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The Author:
Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for twenty-five years. Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1993, and one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent's Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People's Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital. Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition.
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Wicked Game:
2001. Age is catching up with Robert Finlay, a police officer on the Royalty Protection team based in London. He's looking forward to returning to uniform policing and a less stressful life with his new family. But fate has other plans. Finlay's deeply traumatic, carefully concealed past is about to return to haunt him. A policeman is killed by a bomb blast, and a second is gunned down in his own driveway. Both of the murdered men were former Army colleagues from Finlay's own SAS regiment, and in a series of explosive events, it becomes clear that he is not the ordinary man that his colleagues, friends and new family think he is. And so begins a game of cat and mouse "a wicked game" in which Finlay is the target, forced to test his long-buried skills in a fight against a determined and unidentified enemy. Wicked Game is a taut, action-packed, emotive thriller about a man who might be your neighbor, a man who is forced to confront his past in order to face a threat that may wipe out his future, a man who is willing to do anything to protect the people he loves. But is it too late?
My Thoughts on Wicked Game:
I love crime novels and thrillers, and was made aware of this book on Twitter. I am so pleased I bought it - I loved spending my nights with Matt Johnson and Robert Finlay! Brilliantly written, this book is thrilling and tense, right from the start. In Robert Finlay, Matt has created a totally believable hero - ex SAS, now police and looking forward to a less stressful life in uniform for the sake of his young family. But fate has other ideas, and Finlay's secret past is slowly revealed, and he has to reawaken old memories and skills to protect himself and those he loves. The story moves at a great pace, and there is no time to get bored. There is plenty of 'technical' speak, both army and police, but it is never cumbersome and is presented so the layperson can understand it.
It is clear that the author has personal knowledge of his subject, and I know that Matt has experience in both these areas, and began writing to help deal his PTSD (details on his website). I think this level of personal knowledge is of huge benefit to the book, and helps present events in a very real way. There are very raw moments in the book, where Finlay struggles with how he feels, and the actions he must take, and I thinks this gives us a tiny insight into the minds of the amazing people who work in law enforcement, and the decisions and actions that they must make every day.
I think this is a fantastic well written debut novel and I can't wait to read more from Matt.
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Deadly Game:
Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed.
Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all…
Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate.
Deadly Game is a stunning, terrifying and eye-opening thriller from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.
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End Game:
The final instalment in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay series, as his past continues to haunt him...
Robert Finlay seems to have finally left his SAS past behind him and is settled into his new career as a detective. But when the girlfriend of his former SAS colleague and close friend Kevin Jones is murdered, it's clear that Finlay's troubles are far from over. Jones is arrested for the killing, but soon escapes from jail, and Finlay is held responsible for the breakout. Suspended from duty and sure he's being framed too, our hero teams up with MI5 agent Toni Fellowes to find out who's behind the conspiracy. Their quest soon reveals a plot that goes to the very heart of the UK's security services. End Game, the final part in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay trilogy, sees our hero in an intricately plotted and terrifyingly fast-paced race to uncover the truth and escape those who'd sooner have him dead than be exposed.
My Thoughts on End Game:
I was super excited about this book, because I'm in it! Well, my (other) name is! In 2017, I was lucky enough be the winner of Matt's lot in a huge author auction to raise money for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. Part of the prize was to have my name used in Matt's forthcoming book.
I had been looking forward to this book for ages, having loved the first two in the series, Wicked Game and Deadly Game. And I wasn't disappointed. Time has moved on a bit from the second book, Robert Finlay has a second daughter, and has settled in at work. But then his friend Kevin's girlfriend is murdered and everything goes haywire! Once the action gets going, it doesn't let up.
It can easily be read as a standalone, although there are references back to previous events, but you would enjoy it if you came to it fresh. However, if you get the chance to read the first two then do, because they are well worth it.
I love Finlay. He is such a well written, well rounded character. His love for his wife and daughters shines through, as does his commitment to the job. And his relationship with Kevin is brilliant - complete trust both ways. It was good to see Toni Fellowes back with her no nonsense approach. One of my favourite characters in this series has been Toni's assistant, Nell - a very bright, focused young woman, possibly with autistic tendencies who is incredibly good at her job of researching pretty much anyone or anything. She's a really interesting character.
I don't want to say too much about the story itself for fear of spoiling it. Suffice to say, we meet some slimy individuals and some downright nasty ones, as Findlay fights to help his friend, and himself. And the action doesn't stop til the end.
What makes this series stand out is that it oozes authenticity. Matt Johnson is an ex policeman and has drawn on his own experiences when writing. His story is a really interesting one, and you can find out more at his website.
I am sad that this is the last in the trilogy, and hope this doesn't mean we've heard the last of Bob Finlay. But whatever comes next from Matt, I can't wait to read it.
And my character? Well, that would be telling... You'll need to read it to find out.
You can see my original post here.
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All three books are available from Orenda Books and all usual suppliers.
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