David Beckler
Publication date: 1st October 2022
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
SYNOPSIS
In this dystopian vision of London, public safety is in private hands—and nobody is beyond the reach of the ‘law’.
The constant threat of terrorism has left London under round-the-clock surveillance and in the tightening grip of privatised security firms. Journalist Antonia Conti suspects one such organisation—GRM—not only of being behind several women’s disappearances, but of financing the widespread violence it claims to fight.
When a gang of hitmen use rampant state surveillance to track Antonia down, she narrowly escapes with her life. But then one of them turns up dead—covered in her DNA—and Antonia finds herself the prime suspect in his murder.
DS Russell Chapman needs to bring her in. But evidence that Antonia has been framed quickly stacks up and when a personal grudge between her and GRM’s shadowy head of security is revealed, he begins an uncomfortable partnership with her.
Together, the pair delve beneath the surface of the corporate machine and soon find themselves embroiled in a dark and violent underworld even they had barely dared imagine. Will they find the evidence to bring GRM down? And can they keep Antonia’s name off the list of missing women?
MY REVIEW
Buckle up readers, you are in for a seriously fast paced, action packed, high octane ride. Absolutely fantastic thriller which has everything I look for in a great read. I can’t tell you how many times I held my breath!
Set in a dystopian version of London in the near future. Antonia Conti is a reporter, working undercover at GRM; a company which has its fingers in many pies. Antonia believes they are paying someone in the government to favour their contracts. They carry out contracts for certain jobs which have been outsourced to private companies, such as security and surveillance; including operating the CCTV system around the roads and streets.
When Antonia is attacked on her way home late one night, her attackers don’t know she is one kick ass woman, proficient in boxing, and can look after herself. When her attacker is found dead, and evidence puts her at the scene, she is called in for questioning. DS Chapman doesn’t believe she is guilty although he feels she is hiding something.
Conti and Campbell later team up, making an incredible partnership, to try to get to the bottom of what GRM are involved in and get enough evidence to bring the company down. It is personal for Conti as her friend is one of the girls who worked for GRM and disappeared. Terrorism. Corruption. Murder. Missing girls. This book has it all and much more.
I’m lucky to have book 2 in the series – A Stolen Memory – which was released in January and I can’t wait to find out what is next for Conti. Look out for my review coming very soon!
Thank you Rhiannon at FMcM for giving me the opportunity to review this extraordinarily brilliant thriller which I would love to see made into a film.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – in his own words
I write fast-paced action thrillers populated with well-rounded characters.
Born in Addis Ababa in 1960, I spent my first eight years living on an agricultural college in rural Ethiopia where my love of reading developed. After dropping out of university I became a firefighter and served 19 years before leaving to start my own business.
I began writing in 2010 and use my work experiences to add realism to my fiction.
The Mason and Sterling series centre on two ex-Royal Marines, Byron who now runs a security company and Adam who is a firefighter. A strong cast of characters support my protagonists. Long Stop Books published Brotherhood, the first novel in the series, in September 2019 and the second, The Profit Motive, on December 16th 2019. The third, Unprotected, will come out in early 2020. Brotherhood is set in Manchester and The Profit Motive in Manchester and Wenzhou, China.
I live in Manchester, my adopted home since 1984. In my spare time I try to keep fit—an increasingly difficult undertaking—listen to music, socialise and feed my voracious book habit.
Get a free copy of Forged in Flames, the opening Mason and Sterling novella when you sign up to my mailing list. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/vyox15ikyl
Website: http://www.davidbeckler.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbecklerauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@DavidBeckler1
Two Heads Are Better Than One 