The Alliance by Matt Brolly

It's my pleasure to share my review for a book that just grabbed me as soon as I read the blurb - The Alliance by Matt Brolly. Big thanks to Zoe at Zooloo's Book Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour And to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

Four cities, four killers, four murders. The Alliance is just getting started.

When four unconnected serial killers simultaneously commit identical murders across four different US cities, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace faces an unprecedented threat—a cooperative of killers working in unison. Each homicide is witnessed by a survivor, and now these lucky ones need to decide how to tell their stories to the world.

Their posts about the horrific murders create a media storm and a new term is soon coined for the killers: The Alliance. As they recruit new killers into their ranks and more innocent people linked to the initial murders are killed it becomes clear that Wallace is dealing with an unprecedented threat—a deadly alliance formed to terrorize the nation with coordinated strikes.

With the killers always one step ahead, the very fabric of society threatens to unravel and Wallace battles to decipher The Alliance’s endgame before they dismantle civilization city by city. In a desperate race against time, can Wallace uncover the members and motives of the Alliance and end their reign of terror before more victims wind up dead.

Book Links

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199135685-the-alliance
Buy Links - https://mybook.to/thealliance-zbt

My Review

I read and reviewed one of Matt Brolly's earlier US set books, The Controller, a few years back and really enjoyed it. So that fact, along with the blurb (shown above) piqued my interest in this one. I wasn't disappointed. 

Icarus (Ike) Glass - great name - is a Brit who came to the US years ago, settled in San Antonio and became a journalist. He's pretty washed up and definitely drinks too much. One evening he shares a few beers with a man he meets in a bar - it turns out not to be a great idea...

I didn't find Ike Glass particularly likeable but it was hard not to feel sorry for him as he gets caught up in a bizarre string of events. Shannon Wallace was much more relatable - in her forties, a strained relationship with her son and trying to establish herself at Quantico after years of working in the field. She's in the Behavior Analysis Unit (the one often imagined on the small screen), specifically the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, which I imagine is a tough gig at the best of times. But here she is presented with a case like no other, with identical incidents across the US - it's unprecedented. But I think my favourite character was Lieutenant Michael Boyd, who takes initial charge of the San Antonio crime scene. He's world weary, mourning the death of his wife but there seemed a gentleness around him. I liked him a lot. 

I really liked the idea of crimes taking place simultaneously across the US. And ones that are creatively staged too. Yes, they are far fetched but suitably creepy and pretty darn scary! For various reasons that become clear as the book progresses much of the action here is in San Antonio but we hear plenty of details of incidents happening across the country. 

I loved the use of both more traditional media and social media in this novel. It shows both how quickly news can travel - instantly, really - and people's fascination with the darker side of human nature. As events build and the Alliance themselves make more use of social media, there is no shortage of folk ready and waiting to watch whatever horror is perpetrated. And I really don't know if that wouldn't be the case in real life - there seems to be a real appetite for true crime. It's funny, as regular visitors here will know, I read (and watch) a lot of fictional crime but very rarely the true life stuff. But plenty of people are fascinated by it. So is it such a big leap to imagine us watching it on our screens in real time? Subscribing to social media accounts set up by killers? I'm not so  sure.

The Alliance is a hard book to review in detail without giving plot spoilers, which, of course, I'm not going to do. It's tense almost from the get go and only gets more so until we reach a denouement full of surprises. The writing is tight - there's always something going on, moving the plot forward. It's exciting and I was genuinely invested in what happened in the end. And more than a little shocked. Worth a read. 

The Author

Matt Brolly is the Amazon number one, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the DI Blackwell novels set in Weston-super-Mare, as well as the DCI Lambert crime novels, the acclaimed near future crime novel, Zero, and the US thrillers, The Controller, The Railroad, and The Running Girls. His books have sold over one million copies in 16 countries. 

Matt lives in London with his wife, their two children, a dog called Herbie, and a cat called W.G Snuffy Walden.

Author Social Media Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbrollyuk

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/mattbrollyuk

Twitter : https://twitter.com/MattBrollyUK

Website : https://mattbrolly.com/

Maman by FE Birch

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Maman by FE Birch. I love the cover on this one! My thanks to Heather Fitt at Overview Media for the invitation and to the author for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

A twisted suspense novel

DS Joanna Armstrong, a top child protection detective, becomes the accused when one of her twin babies develops facial bruising - sending her into a spiralling post-natal psychosis.

Her life falls apart in an instant. Her team are torn, the doctors think she’s fabricating her illness, and even one of her own colleagues appears hell bent on destroying her.

