Category Espionage and Conspiracy

Beirut Station by Paul Vidich @paulvidich @noexitpress @RandomTTours #thriller #espionage #crime #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today of Beirut Station by Paul Vidich. This is a first for me by this author and it was a wonderful crime thriller story.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my copy of the book from the publisher – No Exit Press.

A stunning new espionage novel by a master of the genre, Beirut Station follows a young female CIA officer whose mission to assassinate a high-level, Hezbollah terrorist reveals a dark truth that puts her life at risk.

Lebanon, 2006.

The Israel-Hezbollah war is tearing Beirut apart: bombs are raining down, residents are scrambling to evacuate, and the country is on the brink of chaos.

In the midst of this turmoil, the CIA and Mossad are targeting a reclusive Hezbollah terrorist, Najib Qassem. Najib is believed to be planning the assassination of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is coming to Beirut in ten days to broker a cease-fire. The spy agencies are running out of time to eliminate the threat.

They turn to a young Lebanese-American CIA agent. Analise comes up with the perfect plan: she has befriended Qassem’s grandson as his English tutor, and will use this friendship to locate the terrorist and take him out. As the plan is put into action, though, Analise begins to suspect that Mossad has a motive of its own: exploiting the war’s chaos to eliminate a generation of Lebanese political leaders.

She alerts the agency but their response is for her to drop it. Annalise is now the target and there is no one she can trust: not the CIA, not Mossad, and not the Lebanese government. And the one person she might have to trust—a reporter for the New York Times—might not be who he says he is…

A tightly-wound international thriller, Beirut Station is Paul Vidich’s best novel to date.

MY REVIEW

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in Beirut it is told from the perspective of Analise, she is a CIA agent who has a Lebanese and US background, fluent in languages and is working as a NOC.

Analise is a cold character and as such she keeps her feelings very much to herself, this also makes sense as her character would not be one who would let others know what she was thinking. The story’s timing is when President Bush is in power and Condoleezza Rice is the American Secretary of State. There is trouble in Beirut with Hezbollah, Mossad and CIA interference. I am aware of things occurring at this time in world history but I have never felt I have a very good understanding of the politics of the time, or at this time for that matter. This means I am reading the story as a story and not a representation of the facts at the time, the author does admit that this is a fictional work with some facts.

The story is one of cat and mouse and it oozes danger and tension across the pages. There is the obvious danger from being spies in a foreign country and then there is the danger from corruption with the government agencies. I do love a bit of double-crossing, moles and dodgy deals and this book has its fair share of them. With a Times reporter trying to score his story, a terrorist trying to kill an American politician and loads in between there is a lot of action to the story. The pacing of the story for the most part is fairly fast, there are times when it does slow and it gives the reader a chance for a quick breather before undercover meetings are once again set up.

There are times when the story does get quite complex as there are a reasonable amount of characters to recall and trying to remember which side they are supposed to be on can be a bit challenging, especially when they seem to change sides or don’t have an obvious side!

This is a thriller and crime story that has terrorism, explosions, corruption and espionage in it. I did get to like the character of Analise and what she was going through as part of her role. There is more to her than the cold calculating person I thought she originally was.

Great story and characters, ideal for fans of crime thrillers and one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Paul Vidich has had a distinguished career in music and media. Most recently, he
served as Special Advisor to AOL and was Executive Vice President at the
Warner Music Group, in charge of technology and global strategy. He serves on
the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers and The New School for Social
Research. A founder and publisher of the Storyville App, Vidich is also an award-winning author of short fiction. His novels, An Honorable Man, The Good Assassin,
The Coldest Warrior and The Mercenary, are available from No Exit Press.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

#Committed y Chris Merritt @DrCJMerritt @Wildfirebks @headlinepg @RosieMargesson #crime #thriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Committed by Chris Merritt. This is the first time I have read a book by this author but I have seen good reviews about his books. So, what better way to start than with the first book in a new series.

My huge thanks to Rosie at Wildfire for arranging my copy of this book for me to review.

Six days to stop a deadly attack. And no one else believes it’s real.

