping and full of sudden twists and turns, this is a clever thriller with deadly consequences.

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

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Blog Tour: Good Girls Die Last – Natali Simmons

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Today, nothing is going right for Em. And it’s about to get much worse. Heartbroken by a recent split, with her 30th birthday looming, she loses her job and her home in the same morning because of two swaggering, dishonest men – the boss who sexually harassed her and the flatmate sleeping with her behind his fiancée’s back. But all Em can think about is catching a flight to attend her sister’s wedding and see her dying mother. With a record-breaking heatwave, and a serial killer making the streets unsafe, London is completely gridlocked. Em’s life has always been full of men getting their own way, and today the scorched city teems with them standing between her and home. As Em’s troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control. In a world where men don’t listen, and girls have no voice, one woman can change everything. Today, no one will be staying silent.

As the daughter of a Spanish immigrant, Natali J Simmonds has lived all over the world. GOOD GIRLS DIE LAST is her first thriller after writing fantasy novels. When not writing, she is the Head of Community and Editorial Commissions at Jericho Writers and lectures at Raindance Film School and The University of The Hague. Follow Natali on Twitter: @NJSimmondsbooks #SaveEm /#GoodGirlsDieLast

My thoughts: this was an interesting read, inspired partly by the murder of Sarah Everard and the reactions that followed, both on social media and in the streets, the thought of a heatwave so profound that bus and tube drivers walk away from their jobs, leaving the city to grind to a halt, and the many, many aggressions that women deal with day in day out, it fizzles with barely repressed rage and frustration.

Em has had the worst day, fired, then made homeless by her obnoxious flatmate, she’s walking across town to get to City Airport to catch a flight home to Spain in time for her sister’s wedding. A serial killer is targeting women and the police seem unable to stop him.

She meets Rose, another woman walking across town and they have a rather eventful time dealing with creeps and idiots. They’re tired and fed up and it doesn’t seem to matter what they do, it’s relentless.

After her day takes several more terrible turns, Em finally snaps and does something. Something that could destroy the fragile life she’s barely holding onto. The events snowball beyond her control and suddenly she’s a figurehead, a movement. As the temperature slowly melts the tarmac, what could happen next?

Tense, angry and rightfully so, this is a clever and intriguing book, in a world where men have the power, all it takes is one woman.

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

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Cover Reveal: The Puppet Maker – Jenny O’Brien

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The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike: Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me. 

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn’t expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after her little girl. This mother doesn’t want to be found. 

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person’s case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.

Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey’s crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in. 

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey’s. 

Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it’s too late? 

Heart-pounding and totally addictive, The Puppet Maker is the first in the Detective Alana Mack series that will have fans of Ann Cleeves, Angela Marsons and LJ Ross racing through the pages late into the night. 

Publication Date: 17th October

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Born in Dublin, Jenny O’Brien moved to Wales and then Guernsey, where she tries to find time to write in between working as a nurse and ferrying around 3 teenagers. 

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You’ll be pleased to note she won’t be entering Bake-Off. She’s also an all-year-round sea swimmer.

Jenny is represented by Nicola Barr of The Bent Agency and published by Storm Publishing and HQ Digital (Harper Collins).

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Cover Reveal: The Darkness All Around Us – Megan Boldy

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We’re are thrilled to reveal both the title and this amazing cover today! Read on for more details about Megan Boley’s upcoming release, The Darkness All Around Us!

The-Darkness-All-Around-Us-eBook

The Darkness All Around Us

Expected Publication Date: Early 2024

Genre: Dystopian Thriller

  • Post-disaster / post-apocalyptic, dystopian, near-future world
  • Found family
  • Saving the best friend, saving the world
  • Heist(s)
  • Morally gray characters
  • Revenge
  • Redemption
  • Brother-sister relationships
  • Platonic friendships

Facing your demons is hard. It’s even harder when one of them will not stop talking.

It’s 2085 in a barren world. Manufactured creatures and warring factions abound. Pharmatrox controls the country and disastrous consequences wreak havoc on the remaining population.