Can Joanna clear her name when everything seems stacked against her? Can she break through all the prejudice before time runs out? Or is she really mad like they all say?

Maman is a gripping tale of family, loyalty, and integrity, but most of all, truth and justice.

My Review

Jo Armstrong's nightmare begins one afternoon when she suddenly finds herself filled with confusion and fear as she doesn't understand how she got where she is, what is happening or why her police colleagues in the child protection team are behaving the way they are towards her. And there will be a lot of time, pain and heartache before everything is resolved one way or another.

Jo's decline in mental health is well described, as is her confusion at all going on around her. We see her thoughts whirring about, all over the place and her self doubt, a hatred for herself, even. It's sometimes a hard read but often relatable for anyone who has struggled with their mental health to any degree. 

I loved Jim, Jo's husband. Equally confused by the events that have taken place and the situation in which he finds himself, he never once doubts Jo, and never stops fighting for things to be resolved. Also very likeable is social worker Effie (now there's a name that's a little familiar...!). She's warm, approachable and compassionate whilst remaining professional. She's wonderfully described and I could picture her perfectly. Jo's police colleagues, on the other hand, are anything but sympathetic and understanding, particularly DC Claire Bristow, who is pretty openly hostile towards Jo and Jim. Happily, I have no experience of anything like this in real life but I'd like to think (hope) there is a little more compassion is offered to families whilst the truth is being established - innocent until proven guilty and all that. 

Maman is a story about depression, grief and trauma, love, a fight for justice and a spotlight on hidden illnesses. It is tense throughout and an interesting read. 

The Author

FE Birch is an ex-cop from the North East but she’s not a Geordie. She is a prolific short story writer with a trail of pseudonyms and publications behind her. With a penchant for dark, deep and the disturbing, her crimes are rarely cosy. She has self-published two collections of competition winning short stories and her debut novel, She’s Not There was published early 2023 by Red Dragon. She is also published by Harper Collins (2013) with stories about being an undercover cop …

With a bendy EDS body, GSOH and a little bit of clumsiness, she wears many hats and loves wigs. Her friends call her Effie.

How to Start a Riot in a Brothel in Thailand by Ordering a Beer and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips by Simon Yeats

Today I'm helping to close the blog tour for How to Start a Riot in a Brothel in Thailand by Ordering a Beer and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips by Simon Yeats, which is part memoir, part unorthodox travel guide! My thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me and to the author for my review copy.

There is also an opportunity to win a set of all three books in the series in the giveaway at at the bottom of the page. But be quick, it closes soon! 

The Blurb

Book 1 of a hilarious series of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection by Australian author Simon Yeats, who from an early age learned that the best way to approach the misfortunes of this world is to laugh about them.

Simon shares his comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living life as an Aussie ex-pat and having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as the Spanish Flu in 1918.

From how to keep yourself entertained when unwittingly forced to watch 11 hours of live sumo wrestling in Japan, to surviving heartbreak in India at the hands of a French flight attendant, to 48 hours spent in Nepal that qualify as the funniest most gut wrenching travel experience since Captain Bligh was set adrift in the Pacific, to his unsuccessful attempts at avoiding going to a brothel in Thailand.

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to break a leg or rupture a pancreas.


Purchase Links

UK 
US 

My Review

I have to say I was drawn to this book just by the title. I mean, look at it! Figured I was in for something fun and I was right. And as someone who hasn't actually travelled much I was looking forward to reading about far going places. This first book in a series of three focuses on the author's travels in Asia, whilst the other two cover tales from Europe, the USA and South America. 

Despite my limited travel experience, I loved the part of Yeats's introduction where he shares (in full, because it's quite short) the speech he would give if invited back to his old high school (all boys) graduation ceremony which, summed up, would basically say 'Travel as much as you can. You will never regret travelling and discovering new things.' And it would seem that this is a mantra the author lives by, having travelled to far flung places all over the world. We get a small taste of some of these adventures here. 

There were a couple of things I didn't like so I'm just going to get those out of the way quickly.  There was the occasional off colour comment (in my opinion, of course, maybe not for others) and I felt there was too much signposting to the author's other books within the text. The book would definitely benefit from a tighter edit. But these are niggles - there is much to enjoy in this book. 

Each chapter is headed up with a joke which I thought was a novel idea. Some are groan worthy, though! 😂   Several trips/incidents are covered in the book and they are all entertaining. The incident mentioned in the title is funny, his exchange with an immigration officer on his return to the US from Japan had me giggling but, for me, the pièce de résistance is the story of his white water rafting trip in Nepal. The tears were running down my face reading that one and I'm smiling now just thinking about it. 