Former CIA undercover operative Ellen McGinley is battling to overcome PTSD when she stumbles upon a domestic terror plot. The deadly attack is due to take place in six days and will strike at the very heart of her homeland.

For Ellen, it’s a chance to find redemption for her greatest mistake – one she will never allow herself to forget.

But no sooner than she alerts the authorities, she finds herself diagnosed as delusional and locked in a psychiatric ward. No one believes her story.

She’s the only one who thinks the danger is real, which means she’s the only one who can stop it.

Ellen must draw on all her old skills to escape, stay alive, protect her family, and find those responsible – before all hell breaks loose.

Committed is the propulsive thriller you won’t want to miss this summer. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci, JB Turner and Robert Dugoni.

MY REVIEW

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and what better way to start than with the first book in a new series? Ellen McGinley is a mother and wife, she suffers from PTSD and is on high alert when she thinks she is being followed. She did work for the CIA as an undercover agent in Paris, it is this period that has resulted in her being diagnosed with PTSD.

The story is broken down into the present and the past, the past is Ellen’s time with the CIA and the events gradually unfold over the course of the book. The present is one that has Ellen in danger but from whom and why she is not entirely sure. She is arrested and questioned and her story about being an ex-CIA agent is not believed. She is given a psych evaluation and held in a clinic.

This is set in the US and it is an action-packed story from start to finish. The author has cleverly created a character in Ellen that makes her look vulnerable and this adds to the disbelief that she is delusional and not quite living in the real world. I do like Ellen, she is a real firecracker and the way she is put into situations and the way her story is pulled apart by others makes this addictive reading. I did wonder if she was for real and again this is down to the author and his clever plot lines.

Having a stay-at-home mum as a key character worked so well, but given that she has had other training, there is more to her than you realise. The fact that she has no one she can really turn to for help, means she is on her own.

I liked how the author switched between past and present and gradually built up more to Ellen’s character, filling in blanks and also showing a systemic failing that seems to be following her from authorities.

I am a big fan of thrillers that involve government agencies, in my eyes they are always the bad guys but this one was not as clear cut as that. There are some unknown players in the background and there are strings being pulled but why and for what ends is not obvious. The strings for this story though could be catastrophic putting lives in danger and having repercussions that would spread further afield.

If you are a fan of fast-paced, action-packed thrillers then this is a fabulous book. It soon became obvious to me that as I started this I would not put it down and read it in one sitting. For my first time reading anything by this author, I have to say this was great. I am looking forward to seeing more in this series as there was a bombshell dropped at the end! Brilliant story, a great character and one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hello! I’m a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart – an ex-soldier with a missing wife – and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while ‘thinking’ about writing novels. When I’m not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Traitor by Ava Glass #NetGalley @PenguinUKBooks #crime #thriller #spies #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The Traitor by Ava Glass. Last year I read the first book in this series, Alias Emma and loved it. This second book is a fabulous follow on. You can find my review of Alias Emma HERE

My huge thanks to Penguin Random House for accepting my request to read and review this title via NetGalley.

Book Cover

British spy Emma Makepeace goes undercover on a Russian oligarch’s superyacht, where she’s one wrong move away from a watery grave, in this electrifying thriller from the author of Alias Emma .

An MI6 operative is found dead, locked in a suitcase inside his own apartment. Despite an exhaustive search, no fingerprints are found at the scene. Emma Makepeace and her handler, Ripley, know an assassination when they see one, and such an obvious murder can mean only one Someone is sending a message.

As she digs into his past, Emma discovers that the unfortunate spy had been investigating two Russian oligarchs based in London. He’d become obsessed with the idea that the two were spies, aided by a third man—whose identity he had yet to uncover. When he shared his findings within MI6 in the weeks before he died, the response came back fast and Drop the investigation and move on. Had he uncovered a secret that cost him his life?

To pick up where he left off without ending up in a suitcase of her own, Emma goes undercover on one of the oligarch’s million-dollar yachts, scheduled to set sail from the Côte d’Azur to Monaco. Under other circumstances, this would be a dream vacation. But if Emma’s real identity gets discovered, it’s a death sentence.

