Sunday 26 March 2017

Deadly Game by Matt Johnson - Blog Tour Review


Another exciting Orenda Books blog tour today for Life Of A Nerdish Mum. I had the pleasure of reading Deadly Game by Matt Johnson and I'm sharing my review. 

Deadly Game

Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all… Picking up where the bestselling Wicked Game left off, Deadly Game sees Matt Johnson’s damaged hero fighting on two fronts. Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate. 

My Review

Right from page one I could tell the quality of the writing and I knew I would enjoy this book. The standard of writing continues throughout the whole of the book and the author shows his skill with the written word. 

Robert Finlay, the main character, is a very complex and well developed character. He is suffering greatly from previous occurrences and you can really feel how close he is to breaking due to the stress. He is a likeable character though and you really feel for him as he deals with that along side of dealing with his hard work life. I felt the authors real life experience really showed in the work side of the story and added an authenticity to the investigation. 

Deadly Game deals with sex trafficking which is a very real and serious problem around the world today so it is very important that we talk about it no matter how hard it is, I feel it was covered realistically and definitely in no way glamorises anything about the industry. It shows how very easily someone can get caught up in it because of how clever the traffickers are, 

Though Deadly Game is the second book in the series, it can very easily be read as a stand alone, my only warning would be that if you do plan on reading book one, Wicked Game, (which I fully recommend that you do) then do that first as during Deadly Game it does give away what happens throughout the first book. 

The plot twists and turns and the story is incredibly planned out. There's very little I can say without giving spoilers as so much happens in Deadly Game. It's fast paced and keeps you on your toes till the very end. 

A definite recommendation from me and I will be looking forward to the next instalment in the Robert Finlay series. 

About The Author


Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for 25 years. Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1993, and one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent’s Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People’s Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital. Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. His bestselling thriller, Wicked Game, which was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger, was the result. Deadly Game once again draws on Matt’s experiences and drips with the same raw authenticity of its predecessor.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour stops


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