An exciting crime thriller which promises a great new series to keep you on edge, meet Going Dark by Neil Lancaster.

The plot:

Tom Novak is a troubled soul with a dark and bloody past. A former refugee, Royal Marine, and member of the elite Special Reconnaissance Regiment, he now finds himself struggling with the deadening routine of day-to-day policing.

When he is deployed undercover to infiltrate a gang of people-traffickers, things go badly wrong. Faced with an impossible choice, his cover is blown and he finds himself on the run from the Serbian mafia and even his fellow police colleagues.

With no-one to trust, and his enemies using all the resources of the state against him, Tom has only one option: to go dark…

Going Dark does not disappoint

Often you find with some thrillers that there are bits which are dull but necessary to the story, but with Going Dark, it remains on a high throughout. Those pages turn quickly because every paragraph is important and upbeat, with short sentences and lots of conversation to keep you entertained.

I thoroughly enjoyed this – it was a perfect blend between a crime and a thriller, with a whole lotta John Wick/ action thrown in.

You can really tell that the author has used his own knowledge and experience from his time in law enforcement – there’s legal and crime references but also some violent parts reflecting the character’s story.

Being the first in the series, I am v v v excited to see where Tom Novak goes next. As a character, he has a rich back story and his personality really shines through. I’d definitely want him as my bud if things start to go wrong. Lancaster can really take this anywhere, but there’s two things I’m hoping will develop over the series.

The story itself felt like it could really be happening right now – it’s incredibly interesting with the twists and turns we love. There was also the perfect amount of detail for you to be able to picture everything without getting mundane, and this warrants a firm handshake to the author.

If you’re into crime thrillers, with that little bit of extra violence, Going Dark does not disappoint.

Going Dark, Neil Lancaster, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Amazon

Pages: 300

Publisher: Burning Chair Publishing

Genre: Crime/ Thriller