As Emma’s work reveals secrets she’d be safer not knowing, the danger ratchets up. The killer may be closer to home than any of them imagined, and Emma won’t be safe until he—or she—is caught.

MY REVIEW

I adored the first book, Alias Emma and I have been waiting eagerly for this second book in the series. The Traitor lives up to and exceeds my hopes and expectations and I adored it a huge amount.

Emma Makepeace is a tough cookie, she has been through a lot and she is now putting herself on the line again for MI6. She has had a bit of a backseat but now she is ready to get her teeth into a new challenge. She is tasked with trying to discover who the members of a secret organisation are. It means she will be operating alone on a Russian oligarch’s super yacht to try and discover proof of crimes.

While Emma is tough she is not the sort of person who stands out in a crowd, it would not make sense if she did considering her job role is to remain discrete and not to be noticed. This does not mean she is a soft touch, she can fight along with the best and the author has created a stubborn and willed character, but also given her a softer side and she is not above being vulnerable.

The role that she takes on is one that will put her literally in the firing line of very dangerous individuals. Her brief is to gather info and then prosecutions can be made. The Russian is not, however quite as she thought he would be. There are players in this game that she does not know about but they know about her.

This is a dangerous action and adventure story and one that hits the ground running. Emma is a great character and finds herself in some interesting situations. Working out who she can trust is something that tests her to the limits in a world where everyone is a suspect.

I adore this series and this second book was amazing, fast-paced from start to finish, full of suspicion, intrigue and danger. Definitely one for fans of spies, espionage, undercover surveillance and crime thrillers. It is one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AVA GLASS is a former crime reporter and civil servant. Her time working for the government introduced her to the world of spies, and she’s been fascinated by them ever since. She lives in the south of England.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Matthew Hattersley @matt_hattersley @ZooloosBT #crime #thriller #bookreview

yvonnembee

I am delighted to share my review today for Darkness on the Edge of Town by Matthew Hattersley. This is the first time I have read anything by this author so what better way to start than with the first book in a new series.

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of this fabulous book.

They thought John Beckett would be an easy target. They thought wrong.

Deep undercover as the right-hand man of a ruthless crime lord, secret service officer John Beckett’s mission suddenly takes a deadly turn.

When a mysterious data leak puts his life on the line, he must make a choice that will change his life forever.


On the run and with danger tailing him, Beckett races against time to save his niece, Amber, from vicious kidnappers. But with deadly threats closing in, he comes to the startling revelation he can trust no one… not even his closest allies.


The streets of London become a battlefield as Beckett struggles to stay one step ahead of his enemies and protect Amber – all the while confronting the dark truth about The Consortium, a shadowy organization that will stop at nothing to maintain its grip on power.


Can Beckett save Amber and bring down those intent on destroying him?

Or will he become the ultimate pawn in their deadly game?

Only one thing is certain… danger lurks in every shadow and time is not on Beckett’s side.


Darkness On The Edge Of Town is a fast-paced thrill ride that’s perfect for fans of  David Baldacci, Lee Child, David Silva and Mark Dawson

MY REVIEW

Well, this was an excellent introduction to this author for me. Darkness on the Edge of Town is one of those books that crosses many genres, it is a mix of crime, thriller, political thriller, gangland and fiction and is full of action and adventure.

When undercover agent John Beckett has his identity released he has to get out of danger quickly. He had been working for a gangland crime syndicate and was the number two for a London gang. Its leader Delaney will kill Beckett without a second thought. He also discovers that his past is also not as secure as it should be and that his niece is also in danger.

A race against time to find his niece, get her to safety and also discover where the leak came from, talk about being a fast-paced storyline or what!

Whenever I see mentions of the secret service I automatically associate it with political wrangling and double-crossing and this book certainly brings that into the mix. Quite who and why though are not so easy to work out, in fact, I didn’t work it out. I had an idea but it was only the tip of a long list of “who it could be”.

