A STOLEN FUTURE by Georgia Rose @georgiarosebook

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I'd already read the previous books in the series

In a Nutshell: An antagonist who doesn't realise who he's dealing with...

Well, this was a fun romp!  Book 4 in the A Shade Darker series, which tells the individual stories of various characters living in the fictional village of Melton - this time we turn to Alice, the conscientious right-hand woman of the owner of a local construction company.

Alice's life seems, at the outset, closed and a little depressing.  She's a widow of not quite fifty, but gives the impression of someone much older, possibly living half a century ago.  She has given her life to her work, is liked and appreciated by her colleagues, but has nothing else in her life; she still 'talks to' her husband, who died when she was young.

Her world is turned upside down when her beloved boss dies and is replaced by his thoroughly objectionable son, Rex.  As the story moves along, one gets the impression that there is more to Rex and his mother's unveiled dislike for Alice.  Trouble is, they don't know who Alice used to be, or anything about her background.  That when she decides to take charge, she knows exactly what to do...

I had fun guessing possible outcomes while I was reading this (I was wrong, every time!).  It's very 'readable'; the characters are somewhat larger than life, and there's a darkly comedic air to the story because of this.  Nice twist at the end ... and so it all made sense.  A revelation!

FAST CASH by J Gregory Smith #RBRT

 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Vigilante justice to avenge scammers.

This is book 4 in a series; a look back at my reviews tells me that I read and liked Book 1 back in 2018.  I can't remember anything about it, as I read a lot and we're talking five years ago, so this was like being introduced to a completely new scenario. 

Did it work as a stand alone?  Yes and no.  I felt there were far too many characters mentioned in the first few chapters, to the extent that I couldn't keep straight in my head who they all were, and many of them were introduced with a quick backstory, but it was all too much information.  It was like starting to watch a film half way through and having to keep nudging the person next to me and saying, 'So who's he again?'

Main character Kyle is at the centre of a raggle-taggle group who operate outside the law, targeting scammers and other crooks.  This time, they're up against some Indian call centre cheats and the extremely suspect Sweat Equity, a crooked pyramid scheme disguised as a great opportunity for those down on their luck.  I loved reading about this, and the ghastly pair who run the outfit; I actually thought the story could easily have centred just around this.  As it was, I felt there was almost too much plot, which necessitated much of the book being in dialogue, as one character explained stuff to another, and thus to the reader.

Having said that, I did find all the scam info fascinating; how they operate, how Kyle's mate VP worked out systems to foil them.  Also, I very much liked the writing style, which is conversational, intelligent and often amusing; it just needed a bit of paring down and sorting out, I think.

THE GRIFTER by Sean Campbell and Ali Gunn #RBRT

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: A multi-millionaire conman vs the homeless man he ruined.

An action packed tale about James, whose life was ruined by crooked financier Kent Bancroft, and his plans to retrieve his lost half a million pounds.  It's also about Kent himself, and how the life of a rich man does not always run as smoothly as you might think.

What I liked about this book:

• The structure - ever since reading Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel decades ago, I've adored alternate POV books, especially when, as with this, the lives are poles apart.
• The pace - the book marches along with just the right amount of inner narrative versus events - there are no boring waffle bits, the characters are well-developed, and all the backstory is nicely woven in at just the right time.  This is something that you may not notice unless it isn't right (like how you don't notice if something is clean, but you do notice if it isn't) - getting it spot on is an art.  
• The writing style - flowing and so readable, so much so that I wasn't tempted to skip-read even when I wasn't too sure about the content itself.  
• The quality of the research that had clearly taken place, about the financial detail, life as a homeless person, the art world and other aspects throughout the book.
• The basic storyline, which appealed to me as soon as I read about it.

