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Book One of the Plague Times Trilogy.

Publication Date: March 20th 2014 from Hodder and Staughton/John Murray

Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy.

It doesn’t look like murder in a city full of death. A pandemic called ‘The Sweats’ is sweeping the globe. London is a city in crisis. Hospitals begin to fill with the dead and dying, but Stevie Flint is convinced that the sudden death of her boyfriend Dr Simon Sharkey was not from natural causes. As roads out of London become gridlocked with people fleeing infection, Stevie’s search for Simon’s killers takes her in the opposite direction, into the depths of the dying city and a race with death.

A brilliantly imaginative mix of mystery and apocalypse this was heart stopping addictive reading that kept me up into the early hours (AGAIN, sigh) with its perfect pacing and wonderfully compelling main protagonist – one Stevie Flint. Add to that some absolutely top notch descriptive prose that keeps you right in the moment, a city that is turning on itself and its occupants and an almost dystopian feel to the ongoing Pandemic and I almost guarantee that this one will leave you with haunted dreams and a slight sense of imbalance.

When Stevie discovers a cryptic note with a set of instructions that lead her to believe Simon was holding on to a secret, she becomes convinced that his death was not from natural causes. And despite the absolutely terrifying situation she is in, with the city dying around her and most people trying desperately to escape, she undertakes a dangerous and uncompromising journey into the heart of Simon’s world determined to track down the truth.

Here is the best thing – Stevie herself is one of those characters that you live with, breathe with and sleep with while you are engrossed in the novel – as real as the person standing next to you, she drags you along in her wake through the dark places and shadowy streets of London, tracking a murderer, discovering that which is hidden and never holding back. She makes impulsive decisions, good decisions,bad decisions,ends up in trouble but doesnt give in. You will be with her every frightening step of the way.

Here is the next best thing – the backdrop to her journey is brilliantly written, superbly described, you will see it all in your head. The supporting characters are well drawn, elusive in their intentions and you won’t know who to trust and may often be surprised by random acts of kindness. Society may fall but there will still be people who care…

And here is the last great thing. It is a trilogy. There are two more novels to come and I for one cannot wait!

Highly Recommended.