Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Broken Steel’ by Stuart Field, organised by Damppebbles Blog Tours. I was delighted to participate in this tour, and I hope that you will check out both the author and the book.

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’*

Book Summary:

After ten years in prison for his wife’s murder, Brian Armstrong is free.

When a freak accident with the prison transport gives him and two others an opportunity to escape, they seize it. With revenge in his heart, Brian disappears into the storm-filled city. After an ex-schoolteacher is found dead, Detective John Steel is brought in to investigate.

The circumstances are mysterious – just the way Steel likes it. His partner Samantha McCall is convinced the timing between the escape and the death of the teacher are more than coincidence. As they start to investigate, the case becomes more complex than they could have ever imagined. With time running out, can they find the killer and bring him to justice?

The Review:

Broken Steel is the third in the Steel series, but it stands strongly as a standalone albeit with enough allusions to the previous books to have you wanting to read more.

This was a page-turner, it started with a bang and then kept going. There were twists and turns, false leads, and questions, and lots of action. It was well balanced between the action and the mystery, with many moments to catch your breath without losing the pace of the story. The quieter moments – the search for clues, the station – all help to build on the world, the mystery and the characters and helps to keep the action grounded.

Steel is a fascinating character -and the fact that his character is still developing is fantastic. To some extent he is as mysterious as the situation that he is investigation, and very cleverly written, as he exemplifies many lead characters and yet still stands out as a unique character. I am keen to read the first two books, in order to see more of his backstory. His partner McCall is a contrast to Steel, a more straightforward character who still stands out, and brings her own strengths and insight to the investigation, and isn’t lost in Steel’s shadow, which is great to see. Their banter and relationship were also a nice counterbalance to the action and stopped Steel from becoming too enigmatic.

I certainly want to check out the other Steel books, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining crime/action/thriller read, and a great character to follow.

About the Author:

Stuart Field was born in the UK, in the West Midlands. He spent his early years in the army, seeing service in all the known (and some unknown) hotspots around the world. He now lives in Germany with his wife Ani. When not engaged in highly confidential security work, he writes thrillers which perhaps mimic his life-experience more than the reader would like to believe.

Social Media:

Twitter | Facebook

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Rating:

Broken Steel (John Steel #3) – Stuart Field (Published in paperback and digital formats by Next Chapter Publishing on 18^th March 2020) – **** (4/5 Stars)

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If you’ve read it or read in the future, please feel free to shout at me about this fantastic book. Or if you have any recommendations for similar books, please shoot them my way.

Rowena