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crimethrillerbooks's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and found it quite different to anything that I’d read before which was refreshing and exciting!
It involves high octane action with twists and turns that will make you gasp. It has short, punchy chapters that makes for a great read and always leaves you wanting more! It is book 3 of a series but I found this easy to read as a stand-alone.
I really enjoyed reading this and loved the amount of action that is packed into this story, 4/5 ⭐️
It involves high octane action with twists and turns that will make you gasp. It has short, punchy chapters that makes for a great read and always leaves you wanting more! It is book 3 of a series but I found this easy to read as a stand-alone.
I really enjoyed reading this and loved the amount of action that is packed into this story, 4/5 ⭐️
kat_94's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
the_lawyer_librarian's review
5.0
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked this up, but I was blown away (so much so that I have already ordered Tony Kent’s other books!). The book feels like one big chess game, and you’re not sure who is playing for which team! It is incredibly intelligent, and important clues are weaved in throughout. There are twists and turns, and I couldn’t put it down! The characters are fully developed, and leave you wanting more. If you are a fan of an action-packed, gripping, (and slightly scarily realistic) thriller, then you should definitely try this book!
Thank you so much to @tandemcollectiveuk and @tonykent_writes for organising the readalong and for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to @tandemcollectiveuk and @tonykent_writes for organising the readalong and for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
jennbib's review
5.0
I was kindly provided with a copy of Power play by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
It’s no secret I loved the first two books in the Devlin/Dempsey series by Tony Kent, I put it all over Twitter! So as soon as I saw him post that his new book was up on Netgalley, I was requesting a copy.
However, in my humble opinion, Power Play is his best one yet. The book had me hooked from page one and is hard to put down due the fast pace.
I really enjoyed the character development for Dempsey and felt we got to see him play a bigger role in this book. I really enjoyed the move to America for this book and found it brought new life to the series.
I’ve seen on twitter than Mr Kent is writing his fourth book but work is keeping him busy. So I’m asking that everyone behaves and stays out of trouble so that work is quiet and he can concentrate on getting book number 4 out as I don’t want to wait!
It’s no secret I loved the first two books in the Devlin/Dempsey series by Tony Kent, I put it all over Twitter! So as soon as I saw him post that his new book was up on Netgalley, I was requesting a copy.
However, in my humble opinion, Power Play is his best one yet. The book had me hooked from page one and is hard to put down due the fast pace.
I really enjoyed the character development for Dempsey and felt we got to see him play a bigger role in this book. I really enjoyed the move to America for this book and found it brought new life to the series.
I’ve seen on twitter than Mr Kent is writing his fourth book but work is keeping him busy. So I’m asking that everyone behaves and stays out of trouble so that work is quiet and he can concentrate on getting book number 4 out as I don’t want to wait!
readwithcatriona's review
3.0
Thanks @tandemcollectiveuk for having me on another one of your amazing readalong campaigns this week! I’m a big lover of crime and action and to add political conspiracy into the mix was perfection
crystal6's review
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy
WOW what a brilliant political thriller with complex plotting, lots of interesting characters.
I have not read the two previous books and I don't think this detracts this story.
Highly recommended
WOW what a brilliant political thriller with complex plotting, lots of interesting characters.
I have not read the two previous books and I don't think this detracts this story.
Highly recommended
secre's review
3.0
When a plane crashes to the ground killing all aboard including a presidential candidate, the obvious conclusion is a terrorist attack. When someone comes forward to confess to planting the bomb, it would seem to be a cut and dry case. But DCI Bruce Bull suspects this isn’t as cut and dried as it may look and he is not the only one with suspicions. Joe Dempsey and his boss from the International Security Bureau suspect that this goes all the way to the top, with the President himself somehow embroiled in the mass murder. It isn’t long however before their questions attract some unwanted attention and it isn’t just their suspect in danger, but everyone connected.
This is a fast paced, high action political thriller that doesn’t pull it’s punches as it hurtles you into a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons of government. I struggled to get into it at first, perhaps because of the number of characters introduced in the initial short, sharp introduction but before long I was hooked. That is perhaps that novels main flaw; it introduces a lot of characters yet doesn’t develop enough of them. It works as a stand-alone novel because of the fast pace, but I can’t help but think there was something missing. Several characters clearly have a backstory explained in previous novels, but unless you have read the prior novels, you are left rather in the dark and expected to connect with characters you know precious little about.
The lawyer is perhaps the best example of this. He has clearly been a lead character in previous novels and so Kent wastes few words building him up. For those of us coming in blind though, this leaves a supposedly crucial character feeling strangely two dimensional. He gets dragged into events almost accidentally but he remains an accidental character to the end. Kent is strongest when building his truly incidental characters; those who haven’t got a backstory written that a new reader is unaware of. A lot of characters are also introduced very quickly, meaning that to begin with it was difficult to keep various characters straight in your head. This became less of an issue as the novel went on, but did make it difficult to initially jump into.