The character of Beckett is one that worked really well, a professional, cold, calculated and not averse to doing what is deemed necessary. There is however more to him than that but it doesn’t come across immediately, there are glimpses of a conscience, but it is not until much later that we start to see who the man behind the cover story is. This means that the author has some interesting options that can be used in the books that will follow from this first book in the series.

Working out who Beckett can trust and who is trying to use him or kill him made for an interesting cat-and-mouse game. Keeping the story moving at a relentless pace made for great reading. There are several characters in this story but they are introduced in such a way as it made it easier to remember who was who and also how they operated.

This is an action-packed story that is full of red herrings, mysteries and chases. A matter of life and death and getting to the truth keep this story racing along and it is one that fans of crime, thriller and government agency stories will get on really well with. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series and I would definitely recommend this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Hattersley was born in Yorkshire, in the UK. Over the last twenty years, he has toured Europe in a rock n roll band, trained as a professional actor and founded a theatre and media company.

Now we write fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. His bestselling Acid Vanilla Series follows a wily but flawed ex-assassin who, whilst on a bloody mission of vengeance, realises helping people might provide the salvation she seeks.

He lives with his wife and daughter in Derbyshire, UK.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Our Man in Kuwait by Louise Burfitt-Dons @LouiseBurfDons @RandomTTours #suspense #historicalfiction #spythriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Our Man in Kuwait by Louise Burfitt-Dons. This is a historical fiction story set in the 1960s and is one I really enjoyed.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for arranging my copy of the book for the Blog Tour.

A colonial-era thriller set against the background of big power conflict. The ultimate timepiece tinderbox of sun, sex and spies.

Kuwait 1960. With Soviet backing Iraq plans to invade.

Gordon Carlisle lives in the expat community of Ahmadi with little to worry about other than when to next don his dinner jacket.

Following contact by an MI6 agent everything changes.

Even marriage to his beautiful new wife Anita breaks down as he becomes a suspect in a chain of deaths in the Protectorate.

Ian Fleming’s time in Kuwait is recorded at first hand as Britain prepares to meet the Iraqi forces head on with Operation Vantage.

MY REVIEW

This is a book that is a little bit of a slow burner but one that slowly crept up on me. I did struggle a little in the beginning but once I got to know the characters I began to feel more effortless with the book. While it started as a slow burner it definitely picked up pace as the story unfolded, and, what an intriguing story it was!

This is set in 1960 in Kuwait, I am mostly aware of the recent history of this area, but I didn’t know much about it from the 60s, just a little before my time. The author has woven an interesting mix of fact with fiction to give a convincing and extremely twisted account of the roles of spies, governments, double agents and foreign powers in the region. It is focused on Gordon Carlisle.

Gordon is a bit of a non-descript man as such, goes to work, has friends, is married to Anita and carries on with his life in the Ahmadi ex-pat community. Talk between friends about potential problems in Kuwait, if the British government will send in troops and if those living there will have to flee.

With rumour running rife it doesn’t take much for suspicions to escalate. This means that one act can be seen as something more sinister. When the finger points in the direction of Gordon, he above all is surprised. In a world of espionage nothing and no one is completely innocent… are they?

I really enjoyed the weaving and intrigue the author built up around her characters. I did kind of like Gordon and I did feel for him as he did seem to be the innocent party. It is however that old saying of “there’s no smoke without fire” or that he surely must have known something. This constant state of suspicion makes everyone look guilty.

While the author told of Gordon, his friends, work and the politics of the area there is something else working in the background. This makes the story addictive and it did keep my interest. With mentions of anthrax, bombs, kidnapping and questioning by the police, there is enough of a tense atmosphere to create a dangerous scenario.

I liked this one and I did like the slower pace in the beginning as there are quite a few characters to get to know and also some history of the region and its main players. An enjoyable story and one that I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This book is a work of fiction but inspired by real events. Louise Burfitt-Dons was born and brought up in Kuwait during the threat of invasion by Iraq in 1960 and 1961. Her father Ian Byres was the Preventative Health Officer for the Kuwait Oil Company based in Ahmadi. At the end of 1960 Ian Fleming visited Kuwait to write a book. Louise is the author of the bestselling Karen Andersen Thriller series. Our Man in Kuwait is a stand alone novel.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share woudl be amaizng 🙂 xx

The Nazi’s Son by Andrew Turpin @AndrewTurpin #historicalfiction #thriller #espionage #bookreview

yvonnembee 1 Comment

I am delighted to share my review today for The Nazi’s Son by Andrew Turpin. I have got a little behind with this series which is a real shame as it is brilliant. This is the 5th book in the Joe Johnson series, a series that gets better and better.