In Stella’s case, she gets the pleasure of being annoyed by a snarky hallucination of her dead brother. But his irksome specter is the least of her worries.

She’s being hunted.

Penny, the sly leader of a dangerous gang, pursues Stella with ruthless conviction. And she’s closing in.

In the chaos of the collapsing country, Stella’s best friend is captured by Pharmatrox. She must rescue him before he’s subjected to lethal experiments—or worse.

When Stella discovers she holds the key to the country’s salvation, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to take down the company and save her friend—even if it means teaming up with her worst enemies and dragging her darkest demons into the light.

And time is running out. Pharmatrox’s plans are nearly complete…

Contains explicit content, profanity, violence, and subject matter that may be sensitive to some readers. Recommended for ages 18+

Coming Soon!

About the Author

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Megan Boley is a science fiction and urban fantasy author. She loves writing stories with badass women, grumpy men, and a healthy dose of plot twists. If she’s not plotting the triumph (or demise) of her next set of characters, you’ll find her at jiu jitsu or reading on the beach.

Megan Boley

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Blog Tour: I Am The River – Kelly Romo

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I am the River copy

Welcome to the tour for I Am the River by Kelly Romo. This is the bone-chilling sequel to Dead Drift. Read on for more details!

I am the river Cover

I Am the River (A Whitewater Thriller)

Publication Date: June 15, 2023

Genre: Thriller/ Serial Killer

HE is the river. HE takes who he wants and releases who HE wants.

Ashely Covington struggles to raise her three young daughters on what little life insurance is left from her husband’s death while fighting a woodland fire. Her family does not have the resources to help her, so they pressure her to move on to find a new husband and a father for her girls.

Emmy Jenkins knows what it feels like to have a serial killer come after her. She escaped HIM twice. Emmy and Brian must start over in a new town, away from the tragic events and the killer’s family. Unfortunately, HE escapes custody. The authorities think the killer committed suicide by drowning himself in the river. They do not locate his body, but they do find a girl drowned in Elk Lake. Her death is ruled an accidental drowning, but Emmy knows HE is still alive. And HE is coming for her.

To prove himself worthy of immortality, HE follows the river to its source in the Cascade Mountains, where HE will accept whatever the headwaters offer. Suddenly, his destiny is revealed when the perfect nymph with three little girls appears on the shore.

Now Available Here

Dead Drift Cover

Dead Drift (Whitewater Thriller #1)

Publication Date: May 15, 2022

Genre: Thriller/ Serial Killer

Two teenage girls on the run with fake IDs and a beater car…what could go wrong?

Emmy has always been impulsive. She is no longer a minor and has aged out of foster care. When her best friend, Amber, is the target of a perverted uncle who lives in the basement of her group home, they plan her escape.

They head for Canada, where Amber will be safe, and the foster care system can no longer control their lives. When they come across a whitewater rafting brochure, they decide to take a detour for one last adventure before leaving the country. Emmy and Amber have no idea it will be a decision that will forever change their fates.

The rafting town is so far in the middle of nowhere that Emmy’s car radio catches nothing but static. They consider turning around until a truck pulls up, loaded with hot whitewater rafting guides and rubber rafts–just the fun they were looking for. Ignoring every instinct, they turn off the pavement and follow the truck down an isolated dirt road. They end up in Lodell, the town where a girl went missing the previous summer…and she will not be the last.

Purchase Here

About the Author

Kelly Romo Author Photo

Kelly Romo grew up in California but has lived in Oregon for over twenty-five years. She teaches writing, literature, and social studies. She is the mother of three grown children: Brittany, Brennan, and Ryan. She is an avid outdoorswoman who loves to kayak, hike, and fish.

Kelly has a Master of Fine Arts in Writing (Fiction) and a Master of Arts in Teaching, both from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon USA.

