Category: Reviews

Book Review – The Shadow Network by Tony Kent @eandtbooks

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About the Book

Book cover of The Shadow NetWork by Tony Kent published by Elliott & Thompson

How do you take down an enemy when no one believes they exist?

When the lawyers of alleged war criminal Hannibal Strauss are caught up in a terror attack in The Hague, barrister Michael Devlin immediately suspects all is not what it seems. Teaming up once more with Agent Joe Dempsey, they must find who’s behind it all before any more innocent lives are lost.

With their key witness on the run and assassins on their tail, their only lead is a the Monk, a legendary and mysterious foreign agent with a fearsome reputation. But what is his stake in this dangerous game? And just who is part of his shadowy network of spies? Caught in a complicated web of lies, secrets and double agents, there’s no one Dempsey and Devlin can trust but themselves.

Format: Hardcover (464 pages) Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
Publication date: 15th February 2024 Genre: Thriller

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My Review

I was introduced to the formidable Joe Dempsey and his friend, lawyer Michael Devlin, when I read the previous novel in the series, No Way to Die. Dempsey, the perpetual loner, had the key role in that book, alongside the most trusted member of his hand-picked team, Eden Grace. I was pleased to see Eden return in this book and she proves herself just as accomplished and fearless as before.

The Shadow Network is the epitome of a page-turner: the short chapters give it real pace and the frequent shifts between different points of view make you feel you’re witnessing events in real time. The author is adept at ending a chapter with a killer last line meaning you’ve simply got to read on, and there are plenty of developments that I certainly didn’t see coming.

The storyline is cleverly constructed to reflect contemporary events – although I hope not too closely – incorporating global conspiracies, political extremism and media manipulation. The idea of a cunning, ruthless mind pulling strings to influence world events is pretty scary. (Since I can never pass up an opportunity for a John Buchan reference, there’s a similar concept in his early novel, The Power-House. It features a character who possesses an immense intellect that is unconstrained by common notions of morality, wielding the levers of power for malevolent ends.)

If I had to sum up the storyline of The Shadow Network in a phrase, it would be ‘don’t trust anyone’ – except, of course, Dempsey or Devlin. Another might be ‘never turn your back on someone’.

Tony Kent’s bio claims his previous experience brings ‘a striking authenticity to his thrillers’ and there’s certainly plenty of ‘striking’ in this one, with fist fights galore which make you wonder just how much more a body can take. A lot more is the answer when it comes to Dempsey. And even Devlin has to call on the darker, more violent instincts he’s long fought to suppress. (The source of these will be apparent if you’ve read earlier books in the series.)

The Shadow Network is what I like to call a ‘planes, trains and automobiles’ read. In other words, the ideal book to get you through a long journey. Actually, reading it on a train journey may not be a good idea as you might miss your stop. And thinking about it, listening to it while driving could be problematic since it will definitely make you want to steer clear of underground car parks. As a passenger, fine, although rather than ‘Are we there yet?’ you might find yourself asking ‘Are we there already?’. A beach read then? Definitely, although slap on the factor 50 in case you lose track of time.

My thanks to Emma at Emma Finnigan PR and Elliott & Thompson for my proof copy.

In three words: Action-packed, gripping, fast-paced
Try something similar: Hunter Killer by Brad Taylor

About the Author

Tony Kent is the author of Killer Intent, Marked for Death, Power Play and No Way to Die. As a practising criminal barrister and former boxer, he draws on his experiences to bring a striking authenticity to his thrillers. Ranked as a ‘leader in his field’, Tony has prosecuted and defended in the most serious trials during his twenty years at the Criminal Bar, and appears as a criminal justice expert on a number of TV shows, including Meet, Marry Murder; My Lover, My Killer and Kill Thy Neighbour.

Tony is the founder director of Chiltern Kills, which launched in October 2023. He lives just outside London with his wife, young son and dog.

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Book Review – How to be Brave by Louise Beech

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About the Book

Book cover of How to be Brave by Louise Beech

All the stories died that morning … until we found the one we’d always known.

When nine-year-old Rose is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Natalie must use her imagination to keep her daughter alive. They begin dreaming about and seeing a man in a brown suit who feels hauntingly familiar, a man who has something for them.

Through the magic of storytelling, Natalie and Rose are transported to the Atlantic Ocean in 1943, to a lifeboat, where an ancestor survived for fifty days before being rescued.

Format: ebook (367 pages) Publisher: Orenda
Publication date: 30th July 2015 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

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My Review

When I tell you How to be Brave is the seventh novel I’ve read by Louise Beech, I think you’ll get the message that I’m rather a fan of her books. (I also have two more of her novels, The Mountain in my Shoe and The Lion Tamer Who Lostm in my TBR pile.) The six books I’ve read – Maria in the Moon, Call Me Star Girl, I Am Dust, This Is How We Are Human and Nothing Else – may differ in subject matter but what they have in common is that they take the reader on an emotional journey. Sometimes that’s combined with an element of suspense or sometimes, as in the case of How to be Brave, with a touch of the supernatural.

How to be Brave, Louise Beech’s debut novel, draws on her own experiences and her own family history. When Natalie’s daughter, Rose, is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Natalie feels metaphorically lost at sea. With her husband away on active service, she has to face the challenge of managing her daughter’s chronic condition alone. Always protective of Rose, Natalie now finds herself having to do the last thing any parent would want to do, inflict pain on their child. We see Rose’s struggle too; the daily injections of insulin, the restrictions on what she can eat and the sense of being different from her schoolmates. No wonder Rose’s initial reaction is one of rebellion. With Natalie at her wit’s end, she falls back on Rose’s love of books as a way to distract her and to re-establish the bond they’ve always had.

Here’s where the magic starts because intertwined with the contemporary storyline is another set in the Second World War involving Natalie’s grandfather. In the author’s hands, the boundary between past and present is gossamer thin, with love and encouragement passing between the generations just when it’s needed most.

Like Rose, I was enthralled by the story of the struggle for survival of Natalie’s grandfather and his comrades. (If I’m honest, for me, this was the more powerful element of the book.) It’s harrowing at times but it’s also a story of courage, determination, sacrifice and comradeship that makes you marvel at the resilience of the human spirit. We know Natalie’s grandfather survives the ordeal but the fate of the others aboard the tiny vessel is never certain. I’ll admit some scenes moved me to tears. But, as Rose points out, it’s OK to be sad because that’s part of being brave.

In three words: Moving, emotional, magical
Try something similar: The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

About the Author

Author Louise Beech

Louise’s debut novel, How to be Brave, was a Guardian Readers’ pick in 2015 and a top ten bestseller on Amazon. The Mountain in my Shoe was longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2016. The Sunday Mirror called Maria in the Moon ‘quirky, darkly comic, original and heartfelt’. It was also a Must Read in the Sunday Express and a Book of the Year at LoveReadingUK. The Lion Tamer Who Lost was described as ‘engrossing and captivating’ by the Daily Express. It also shortlisted for the RNA’s Romantic Novel of the Year and longlisted for the Polari Prize 2019. Call Me Star Girl hit number one on Kobo. It also longlisted for the Not The Booker Prize and won the Best magazine Big Book Award 2019. I Am Dust was a Top Six pick in Crime Monthly and a LoveReadingUK Monthly Pick. This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh August Book of the Month 2021. Louise’s memoir, Daffodils, came out in audiobook in 2022, as well as her novel, Nothing Else. (Photo/bio: Goodreads author page)

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