A deadly legacy of the Cold War. A mysterious Nazi source. A desperate escape bid through northern Russia. And life-threatening secrets being leaked by a mole at the heart of Western intelligence.

In the fifth book of this thriller series, ex-CIA war crimes investigator Joe Johnson heads to Berlin to assist with the supposedly straightforward debriefing of a Russian defector. The defector knows the background to the terrorist bombing of the city’s famous La Belle nightclub in the 1980s as well as the identity of a Russian agent who is funneling American and British military secrets to Moscow.

But things go wrong. Johnson is pursued by his nemesis, the vengeful Russian oligarch Yuri Severinov. And subsequent events turn out to be vastly more complex and terrifying than he expected.

Why are ex-KGB and Stasi intelligence chiefs so anxious to prevent Johnson from getting to the heart of what really happened? And what are the Kremlin connections that suck him into a life-or-death chase in St. Petersburg?
Johnson and his ex-MI6 colleague Jayne Robinson find themselves battling against the odds to dig out truths that have been concealed for almost thirty years.

At the same time, the pair find themselves inexorably drawn toward resuming the brief love affair they once had in Islamabad.

The key to solving the conundrum around the Berlin bombing comes from an unlikely direction, and the identity of the Russian mole who is wreaking havoc in the West turns out to be equally surprising.

The story works its way to a climax in London and Leipzig as Johnson battles against overwhelming odds to outwit the forces arrayed against him.

The Nazi’s Son is a thriller with many unexpected twists that will keep the reader guessing right to the end.

MY REVIEW

On 5th April 1986, the German nightclub la belle was bombed. 3 died, two of which were American and a further 79 Americans were injured of the 200+ that were in the club and vicinity. At the time tensions between the US and Libya were tense, and it gave US President Reagan the opportunity to take things further. The club was one that American service people used regularly. An enquiry later found that there was no evidence of this being a Libyan attack.

The author uses his character Joe Johnson, an ex CIA War Investigator to look into this matter further. Having read all the previous books in this series I am aware of how Joe works and how he manages to discover information, often at considerable risk to himself. Teaming up once again with Jayne Robinson, ex-MI6, they find that there is far more at stake than they first realised.

Joe is brought in to look at the bombing, this is a ruse as such as the bombing is a historical crime and therefore fits his resume to a tee. The initial role of Joe is to discover why a Russian is defecting and has information about the bombing. This link, although a little tenuous is one that gives reason for him being there. But Joe’s attendance sets alarm bells off in other agencies, such as Stasi and KGB. What ensues is a fast and addictive game of cat and mouse that is dangerous and thrilling.

I do like a good spy, espionage and thriller read and this one ticks those boxes brilliantly. I have an interest in this series and it is one that delivers every time. There is action from the start and it continues pretty much throughout the story. Pitting agencies against each other and mixing in foreign politics and agendas make for a great edge-of-the-seat book.

While the investigation is the main focus, the author does bring the past and personal lives of Joe and Jayne into this story. It is something that I felt has been on the cards for a while and I am curious as to how the author will deal with this in future books.

The author uses past events and historical figures to help jog the memory, so mentioning Medvedev, Reagan, and Gorbachev is ideal for remembering who was around. As I read this it felt odd as it mentioned the annexation of Crimea and Putin’s role. This is now at a time when Putin’s war against Ukraine is still ongoing, so in an odd sense, it feels like the right time to have picked this book up. At the time of writing this review, it has been just over 9 months since it started.

I should mention that Jayne Robinson has her own series of books and I must get to these.