What I was not so sure about:

• There were way too many errors that editor/proofreader should have picked up on, such as the phrase 'the gig is up' instead of 'the jig is up', Marlborough cigarettes instead of Marlboro, multiple instances of the word 'invite' that should have been 'invitation' (unlikely to occur at this level of society), numerous backwards apostrophes at the beginning of words. 
• I wasn't convinced that an exclusive gym patronised by the aristocracy would be called 'MuscleBound', which sounds more like an establishment owned by Phil Mitchell from EastEnders.  It's only a small thing but it really stood out to me.
• The story development, which I thought needed more thinking through; many developments/details seemed a tad unfeasible.  An example: a rich financier sharp enough to con thousands of people out of millions but doesn't have an efficient alarm and CCTV system at his house.  

To sum up, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, it's a jolly good, fun book that zips along, entertains and keeps you turning the pages, and for this I commend it; being able to tell a story that amuses and keeps the attention is indeed a talent worthy of note.  Everyone has different levels of belief suspension, and mine are particularly low; most of the reviews for this book are very positive indeed.

RESTITUTION by Rose Edmunds @RoseEdmunds

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, but I bought it anyway!  My review of Book 2, Exposure, here.

Genre: Thriller/financial.

In this third book in the Crazy Amy series, Amy travels to Prague to help 84 year old George Smithies recover a Picasso painting last seen in 1939, and help him find his way through the maze of Czech art restitution law.  The situation is a complex one, as there is mystery surrounding family ties, and right of ownership is not straightforward.  Amy and George meet up with Beresford, an art historian to whom Amy takes an immediate dislike, and her old 'frenemy', Mel.  It soon transpires that Amy and George are not the only ones interested in the painting, which puts Amy in great danger.

The amount of research that has gone into this book is evident, with much about the history and culture of the Czech Republic that I found most interesting; I like novels that teach me about other countries.

Amy is oddly likable, even though she shouldn't be; she's snobbish and judgemental with a hell of a chip on her shoulder (and I couldn't forgive her for dragging poor, reluctant George out for a walk on their first night in freezing cold Prague!), but there's something about the way she's so honest about herself that makes her endearing.  Her emotional dilemmas, even just the seemingly trivial ones like whether or not she ought to sleep with a man who attracts her and how to get rid of the excess five pounds around her middle, make her seem very real.  

...though maybe not always so self-aware: ' "..Amy, did anyone ever suggest you might have a problem with alcohol?"  "Yes", I snapped, "the idiots at the Priory".'    I love that!  Her bitchy-aside-a-minute relationship with chavvy gold digger Mel is beautifully illustrated in its oneupmanship; I think observation about people's motivations and insecurities is a real strength of this author, and I'd love to see more of it in future books. 

Still battling through the difficulties caused by her psychological problems, Amy makes some candid statements: 'Everyone pretends there's no stigma against mental health issues, like everyone pretends there's no sexism or racism.  But it's still bubbling away beneath the surface and ... people will find a cogent, lawful reason for denying me a job ... That's the way it is'

I liked that this novel was less overtly fast-paced than the previous one, with more 'downtime'.  It's cleverly structured, and I'm sure it will be appreciated by readers who like to immerse themselves in thrillers with complicated plots, and anyone with an interest in said plot's subject matter, ie, the restitution of valuable works of art.

'We'll be there you bitcoin, came the {text message} reply, bitcoin presumably being the predictive text substitute for bitch'. 😅😆

EXPOSURE by Rose Edmunds @RoseEdmunds #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: It was a submission to Rosie Amber's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

This is the standalone sequel to Concealment, which I read two years ago; I have the worst memory in the world, so Exposure read as a one-off to me.  Thus, I can confirm that you don't need to read Concealment first, though of course it's always helpful ~ and I think it might be equally as interesting to read it afterwards....

I'd describe this novel as half way between a financial and a psychological thriller.  Occasionally the financial terminology went over my head, but it's written in such a way that I got the gist.  One thing I did like very much was the way the novel was structured; there are lots of point of view and situation changes at just the right time, it's extremely well-edited, with plenty of dangling, suspenseful threads at the ends of chapters to make you think, "I wonder what's going to happen there....?"  The whole novel is dialogue-driven; there is little narrative, and the pace never lets up.  Murder, deception, financial fraud, international skullduggery, toxic relationships ~ it has all the ingredients of a popular page-turner.