For more information, please visit Kelly’s website at http://www.kellyromo.com

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Book Tour Schedule

June 26th

http://rrbooktours – Kick-off

https://www.instagram.com/jenalreads/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/niveditha_preeth – Review

https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

https://readsandreels.com – Feature

June 27th

http://blackcoffeebrowncow.blogspot.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/creepylilbookworm/ – Review

https://onemoreexclamation.com/ – Review

https://latishaslowkeylife.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/

https://ontheshelfreviews.wordpress.com – Feature

June 28th

https://www.instagram.com/2manybooks2littletime/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/katierichardauthor/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/ninas_booknook/ – Review

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Feature

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/samanthainfantasyworld/

https://samanthainfantasyworld.wordpress.com/ – Feature

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/shelbe_reads/?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM%3D – Feature

June 29th

https://www.instagram.com/BookBaddies4Life/ – Review

https://mayisuggestblog.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/nicmedia/

https://www.instagram.com/itputs.the.book.upon.the.shelf/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/suzanhlarson/ – Review

https://www.thesexynerdrevue.com – Feature

June 30th

https://www.instagram.com/calhoun.crew/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/author.rowan/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/booknerd_jen22/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/laura_cover_stories/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/mels_booksandhooks/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/elinasbookstagram/ – Feature

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Book Blitz: His Dark Reflection – Marvellous Michael Anson

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A special hardcover edition of His Dark Reflection complete with beautiful sprayed edges will be available for pre-order from June 26th till the 30th. Don’t miss out on this chance!

HIS DARK REFLECTION- EBOOK COVER

His Dark Reflection

A gripping tale of love, secrets and murder: They’ll take his secrets to their graves

Publication Date: March 9, 2023

Genre: Thriller/ Suspense

Graphic

LOVE . SECRETS . MURDER
Mote was keeping secrets when she married Jack. So was he.
When the single shot that takes their son’s life blows open all they’ve kept hidden, they have to face their worst nightmares alone.
Their daughter, Ara, remembers one thing from the night her brother was killed. She knows who pulled the trigger.
She knows Mote is sleeping in the same bed as the man who killed her child.
She knows something is off with the man pretending to be her father.
And she will get her revenge.

Pre-Order Here

About the Author

FutureWorldPrizeEvent2023 19

Marvellous Michael Anson, the best-selling author of Birthmarked, is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes stories that explore the multi-faceted human condition. She has been writing poems and short stories for over a decade, as well as directing short plays and being a writer’s favourite soundboard.

Marve is not limited to the art of stringing words together; she wrote and produced her award-winning short film in 2016. She is a recipient of the 2017 AFRIFF Film School Scholarship Program.

Marve works as a technology consultant during the day and a storyteller at night. She is a member of the Society of Authors, Alliance of Independent Authors and Abuja Literary Society. She hosts an online writing group called Writers Connect on Facebook (All are welcome!)

Her website is www.justmarve.org

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Blog Tour: The Couple in the Photo – Helen Cooper

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From the author of The Downstairs Neighbor and The Other Guest comes a propulsive suspense novel that asks how far you would go to keep a friend’s secret.

Lucy and her husband, Adam, have been best friends with another couple, Cora and Scott, for years. The four are practically family at this point—they vacation together, co-own a beach cottage, and their young children are inseparable. So Lucy is devastated when, while looking at a colleague’s photos of a trip to the Maldives, she spots a picture of Scott, apparently on a luxurious holiday with another woman.

Lucy is determined to protect her best friend from her husband’s seeming infidelity, but when she learns that the woman in the photo has gone missing, she can’t help but fear that Scott was involved. As she searches for answers, she uncovers secrets about her friends and her own husband that could destroy the wonderful lives they have built…and she suspects that everybody around her knows much more about the missing woman than they are letting on. Is Lucy actually the one most in the dark? If so, what are the consequences of discovering the truth?

My thoughts: a glimpse of a photo with a familiar face, but the woman with him isn’t his wife, sends Lucy off down a wormhole into her best friends’ (and husband’s) past. What happened at university, how are they connected to a death in the Maldives and why can’t Lucy just leave it alone?