If you are a fan of spy thrillers then this is one that you should have a good look at. In fact, all of the books are excellent and are good action-packed stories. This is a fabulously aced story, and there is action and danger all the way. This is one for fans of spy thrillers, crime, espionage, action and historical thrillers. It is a book and series I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew is a former journalist who has always had a love of writing and a passion for reading good thrillers. Now he has finally put the two interests together.

His first book in the Joe Johnson thriller series, The Last Nazi, was published in August 2017, and the second, The Old Bridge, in January 2018. The third, Bandit Country, followed in February 2018. In January 2019 the fourth, Stalin’s Final Sting, was published along with a prequel to the series, entitled The Afghan. Book #5 in the series, The Nazi’s Son, appeared in November 2019, followed by book 6, The Black Sea, published in May 2020.

The themes behind these thrillers also pull together some of Andrew’s other interests, particularly history, world news, and travel. They explore the ways in which events and human behaviours deep into the past continue to impact on modern society, politics and business.

All of Andrew’s books draw strongly on these themes. They feature Joe Johnson, an ex-CIA officer and former U.S. Nazi hunter with the Office of Special Investigations, part of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Johnson has a passion for justice and a drive to investigate unsolved war crimes in different parts of the world.

Andrew studied history at Loughborough University and worked for many years as a business and financial journalist before becoming a corporate and financial communications adviser with several large energy companies.

He originally came from Grantham, Lincolnshire, and lives with his family in St. Albans in Hertfordshire, U.K.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Alias Emma by Ava Glass #NetGalley @penguinrandom #PublicationDay #crime #spythriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Alias Emma by Ava Glass. This is a fabulous spy-thriller story and I have discovered it is the first in a planned series. Today is Publication Day for this book.

Emma Makepeace is about to spend the longest night in her life.

She’s on her first operation with a shadowy organisation known only as ‘The Agency’, assigned to track down and save an innocent man wanted by the Russian government

All Emma has to do is bring him in to MI6 before sunrise, and before an assassination team gets to him first.

But the Russians have hacked the city’s CCTV cameras. There are spies all over London searching for the two of them. And her target, Michael Primalov, doesn’t want to be rescued.

As London sleeps, a battle is taking place on its streets as Emma fights to keep Michael alive.

But what sort of reception await them if and when they get to MI6?

KILLING EVE meets JAMES BOND in the first novel of the ALIAS EMMA series: a thrilling, cinematic page-turner starring the most likeable and resourceful of heroines. 

MY REVIEW

I do love a good spy thriller story and especially one that involves different government agencies. I think most of us have a mistrust of these agencies and so it always makes sense that they are involved in some plot, conspiracy or cover-up.

Emma Makepeace, a spy for the British government has not long been in this job. She is not a rookie, she already has experience as she served as an intelligence officer in the forces. She also has an interesting family background.

As the synopsis suggests, she has been tasked with finding and convincing an innocent man that his life is at risk. It is her job to get him to a safe place. What should be a basic job, suddenly becomes a flight through and under the streets of London. Trying to evade capture and being seen, is very difficult when London has cameras everywhere.

This is a fast-paced read, a quick intro to Emma and that’s it, straight into the action. The story does have a little back and forth as far as timelines and people go, not much but it does give some valuable additional information. There is not a huge cast of characters in this story, some don’t even have a name. This makes sense given the genre of the story.

As I mentioned conspiracy goes hand in hand with spies and governments, so this story ticked a lot of boxes for me. There are several things on the go and it was interesting to see how the author would play this one out. I really enjoyed the route she took and it felt right. This is a story that is full of mystery as well as crime set mainly in London.

This is a cracking read and I am hoping this is the start of a series. The author has left the opportunity to make this an option.

This is one for those who like a fast-paced, spy thriller that has that edge-of-the-seat frenetic energy to it, It is one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Geiger by Gustaf Skördeman #Geiger @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #compulsivereaders #NetGalley #thriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Geiger by Gustaf Skördeman. This is a tense conspiracy thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed and is published tomorrow (29th April 2021).

My huge thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of this fabulous book via Net Galley.

56918133. sx318

For fans of  I Am Pilgrim, GEIGER is set to become the must-read international thriller of 2021. 