Rose Edmunds' Amy shows clever characterisation; she is bound to cause definite reactions amongst those who read her.  The daughter of a hoarder, she grew up with all sorts of psychological problems that led her to being exceptionally ambitious and obsessed with the material, and the outward show of success.  In the last book, circumstances came together to make all this come crashing down, and Exposure deals with the new, more self-aware Amy who is still trying to deal with the remnants of the old.  She's not particularly likeable; she knows it's nasty and superficial of her to judge a female colleage on being (horrors!) 20 lbs overweight and wearing the 'wrong' clothes, but she can't help it.  She's unsympathetic to the woman whose husband was in love with her - she tries to overcome the self-destructive within her, but always struggles.  Her complex character makes for some interesting relationship dynamics, indeed, and we learn more about her backstory in this book, too. 

My favourite character was financial blogger Toby Marchpole ~ I was most interested in his wife, an old schoolfriend of Amy's, and their marriage.  I also enjoyed Amy's observations about the dreadful Pedley, her boss for part of the book (when she goes undercover.... I'll leave you to find out about that!).

It's a well thought out plot, and I'm sure readers of smart, fast-paced contemporary thrillers will enjoy it very much ~ there's certainly no opportunity to get bored!
 

ARDENT JUSTICE by Peter Taylor-Gooby

3 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Ardent Justice is a novel that brings to light the corruption in the financial world of the City.  After a brutal rape by a rich financier, tax inspector Ade becomes involved with Paul, an activist who works with homeless people.  Together they become modern day Robin Hoods, determined to expose the fraud within the City and help the poor, fighting the power of money and influence of back-hander paid officials.  The novel is billed as a character-led feminist thriller.  

I found the explanation of how fraud works within the city fascinating, and certainly confirmed much that I suspected; alas, this is how business has been done for hundreds of years, after all, the only difference being that today it is on a much larger scale and has more devastating and widespread consequences.  There is no doubt that the book brings to light societal problems that will be an eye-opener for some, but I'm afraid that, for me, it didn't work as a novel.  The characters were one-dimensional; Ade came over as bitter towards the world rather than feminist, though aside from this she was never more than words on a page for me; I didn't believe the characters as, on the whole, the portrayal of emotion was not convincing, dialogue was unrealistic, and I found the narrative disjointed.

The proceeds of the book will go to Shelter, the charity for the homeless, so I am sorry not to be able to be more postive.

BREXECUTION by Joel Hames

4.5 out of 5 stars

Thriller novella about the EU Referendum

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

This was a jolly good few hours' read!  Brexecution is a fast moving thriller set during the few days following the results of the EU referendum.  At the heart of it are a corrupt banker or two, a high level politician, sadistic thug, a London cab driver and a girl in a Marilyn Monroe wig.  It's amazingly well written considering how quickly it was (br)executed, but then Joel Hames has intelligent thriller-writing talent in spades, and not without a little humour.

Some of the events unfold a little over-smoothly, but that's what stories like these are made of, after all; some of the most outlandish secrets are frighteningly possible, even likely, suggesting that there is a lot more (and a lot darker) stuff involved in the governing of this country than is known to the common man.  The plot fits perfectly into the novella format, which is an art in itself.

A few writers may leap on the referendum bandwagon to produce a highly topical novel, in weeks to come, but once you've read this you'll applaud Mr Hames for being in the driving seat.  It's great.  Buy it!

The Art of Staying Dead by Joel Hames is reviewed HERE

CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds

4.5 out of 5 stars

Financial thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's book review team 

When I was about 20% of the way through this novel I described it to someone else as 'immaculate', which is an odd way to describe a book, but it seemed fitting, and still does.  Concealment is flawlessly presented, so well structured, formatted and edited; not so much as a spare half sentence, anywhere!  As someone who hates wading through waffle, I so appreciated that.

