Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Deadline’ by Geoff Major organised by Damppebbles Blog Tours. I hope that you will check out both the author and the book, as well as the rest of the blogs involved in the tour.

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

Book Summary:

Adam Ferranti was drinking away his waking hours, getting by in a regional newspaper in the North of England. An award-winning journalist, he moved to England to escape the media glare that followed his spectacular fall from grace at The Washington Post; only to be thrust back in it when a mysterious serial killer decides to make him his confidante.

DS Stephanie Walker is a successful member of the West Yorkshire Police force. Whilst she is tough and results-driven at work, with a fearsome reputation on the streets, she hides the domestic abuse she suffers at home.

She finds Ferranti exceptionally difficult to deal with, but he’s her only chance to stay close to what the elusive killer is planning next. Ferranti reluctantly complies with the Police, even though he is fighting his own personal demons, but when his best friend is murdered by the killer, it suddenly gets personal. And suddenly, no-one is quite who they seemed to be.

The Review:

Deadline is an exceptionally complex thriller that wonderfully straddles several genres, and refuses to be narrowed down, and that reach is reflected in the plot. Major has created a far-reaching storyline that pulls in not only forces from different countries, but also multiple agencies and the media, and manages to balance all those different elements beautifully.

This was a book that I was eager to read from the moment I read the premise, and it more than surpassed my expectations, and I knew it was going to be good from the start. The sheer complexity of the plot had me hooked from the very beginning, and this isn’t one of those books where a clue or a lead will unravel everything for you. There were red herrings, conflicting information, just what you would expect from an investigation and circumstances as far-reaching as this, and every time I thought that maybe I had worked it out, there was another twist in the story, and I loved it. Deadline surprised me on so many levels, kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat to the end, and Major managed to bring all of that together into a surprising, and very satisfying conclusion.

There was an interesting cast of characters, all of whom brought something different to the table, and while there were quite a few characters to keep track of, DS Walker and Adam Ferranti are utterly captivating as main characters, and it’s great to see their relationship develop throughout the investigation and the course of the book. I enjoyed the depth that Major gave his characters, and how they came to life on the page, filled with personality, flaws and secrets which only added to the narrative.

    The pacing was excellent, with the perfect amount of tension, action, and development and this is very much a book that you don’t want to put down once you’ve started. There was a very real feeling of consequence and time running out throughout the book, characters that you couldn’t help but engage with, and a storyline that will leave you wanting more. Highly recommend for anyone who loves crime fiction and thrillers that break the mold.

About the Author:

A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.

As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books

Social Media:

Twitter | Blog | Instagram

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones

The Rating:

Deadline – Geoff Major (Published in hardcover, paperback and digital formats by Grosvenor House Publishing on 1^st September 2020) – **** (4/5 Stars)

**

If you’ve read it or read in the future, please feel free to shout at me about this fantastic book.

Rowena