The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: ‘Geiger’. For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come, but she is shaken. She knows what it means.

Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple.

Then she squeezes the trigger and disappears – leaving behind her wallet and keys.

The extraordinary murder is not Sara Nowak’s case. But she was once close to those affected and, defying regulations, she joins the investigation. What Sara doesn’t know is that the mysterious codeword is just the first piece in the puzzle of an intricate and devastating plot fifty years in the making…

Purchase link – Amazon UK

My Review…

Well, the synopsis for Geiger is definitely intriguing, well I thought so, it also makes for a very good start to this story.

This is a really good and well-plotted spy thriller that I really enjoyed. There is a blend of past and present that the author links together really well and is full of little subplots. The present is about the death of Stellan, and of his missing wife as well as the character of Sara a police officer with connections to the family. The past is more in the eighties with the fall of the Berlin Wall, German reunifications, USSR, GDR, spies, espionage, theories, politics and various other items of the time.

The mix of historical into this story was the part that I probably enjoyed the most, the cloak and dagger spy stuff if you like. But then I also liked the present story with a more procedural presence to it as you would find in a crime thriller. The idea of having a historical aspect in the story is great as it does add a great amount of intrigue. There is a good amount of detail that emerges as part of the story, this does however slow the pace down. I do like a slower paced book, and it meant I could take my time and not feel rushed while I was reading. I was able to read with the flow of the story and absorb the many details.

The author has a good mix of characters, enough for the different parts of the story and the different subplots, but not too many that I lost track of who was who. I did mention that there is a whole range of different things going on in this story, one of the themes is quite a distressing one and one I didn’t expect. While it is part of the story, it doesn’t make for pleasant reading.

A story that starts with a murder that then develops into a central European espionage ring, with mentions of family, upbringing and lifestyle there is a lot going on. A really intriguing and interesting read that had me wondering who was who and why they did what they did. I would recommend this for readers who prefer a slower-paced and intense spy-thriller story.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

How To Betray Your Country by James Wolff #JamesWolff @RandomTTours @bitterlemonpub #thriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review for How To Betray Your Country by James Wolff. This is the 2nd book in the trilogy and it does work well as a stand alone.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my copy of this thriller book.

Following on from the acclaimed debut novel Beside the Syrian Sea, this is the second title in a planned trilogy about loyalty and betrayal in the modern world.


An authentic thriller about the thin line between following your conscience and following orders. James Wolff is the pseudonym of a young English novelist who “has been working for the British government for the last ten years”.


Things are looking bad for disgraced spy August Drummond. In emotional free fall after the death of
his wife, fired for a series of security breaches… and now his neighbor on the flight to Istanbul won’t
stop talking. The only thing keeping August sane is the hunch that there’s something not quite right
about the nervous young man several rows ahead – a hunch confirmed when August watches him
throw away directions to a European cemetery seconds before being detained by Turkish police. A
reckless August decides to go to the cemetery, where he meets a mysterious figure from the dark
heart of the Islamic State and quickly finds himself drawn into a shadowy plot to murder an Iranian
scientist in Istanbul.


But nothing is what it seems, and before long August realizes he has gone too far to turn back. As he
struggles to break free from the clutches of Islamic State and play off British intelligence against their
Turkish counterparts, he will find his resourcefulness, ingenuity and courage tested to the very limit of
what he can endure.

My Review…

The synopsis for this book is a good length so it does go into depth. This is the second book in the trilogy, and I do think I would have benefited from reading the first book. The first book would have given me an idea of what happened to August Drummond and what caused his decline. It is however mentioned in this second book.

This is a story that is slower-paced than I am used to with a spy thriller style. I found this novel to be a spy thriller but it is more about looking at what’s happening with August. So, while he is working and trying to discover plots the reader also joins him in his psychological journey.

August is a man who is very definitely struggling with grief, he has problems with his drinking and his general appearance. The author has portrayed him as a very sad and lonely person who is just hanging in there, trying to do his job and who is really on the edge. He is a character who I really felt for as he struggles with life and keeping in the loop with his work.