Now, I have no knowledge of or interest in high finance, so please note my high star rating and understand that, therefore, it must be extremely good!  It is.  In the first 7% there is a fair bit of explanation about tax shenanigans, and I feared that, despite the fact that it's so sharp and well written, I might not enjoy it so much, simply because I would have to concentrate very hard to understand it.  But if you're a financial dum-dum like me, please don't be put off - it still begins at a cracking pace and soon delves further into the action, the people, the motivations.

This is a murder whodunnit, and protagonist Amy Robinson is determined to find out the answers.  Along the way, though, she has to deal with the repercussions of her psychologically damaging childhood, and a complex tangle of conspiracy amongst colleagues, clients and people she thought she could trust.  It seems that everyone is against her, and worse, but is she just being paranoid?  I loved the way the suspense was built up - nothing like reading that someone will be dead in a few days to keep you reading!

I thought the relationships throughout the book were expertly, and often amusingly, painted.  The characters are all well defined and clear and the writing style made me connect with Amy immediately and root for her throughout, especially as the other characters were all so delightfully unlikeable - some wonderful baddies!  Rose Edmunds has portrayed the slimy boss Ed Smithies, the self-serving best friend Lisa (I hated her!), the two-faced ex-husband Greg and troubled, chauvinistic Ryan so well.  Amy's own descent into psychological hell is fabulously well done, and I found the parts that looked back into her childhood absolutely fascinating. 

If you are particularly fond of financial thrillers you will LOVE this, and if, like me, you don't know your share options from your allocations of divisional overheads (I haven't got a clue what any of that means), you will still enjoy it very much—I read it over a period of two days because (cliché alert!).... I couldn't put it down!

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE

 

BANKERS TOWN by Joel Hames

 3 out of 5 stars

Thriller, financial

On Amazon UK HERE

On Amazon.com HERE

I was a bit disappointed by this - it was one of those books that I buy just through seeing a tweet! Fabulous title, cover and the phrase 'not everyone will make it to drinks on Friday' in the blurb which was what really sold it to me.

My fault, I suppose, for making my mind up what a book was going to be like. I'd imagined a sharp, fast, very readable adventure/thriller (The Job and The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy come to mind) but whereas the writing style is slick, polished and witty, I felt it was far too long-winded, with financial details that will perhaps only be of interest to those who live in this world, or certainly who know a lot about it. I felt it presumed too much knowledge on behalf of the reader. I had to force myself to read and absorb some of the detail so I would understand the plot, but felt as if I was reading a boring text book at times.

Having said all that, it's well written in other ways and the character of Alex Konniger is an excellent one. However, I do think that the inclusion of so much financial minutiae has removed this novel's mainstream blockbuster potential, and slipped it into 'niche market'. For anyone who loves this sort of book, though, I'd say that Bankers Town would be massively up your street.

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds

4 out of 5 stars

Cancer cure conspiracy thriller, high finance

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 31 October 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

I was pretty impressed with this; the plot is very well put together, with few of the traits so often to be found in a debut novel. I was interested in the subject matter anyway, ie, a conspiracy to prevent the widespread knowledge about a cure for cancer, much of which I am sure goes on. It was obvious that Ms Edmunds is well versed in the ways of the high-flying financial world, too. The whole story was very convincing.

A clever plot is nothing without great characters, of course, and although I found some of them a little one dimensional, one of the two main characters, Hugo, a reluctant and atypical city boy, was marvellously portrayed, and carried the whole book, making it more than just a thriller. He was very likeable and I found myself pleased when I got to more 'Hugo bits'.

If you like stories with plenty going on and no superfluous detail, especially those about the world of high finance, I'd say this should be right up your street. Well done, Ms Edmunds!


CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE