The #Bookvent Calendar 2020 – Day 13

#Bookvent – Celebrating my top reads of 2020

My day thirteen #bookvent pick is a standalone thriller from a well established writer that I’d really love to see turned into a series of some ind to be honest. One of my latest reads this year, it was a last minute winner when it came to making my best books list. Full of mystery and real tension I just loved the way in which the author developed the story, and I really did like the lead character and was rooting for him from the off. I’ve been looking forward to this book for ages and it did not disappoint. My thirteenth choice is …

The Game by Luca Veste

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that merges the twists of a psychological-mystery with the investigative layers of a procedural . . .

THEY KNOW WHAT YOU DID
You receive a call, an email, a text – someone knows your secret and they want to ruin you.

AND THEY’RE OUT FOR BLOOD
If you don’t do what they say, they’ll tell everyone what you’ve been hiding.
They will come after you, destroy you, and they aren’t afraid to kill.

IT’S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME

This is actually only the second book by Luca Veste that I’ve read but I am really loving his style. This time we are faced with Detective Constable Mark Flynn, somewhat of a misfit amongst his colleagues and like a fish out of water, who is faced with investigating the disappearance of a young woman in very mysterious circumstances. The book opens in style with an early introduction to an, as yet, unnamed character, and the promise, and threat of so much more to come. This is not your run of the mill police procedural and it is all the better for it. The eponymous game is bizarre and deadly and woe betide you find yourself caught up in it. Exploring the darker side of human nature and the deep dark recesses of the web, it is a blend of missing person investigation and murder mystery. Luca Veste really is a master at creating the tension and slowly and carefully building all the complex layers of the story before leading readers to a rather tense and jeopardy laden showdown. The book really did just have everything I look for in a story. Gripping, fast paced and with a central character I really did like. He wasn’t perfect, and he was steeped in self doubt, but he remained calm when needed, but passionate about what he believed in, even when his whole team, including his superiors, were against him, he wasn’t completely alone – there was at least one person looking out for him thankfully – but this certainly wasn’t the team effort you’d expect. Tapping into the ongoing obsession with online forums, chat rooms and anonymous figures inciting others, people that they have never met, to do things that may seem untenable, it is scarily believable too. Full of intrigue, tension, action and a big dose of emotion this is a book I’d definitely recommend.

To read my full review, you can find it here.

Happy #bookvent reading all

Jen