For me, this was more about August rather than the spy and espionage part, although that was very good indeed. It is a story that at first had me confused as I tried to work out the basics and then to get my head around the plot that is constantly evolving, I do feel for poor August in this respect!

Even though I did take longer reading this, I was so glad I persevered as things gradually started to come together, I found myself caring about what happened to August and also one of the other characters, Yousef. There are two different styles to this story, one is the story itself and the other is a series of reports and documents. These threw me initially and it was further into the story where I started to realise the significance of them.

This is a book that does fall into the spy thriller genre, its slower pace and the psychological side may throw readers if they are looking for a more general fast-paced story. I enjoyed this book and I did like the journey, it is one I would recommend.

About the Author…

James Wolff is an exciting new voice in literary thriller writing. He grew up in the Middle East and now lives in London. He has worked for the British government for the past ten years.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Black Fox by Gordon Bickerstaff #TheBlackFox @GFBickerstaff @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours #conspiracy #thriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to be one of the Book Bloggers to be opening the Blog Tour and sharing my review today for The Black Fox by Gordon Bickerstaff.

My huge thanks to Emma at damppebbles Blog Tours for my spot ont he tour and for arranging my e-copy of this fabulous action-packed crime thriller.

Incredible conspiracy.

Intricate espionage.

Spy story.


Zoe Tampsin is resourceful, smart and Special Forces-trained, but she has been given an impossible mission.

She has to protect scientist, Gavin Shawlens, from assassination by the CIA, and discover the secret trapped in Gavin’s mind that the CIA want destroyed.

As the pressure to find Shawlens escalates – the CIA send Zoe’s former mentor to track her down and her fate seems sealed when he surrounds Zoe and Gavin with a ring of steel. With each hour that passes, the ring is tightened, and the window for discovering Gavin’s secret will shut.

Zoe is faced with a decision that goes against all of her survival instincts. If she is wrong – they both die. If she is right – she will discover the secret and become the next target for assassination.

Run for your life…

Purchase Links – Amazon UK – US

My Review…

This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I want to give myself a stern talking to for not reading any of his books sooner. This is a crazy action-packed, conspiracy fuelled thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish.

The main lead for this story is Zoe, she is one tough cookie and knows how to handle herself in a fight. She is a clever main character who has a whole load of skills, and I am sure that there are some that I have yet to discover with other books. Her brief is to kidnap Gavin, a scientist, who has been under her watch and disappear.

What starts off as a storyline that had a simple beginning the author then jets off into a full-blown chase to the death, that involves the US and its various agencies and departments on British soil. Dodging, ducking and diving traps and lures to discover why on earth the US are willing to risk everything to get their hands on this scientist.

This is one for those, who like me, love a bit of conspiracy, a dash of espionage and a sprinkle of double-crossing within governmental agencies. I was very surprised that when I started to write this review I looked at the page count, 330 of them and the amount of detail that is included is astonishing. There are so many double-crosses, twists, foiled plans and side steps I have to take my hat off to the author for keeping track of everything and still creating a story that has a fabulous flow.

The characters are superb, Zoe as I have mentioned is a one-woman wonder. Comes across as being tough as nails but does has a slight softness to her. Gavin is a nerdy guy, but he has problems with his memory and this adds another dimension to his story. There are additional characters as you would expect, but I will let you meet them yourself.

This is a book that would appeal to those who like fast-paced, action and adventure stories that involve a superbly worked plot and has full-on chases and explosive scenes. I adored this from start to finish and I would definitely recommend it.

About the Author…

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. I studied biochemistry, and I’ve worked in several Scottish universities where I did research on enzymes, and taught biochemistry. After thirty years of teaching and research I retired my academic pen, and took of a mightier fiction pen.

I live in central Scotland with my wife and we enjoy reading, writing, and walking in the hills.

The Lambeth Group books follow the secret government investigations of agent Zoe Tampsin. A strong female protagonist with courage, determination, and guile. She is assisted by specialist consultant, Gavin Shawlens.

Social Media: Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads – Website – Bookbub

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx