Book Synopsis:
When ex-undercover agent Jackie Shaw visits northern Japan for a holiday, he is in search of relaxation, an escape from the brutality and tragedy of his past.
But when a local man is butchered as he spies on a young woman in the seedy heart of Sapporo’s entertainment district, Jackie is dragged into the hunt for a terrifying serial killer and begins a long and bloody battle with vicious yakuza gangs.
From the twisted underbelly of one of Japan’s largest cities to the vast, unforgiving wilderness of the northern territories of Hokkaido, DRY RIVER is a uniquely menacing and compulsive thriller which will take you to places you’ve never been before.
If you like Barry Eisler, Mark Dawson, Adrian McKinty or James Clavell, you’ll love John Steele’s books. DRY RIVER is the third book in John’s Jackie Shaw series and the most gripping yet!
Dry River is available in ebook now for the fantastic price of £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I thought this was an action packed, thrilling book that was a hugely entertaining read. This was a new series and a new author for me which is always exciting. I will definitely be interested in reading more from him in the future.
I have to admit the setting of this book really intrigued me as I have a bit of a fascination with Japan and Japanese culture. I therefore really enjoyed the vivid descriptions in this book, which made me feel like I was really there experiencing everything alongside the characters. It has definitely made me more determined to visit the country, though hopefully I won’t encounter the Mafia!
There is a lot of action and violence in this book which you would expect when the Mafia is involved. There are many fabulous twist that kept bring up new information which kept me firmly on my toes. Just when I thought I had figured everything out something would happen which would throw the story in a completely different direction.
Jackie Shaw is a very interesting main character who I liked from the beginning. He’s an undercover agent and as such is a very tough guy who seems to get into a lot of trouble. As he goes after the Mafia, and tries to save his friend, the tension slowly builds up as the two sides try to find each other. This results in an intense read which is very difficult to put down as I was desperate to find out what would happen next and who would win.
Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy from BOTBS publicity for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
John Steele was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1995, at the age of twenty-two he travelled to the United States and has since lived and worked on three continents, including a thirteen-year spell in Japan which inspired Dry River. Among past jobs he has been a drummer in a rock band, an illustrator, a truck driver and a teacher of English. He now lives in England with his wife and daughter. He began writing short stories, selling them to North American magazines and fiction digests. Dry River is his third novel and the third Jackie Shaw book. The first two, Ravenhill and Seven Skins, are published by Silvertail Books.
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