Yeats has an easy manner and a relaxed way of sharing his stories - it's easy to imagine he's actually telling you these tales over a beer one night! He's also quite funny, one of my favourite moments was when confronted by his brother-in-law's German Shepherd his 'testicles receded into the panic room of my stomach'. Yes, he has a humorous turn of phrase. 

How to Start a Riot... is full of funny, entertaining stories  and some dubious money saving tips. 😂 But what I really loved is that it's a celebration of travelling, exploring, taking risks, having adventures and embracing everything. Being rewarded with fabulous (and some not quite so fabulous, to be fair, but still valid) experiences. And I think that should be applauded and encouraged.

The Author

Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has had were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

Author Social Media Links

Tik Tok 
Instagram 

Giveaway to Win 1 set of all Three Books in Simon Yeats' Lesser Known travel tips series in paperback and 1 set in epub (Open to UK / US / Canada).

Prize includes copies of:
- How to Start a Riot in a Brothel in Thailand by Ordering a Beer and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips
- How to Avoid Getting Mugged in Rio de Janeiro by Singing Songs by The Police and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips
- How to Survive Making Yourself Look Silly While Dancing with the German Mafia at a Bavarian Nightclub and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips

2 winners – first winner will win the paperbacks, second winner will win the epubs .

*Terms and Conditions –UK / US / Canada entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Enter here: 

Giveaway

I will be reviewing Simon's memoir, My Second Life (not part of this series) on 4th May so do look out for that. 

The Translator by Harriet Crawley

Edited to add: Posted a day late due to illness. Sincere apologies to all concerned.  

Today is my my stop on the blog tour for The Translator by Harriet Crawley, a love story set against the politics of Moscow and a threat to the UK. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for my invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

A passionate love story, centred on a devastating Russian plot to sabotage the undersea communication cables linking the US to the UK. Clive Franklin, a Russian language expert in the Foreign Office, is summoned unexpectedly to Moscow to act as translator for the British Prime Minister. His life is upended when he discovers that his former lover, Marina Volina, is the interpreter to the Russian President. Together they will try to stop the attack that could paralyse communications and collapse the Western economy.

The Translator is published by Bitter Lemon Press and came out on 21st March 2024.

 

My Review

My Review

I don't normally read a lot of romance novels but this one involved a bit of espionage so how could I say no? Also, a story set in a country we only see in the headlines on the news - in recent years anyway. And something told me that, in this one, love wasn't necessarily going to run smoothly!

It's 2017. Clive Franklin, a Russian interpreter, or translator, as he appears to be known, for the British Foreign Office, is in Scotland when he receives a phone call advising him he has been seconded at short notice to the Prime Minister's office and will leaving immediately for Moscow. After the Prime Minister's meeting with the Russian president has finished, Clive is to remain in Moscow to translate at some trade talks, whilst trying to find information on suspicious Russian activity in the seas off Britain's South West coast. Intelligence gathering is not currently in Clive's skill set but he hadn't reckoned on the Russian president's interpreter being a face from his past...

Clive comes across as a nice chap, intelligent, polite, well mannered - perfect for his role in Moscow. Well, dual roles, I should say, although he is understandably hesitant about the whole intelligence gathering thing. However, needs must, and he soon receives an offer of help from  unexpected quarters. 

Marina is a Russian interpreter, favoured by the Russian president. Again, she knows exactly how to behave, with higher stakes for her as punishment could be harsh. She comes across as quite a lonely woman who carries a lot of sadness, but there are hints that this was not always the case. I worried that she didn't seem to have any friends other than Lev, the president's private secretary, who rebellious streak I adored. One person I certainly didn't adore but who was, for me, one of the most beautifully drawn characters was General Grigory Varlamov, the deputy director of the FSB. The vice president is also colourfully described. 

I loved the plot. I enjoyed the formalities of the hierarchical society. I loved all the intrigue, secrets, coded messages, hushed conversations and dangerous risks. It's a race against time but there's a lot going on with meetings, business trips and conversations, some engineered, some not, so it's quite wordy.  Which, for me, gave it a really interesting feel of being both fast and slow. It's hard to explain. It's obviously very tense but I felt that occasionally that was lost a little. Overall, The Translator is an intelligent novel, obviously political, very interesting and ended in a way I hadn't anticipated. I really enjoyed it. 

The Author

A fluent Russian speaker and former journalist, Harriet Crawley lived and worked in Russia for twenty years. She sent her son to state school in Moscow which, until 2016, was her second home.


Do remember to check out the other stops on the tour!