This was an intricate, surprising thriller that kept me guessing throughout the read.

About the Book

MORT’S FIRST GOAL ON RETURNING HOME TO BRISBANE AFTER RETIRING FROM THE ARMED FORCES IS TO INVESTIGATE HIS WIFE’S DEATH…

With a post-mortem trail that presents him with scandalous industrial espionage and both police and political corruption within Queensland, Mort finds his colleague Pig is the only one he can trust as he delves into the depths of putrid filth in his home state. Together, they must combat this insidious situation, battle not only rife politics and procedures but also outlaw bikie gangs out to protect their own interests.

With a skillset learned from the front-line military, Mort and Pig’s journey is filled with intrigue and danger and ultimately comes to a climax that will see them at the brink of their own existence with only the air in their lungs to keep them alive…

One answer has many questions…

My Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this story. I look forward to getting to know them better in later stories, which I do look forward to reading. The author’s website says he plans this as at least five books, so I look forward to reading them. I thoroughly enjoyed the various relationships and friendships, which is one of my favorite parts of books. The author did a great job of developing them, and I hope to see even more of the various back stories in future books.

I did feel like the book dragged just a touch in the middle during some of the cases, going a little more into details that we didn’t need. But it wasn’t too bad, and I still enjoyed the book. The author considers himself a hobby writer, and he’s a much better writer than many that I’ve seen that consider themselves professional.

The narrative was solid, the dialogue was pretty good. Some of Mort’s internal dialogue was a little stilted, and I would have liked to see a little more, but as a fellow author, I know how hard that balance can be. Someone else might very well say the opposite.

Overall, this was a solid read with plenty of action. I enjoyed having it as a readalong to see other people’s thoughts and to really have the time and focus to take my time enjoying the book. I also enjoyed having the chance to answer questions all month long about the book. If you’re interested in seeing that, you can head over to my instagram account – it’s at the bottom of this page – and check out my answers to the 10 questions. I did three such readalongs this month, and it was a fantastic experience.

It was also incredibly special to me that the author sent me a signed copy all the way from Australia. That’s absolutely the farthest a book has ever been sent to me from, and I hope to visit that country someday! But for now, I’m glad to visit it through books and other media. Thanks so much to the author, Shawline Publishing, and Love Books Tours for including me on this month-long readalong. It was an amazing and unique experience.

Who’s It For

If you like morally grey, military types, you will love Mort. If you love LGBT representation and lovable sidekicks you will love his right-hand man Pig (pretty much evweryone in our readalong loved him). The women characters in the book are all strong, independent, kick-a## characters as well, and that is nothing to laugh at! I’m always excited to see that. There is no shortage of action, excitement, and thrills in this one, so if that sounds like your cup of tea, grab a copy today.

Content Warning: There are a good number of potential triggers in this one including violence, morally grey actions, bad cops, murder, torture, stalking, kidnapping, assault, adult language, adult situations, and more.

About the Author

A J Wilton is an Australian small businessman with two thriving businesses who turned to writing through the quieter times brought on by Covid. He describes himself as a ‘Hobby Author’ fitting this into his already time-poor days. To date he has written two novels in his series about Mort and Pig in what is planned to be a series of five.

He lives in the Gold Coast hinterland in Queensland. He and his wife, both inveterate travellers, look forward to exploring somewhere new, with A J able to indulge his other hobby of landscape photography. He has three adult children and three grandchildren.

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