Once events get going, it is all hands on deck as those in a place of power to do so turn to ever more ruthless methods to suppress what the truth and stop the spread of information. I admit that I found the number of 'hits' ordered to be somewhat extreme and rather implausible - by the time you've failed to kill three people, it surely must occur to you that you are simply making the situation worse. Instead events keep on multiplying with more dead bodies and what must have been an unavoidable amount of public attention in real life. The underhanded political machinations are given far less credence than the big bang action scenes with guns and it all because a little too implausible for my liking, even if the fast paced action certainly does keep you turning the pages.
All in all, this is well written and if you like your novels to be full of tense shoot outs and hits gone wrong, then you will likely love this novel. Personally, I found the events depicted became almost farcical as Kent ramped up the pace. Nobody seemed to stop and think of the likely consequences of so many bodies surrounding a high profile terrorist case, which seems unlikely to say the least. I also felt more could have been done with the characters, particularly those who have back-story in previous novels as if you come in to this cold like I did, there is an assumption that you have more information than you really do.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.
This is a fast paced, high action political thriller that doesn’t pull it’s punches as it hurtles you into a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons of government. I struggled to get into it at first, perhaps because of the number of characters introduced in the initial short, sharp introduction but before long I was hooked. That is perhaps that novels main flaw; it introduces a lot of characters yet doesn’t develop enough of them. It works as a stand-alone novel because of the fast pace, but I can’t help but think there was something missing. Several characters clearly have a backstory explained in previous novels, but unless you have read the prior novels, you are left rather in the dark and expected to connect with characters you know precious little about.
The lawyer is perhaps the best example of this. He has clearly been a lead character in previous novels and so Kent wastes few words building him up. For those of us coming in blind though, this leaves a supposedly crucial character feeling strangely two dimensional. He gets dragged into events almost accidentally but he remains an accidental character to the end. Kent is strongest when building his truly incidental characters; those who haven’t got a backstory written that a new reader is unaware of. A lot of characters are also introduced very quickly, meaning that to begin with it was difficult to keep various characters straight in your head. This became less of an issue as the novel went on, but did make it difficult to initially jump into.
Once events get going, it is all hands on deck as those in a place of power to do so turn to ever more ruthless methods to suppress what the truth and stop the spread of information. I admit that I found the number of 'hits' ordered to be somewhat extreme and rather implausible - by the time you've failed to kill three people, it surely must occur to you that you are simply making the situation worse. Instead events keep on multiplying with more dead bodies and what must have been an unavoidable amount of public attention in real life. The underhanded political machinations are given far less credence than the big bang action scenes with guns and it all because a little too implausible for my liking, even if the fast paced action certainly does keep you turning the pages.
All in all, this is well written and if you like your novels to be full of tense shoot outs and hits gone wrong, then you will likely love this novel. Personally, I found the events depicted became almost farcical as Kent ramped up the pace. Nobody seemed to stop and think of the likely consequences of so many bodies surrounding a high profile terrorist case, which seems unlikely to say the least. I also felt more could have been done with the characters, particularly those who have back-story in previous novels as if you come in to this cold like I did, there is an assumption that you have more information than you really do.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.
a_alves00's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Woooooow. I'm not even sure what to say about this book! What a rollercoaster. When I first read about the book i was really intrigued about the story line and it did not disappoint!!
This was DARK! And I mean DAAAAARK!! Which is why I bloody enjoyed it so much (again, I promise you I am sane).
I did quite love the relationship between Dawn and Leslie and that ending!?? Why?! I was so upset 😭😭
This book really shows that sometimes, the bad people can win one way or another and how those with money and popularity can have a hold on those without such privileges and not suffer any consequences.
I loved the horror side of it as well. The haunted Abbey was an amazing concept and the ending really reiterated that! I can't wait to read the Sequel! I need to find out the secrets of that family!!!!
I loved this book! 100% would recommend!! But please, this is a very dark book so do check the trigger warnings below!
TW: body shaming, bullying, child death, classism, death, infidelity, kidnapping, murder, physical abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking, toxic relationship, torture, violence
Woooooow. I'm not even sure what to say about this book! What a rollercoaster. When I first read about the book i was really intrigued about the story line and it did not disappoint!!
This was DARK! And I mean DAAAAARK!! Which is why I bloody enjoyed it so much (again, I promise you I am sane).
I did quite love the relationship between Dawn and Leslie and that ending!?? Why?! I was so upset 😭😭
This book really shows that sometimes, the bad people can win one way or another and how those with money and popularity can have a hold on those without such privileges and not suffer any consequences.
I loved the horror side of it as well. The haunted Abbey was an amazing concept and the ending really reiterated that! I can't wait to read the Sequel! I need to find out the secrets of that family!!!!
I loved this book! 100% would recommend!! But please, this is a very dark book so do check the trigger warnings below!
TW: body shaming, bullying, child death, classism, death, infidelity, kidnapping, murder, physical abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking, toxic relationship, torture, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Stalking, Violence, Death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, and Kidnapping
tombon3's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25