The Dogon Initiative (The Deniables #1) by Lance Morcan and James Morcan

Description from Goodreads:

"A group of foreign mercenaries hired as deniable assets by a newly-formed humanitarian division of the CIA is tasked with saving Mali’s persecuted Dogon people from genocide. The operation must be carried out in stealth while journeying across some of West Africa’s most hostile terrain. As if all that’s not enough, they are also instructed to help solve an ancient astronomical mystery linked to the pyramids of Egypt.

Mission impossible? Duh!

Nicknamed the Deniables because their existence isn’t officially acknowledged by the CIA, the mercenaries are crazy enough to accept the mission anyway. However, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives when they get caught in the middle of warring ethnic factions in Mali. Their only way to survive is to join with the Dogon in a race against the clock. The stakes are so high that not only could an entire indigenous group be wiped off the face of the Earth, but all evidence that supports advanced ancient technology theories surrounding the Dogon and a lost civilization thesis may be destroyed in the process.

Inspired by a true-life mystery of astronomy, THE DOGON INITIATIVE highlights some of the many myths and theories surrounding the fascinating Dogon people of Mali. In particular, their unexplained knowledge of the invisible-to-the-eye Sirius B white dwarf star, the rings of Saturn and other heavenly bodies, and their rumored ancestral relationship to ancient Egyptians.

THE DOGON INITIATIVE is the ninth novel by father-and-son writing team Lance and James Morcan. Their previous works of fiction include the bestselling historical epics White Spirit and Into the Americas, as well as their modern thrillers Silent Fear and The Orphan Trilogy."

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Once again, Lance and James Morcan (a father and son writing team) have not disappointed and have written a book that is not only an exciting read but an educational one too. I had never even heard of the Dogon people before and what I know about astronomy would fit on the back of a postage stamp with plenty of room to spare! I now a little bit more about them both 🌝

This book is not only well written with a unique backstory and exciting plot but has brilliant characters. It's fast paced, full of action with many scenes of peril and danger that kept me reading well into the night apart from a bit of a lull in the middle which I can overlook given the rest of the book is almost non-stop action. I can see this transferring onto both big and small screens really well and with the right actors, would be a hit and something I would watch.

I can't wait to get to know more about this group of "Deniables" and look forward to what I hope are many more capers, scrapes and close shaves.

My thanks go to Lance and James for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

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Connect with the authors:

Website: Morcan Books & Films

Lance's Twitter: sterlinggate

James' Twitter: MorcanJames

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Links to other books I have read and reviewed by Lance & James Morcan all of which I highly recommend:

Click here to read my review

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

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The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

Description from Goodreads:

"THE DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE CREATOR AND WRITER OF THE KILLING

The police make a terrible discovery in a suburb of Copenhagen. A young woman has been killed and dumped at a playground. One of her hands has been cut off, and above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.

Young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner is Mark Hess, a burned-out investigator who's just been kicked out of Europol's headquarters in The Hague. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man - evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead, the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. A man confessed to her murder, and the case is long since solved.

Soon afterwards, another woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there's a connection between the Hartung case, the murdered women and a killer who is spreading fear throughout the country. But what is it?

Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it's clear that the murderer is on a mission that is far from over . . ."

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If that cover doesn't draw you in and make you pick it up, you are a lost soul !!!

And if the cover doesn't do it for you, the story certainly will.  It does make for uncomfortable reading at times given the subject matter but it is a story about a serial killer so some gruesome descriptions of the crimes shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

The plot is gripping, dark and thrilling and the pace of the book is ideal with a seamless mix of murder, politics and police procedure all wrapped up in a perfect psychological thriller package.  I actually don't normally like what is called Scandi-noir after having previously tried and failed to read one by a very successful author but this one is excellent. 

The characters are fantastic - I know it's a good book when I can see the characters as real people and imagine who would play them if the book were made into a film or TV series - the Danish actor, Kim Bodnia, from The Bridge (Bron/Broen) and Killing Eve would be perfect for the role of Hess.

This is the debut novel by this author, although he has written the highly acclaimed series "The Killing", and a very accomplished debut it is and my thanks must go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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The Taken Girls by G.D. Sanders

Blurb taken from Goodreads:

"Someone is watching them…

When a missing teenage girl reappears unharmed but pregnant, the case falls to DI Edina Ogborne, the newest recruit of Canterbury Police. But Ed’s already got her hands full with a team who don’t want her, an ex who won’t quit, and terrible guilt over a secret from her past.

As Ed investigates the case, she discovers Canterbury has seen this crime not once, but several times before. And when Ed and her detectives encounter missing historic police files, falsified school records, and Ed’s new lover as a prime suspect, it becomes clear that the system has been corrupted.

Can Ed find the kidnapper behind these depraved crimes before he strikes again? Or has time already run out?"

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The Taken Girls is a unique take on the usual abduction stories in that girls are being taken but returned seemingly unharmed a short while later.  It is down to DI Edina Ogborne (Ed) to find out just what the heck is going on.

Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going.  Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.

Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.

My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.

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Absolution by D.V. Berkom

Description from Goodreads:

"There's one sure way to stop a terrorist...

Leine Basso has severed ties with everyone she loves to keep them safe while she hunts for the ruthless terrorist, Salome. There are rumblings that the French-born assassin is planning another attack, and Leine’s determined to stop her before it’s too late.

Leine must follow her instincts despite a cunning and merciless enemy determined to lure her down a deadly path. Can Leine thwart her plans, or will Salome’s own twisted vengeance mean the end for Leine and everyone she loves?

From London to Edinburgh to the City of Angels, Salome’s making a comeback—and that comeback includes killing Leine."

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Once again, DV Berkom provides us with a treat with her latest installment in the Leine Basso series.  You would assume that things would be getting a bit stale and boring by now but you would be wrong.

Leine finds herself in a life and death struggle with her nemesis, Salome, a particularly nasty terrorist and assassin (are there any other kinds!) who is after Leine and those she holds most dear.  Leine has to use all her skills honed when she herself was an assassin but also those gained whilst working for an organisation called SHEN who rescue victims of human trafficking.

What we are provided with in this book is action, adventure and a thrill-a-minute.  What we are not provided with is loads of bad language, gratuitous violence and graphic descriptions of death ... don't get me wrong, there is violence but nothing that you would not expect in a book dealing with assassins, terrorism and trafficking; the author just doesn't go over the top, in fact she doesn't need to as she just lets her writing and the story do the talking.

With excellent characters - and I am particularly pleased to see the return of Jinn, the little streetwise girl Leine saved from being murdered in "Dark Return" - suspense from start to finish and an exciting story, this book grabbed me by the "short and curlies" and refused to let go until the last letter.

I want to thank DV Berkom for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review and for writing another fantastic book which I have no hesitation in recommending this and the rest of the series to anyone but particularly those of you who love a strong, female lead character who has a sensitive and loving side but who is not afraid to kick some rear ends!

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Connect with the author:

Website:  D. V. Berkom

Twitter:  @dvberkom

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Previous books by D.V. Berkom that I have read and reviewed:

Dark Return

The Body Market

The Last Deception