It gets tenser and tenser as Lucy digs into events that bound her husband Adam to his best pals, Cora and Scott, back when they were students, secrets they’ve been keeping for years, but it seems someone knows what they did, could it be the mysterious Juliet? And it involves Lucy’s newlywed colleague Ruth now in some way.

It gets ugly, and violent, with one of the trio willing to kill to keep the status quo. How much danger is Lucy in? Well, read it and find out. Also, modern children clearly have no curiosity, or at least the ones here don’t, happily playing while their parents argue and discuss murder. I’d have been under the table taking notes, Harriet the Spy style.

Gripping, a bit creepy at times, Scott needs to chill, as does Adam, they’re all a little unhinged to be honest. I rooted for Lucy, but also worried for her safety as she kept hanging around potential murderers. The ending, while not happy, at least meant I could relax, safe that Lucy and her children were out of harm’s way, for now.

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

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Blog Tour: Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants – Paul David Gould

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Moscow, 1993. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have brought unimaginable change to Russia. With this change come new freedoms: freedom to travel abroad and to befriend Westerners, freedom to make money, and even the freedom for an underground gay scene to take root.

Encouraged by the new climate of openness, twenty-one-year-old Kostya ventures out of the closet and resolves to pursue his dreams: to work in the theatre and to find love as his idol Tchaikovsky never could. Those dreams, however, lead to tragedy – not only for Kostya, but for his mother and for the two young men he loves, as all three face up to the ways they have betrayed him.

‘The venue was the canteen block of the Red Hammer Cement Works. It was the usual set-up: way out of town, secretive directions to get there, and disco lights blazing…’

Paul David Gould grew up on a Huddersfield council estate and studied Russian at the University of Birmingham. His experiences of work, life and love in Russia have inspired Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants, his first novel. He works as a sub­editor at the Financial Times.

Paul worked as a journalist in Russia in the early nineties, and his experiences from that time have informed his debut novel, while he still occasionally writes about Russia for the Financial Times.

Last Dance At The Discotheque For Deviants is one of the first titles in Unbound’s new imprint: Unbound Firsts -for debut writers of colour. Gould said:

‘I’m not only thrilled to be getting published by Unbound Firsts, I’m also honoured to be one of this new imprint’s inaugural writers at a time when we so need to champion diversity. My novel is set in Russia in the 1990s, a more hopeful time for peace and friendly relations with the West, I’m horrified to see those hopes trampled on by Putin’s unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine.’

My thoughts: take a trip back to Russia in 1993, the age of glasnost, of the fall of the Soviet Union. There’s a McDonald’s in Moscow and a sense of openness, of freedom in the air.

But not for everyone – homosexuality is illegal and the only club night around is secret and moves venues to avoid both the police and the gangs of violent homophobes out to beat gay men up. Kostya is a young man from a small town, working for a US organisation, he speaks English and is intelligent and hard working. His friendship with Jamie, a British journalist, means he’s been to the West and sees through the old Soviet lies his mother clings to.

Jamie is investigating Kostya’s death – the tiny announcement of it, that he died of “natural causes” in an unnamed hospital outside of the city is suspicious. As he, and Kostya’s boyfriend Dima, begin to dig, they uncover a terrible thing that was done to their friend and a web of US investment that allowed it to happen. Even Kostya’s mother, Tamara, comes to understand that she was wrong to question his sexuality, wrong to push him to be “normal”.

This book is terribly sad in places, Kostya is so lost and heart sore. I wanted to reach into the pages and give him a hug, tell him it would get better. Although Russia is stilla terrible place to be gay, as we all saw highlighted by the Sochi Winter Olympics, there are people fighting to change things and government policy doesn’t always go with the will and beliefs of the people.

I’ve been to Russia, and met Russians, many of whom were lovely and open, friendly people. I know that the changes the early 90s brought, the promises that decade held, haven’t all been achieved but, as with the end of this book, there is hope out there.

Beautifully written, and supplied by the author’s own experiences, although hopefully not as dark as some of Dima and Jamie’s, this is an intelligent and thought provoking thriller, with real heart and strong characters that draw you into their hard scrabble lives.

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