Chase: The Complete Trilogy by Thomas Dellenbusch

 

"He wanted to battle criminals, but not to become one himself. Killing was never a part of the plan during these operations".

Chase: The Complete Trilogy by Thomas Dellenbusch is an entertaining and gripping story of suspence. There are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. 

Blurb:

Chase, the famous detective agency in Hamburg, is faced with three extremely tricky cases. Solving the intricate mysteries is one thing, the dangers involved are another. Chief investigator Rique Allmers and his team are always up against powerful and unscrupulous opponents.

In "The Hunt for the Mute Poetess", they set out to uncover the family secret of a deaf-mute author, which is closely guarded by the Hamburg mafia.

In "The Hunt for a King", the two Chase agents Jerome and Chen Lu travel to Scotland to solve the murder of a history professor. Without knowing it, they fight to preserve one of the greatest legends of mankind.

In "The Hunt for the Tsar's Treasure!, Andree, Chase's IT specialist, after his girlfriend is kindnapped, suddenly finds himself in a trace to find what is probably the most valuable lost treasure in the world.

This series introduces us to the concept of KopfKino.

"KopfKino (a German term for Theatre of the Mind) means relaxing, thought-provoking and enthralling movie-length stories. With an approximate reading time of between 60 and 180 minutes".

All books are published as movie-length instalments.

Chase: The Hunt for the Mute Poetess is the first book in the trilogy.

The plot of the first story shows the dark side of the organised crime empire with its evil ganglords. This grim network, enforced by fear, is involved in the vicious murders, exploitation, human trafficking, ruthless violence. Dramatic events of the past have repercussions that stretch their ugly tentacles into the present.

We're plunged into an action scene from the first page. A young barefoot woman collides into Rique Allmers, the private detective, as he walks in the city centre. She looks terrified, and no surprise, as she is chased by a couple of dangerous thugs. Rique helps the woman escape her pursuers, but the hunt is not over. The adversary - the Hamburg mob - is lethal and ruthless.

Katja Krömer has no idea why she is being hunted by the gangsters. To rescue her, Rique's team has to solve the clues and find the answers in Katja's mother's past.

While the series is named Chase after the agency, there is plenty of chasing in all books, so it's an apt title from both points of view.

Rique Allmers is the head of the enterprise named Chase. "His services, which were commissioned by corporations, celebrities and wealthy citizens, included property- and personal-security, surveillance, extortion-, missing-persons- and industrial-espionage investigations, and much more. The government also engaged Rique's services for covert operations..."

The group consists of a varied group of specialists, from those skilled in close-combat techniques to computer and technology whizzes.

As the plot unfolds, we meet different members of the group, and begin to appreciate their talents.

In "The Hunt for a King" the action moves to Scotland. The pace, suspence and intrigue are expertly handled. 

A professor of history dies in suspicious circumstances. Police declare it to be an accident caused by a drink-drive. The problem is - the well-respected professor didn't drink. Who has killed Ronald Campbell and why? Professor's sons are in danger too. Two agents from Chase, Jerome and Chen Lu, arrive to Scotland to help work out the mystery.

I found this part of the trilogy most exciting, as it turns to be a creative and imaginative interpretation of Arthurian legends. 

In The Hunt for Tsar's Treasure we follow Andree, the IT specialist from Chase, as he tries to rescue his girlfriend Manuela, who's been kidnapped. Finding and freeing Manuela becomes his priority, but to save her, the team needs to decode a series of puzzles, with clues hidden in riddles and artifcats.

This story sets the team looking for the priceless treasures, which were lost during the WWII. 

It's a smart, corkscrew plot, with interesting forays into the historical past.

The main characters of the series are not super-humans, we see them making mistakes, not paying enough attention, or not being physically fit to escape the criminals.

KopfKino has proved to be a promising concept. 

Pros: You can easily read each instalment during a train or plane journey, or whenever you find some free time to yourself. 

Action-packed, these stories are rather visual and suspensful. 

Cons: Due to the format, there is no in-depth character development, or backstory. I would have liked to know more of the background of Rique, Katja etc, to find out how the agency was born.

This gripping read would make a great TV series.

If you enjoy a mix of action/mystery/conspiracy/thriller, Chase will take you on a rollicking adventure.

Many thanks to Thomas Dellenbusch for my free copy of the e-book!

About the author:

Thomas Dellenbusch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1964, and still lives there. The former police detective and advertising copywriter has been actively writing for more than twenty years on a wide variety of topics. 

Although the lion's share of his assignments originate from the advertising industry, he has also put his talents to use producing speeches for government officials, poetry for individuals, screenplays, rulebooks, newspaper articles, sketches and much more. In short, any subject that can be communicated in a stimulating manner. 

Since 2013, he has specialised in the production of movie-length stories - written both by himself and seven other authors via the publishing company he founded expressely for that purpose.

A Voice in the Darkness (The Sundering Chronicles Book 2) by Mark Iles

 

"All wars leave scars. Not just the physical but the mental. The memory of watching friends die when there was nothing at all you could do about it."

"He was death incarnate. A nightmare once seen never forgotten. The sight of him was enough to send witnesses into screaming fits and nightmares for the rest of their lives".

A Voice in the Darkness (The Sundering Chronicles Book 2) by Mark Iles is a gripping sci fi/fantasy action-packed thriller with lots of twists and turns you won't see coming.

This sequel to Gardens of Earth was worth waiting for. It expands on the concepts from the previous novel. If you haven't read the first book, I'd suggest starting with it, and you will be hooked.

Blurb:

When children on the colony of Semillion go missing, they return changed, the parents even claim they are not their offspring. Sheriff Andrews soon finds himself investiagating the bizarre situation. what he discovers, leads to him being recalled by the military and sent back to Earth, a place now quarantined and where colonical humans are forbidden to venture.

The intention is to recruit ex-commando Seethan Bodell, who's living with the survivors of The Sundering and the mythological creatures that now inhabit the world.

Earth is still ruled with an iron fist by the alien Spooks, but there is something else going on behind the scenes, a new and deadly threat.

To succeed, Andrews and Bodell need to call on that grand tapestry of inhabitants: the shapeshifters, elves, the ravening pack of werewolves that Seethan now belongs to, and even the dead; in the hope that it will be enough to prevent an escalating situation that could so easily lead to war.

Sheriff Andrews lives among the colonists of the green planet Semillion, enjoying the relative peace and quiet, and pondering about his recent past. It was he who'd agreed the peace accord with the alien Spooks. The interstellar conflict had ended, yet the Admiralty decided he should take responsibility for the disaster, even if the dramatic chain of events had been utterly outside his control.

Semillion appears peaceful, "the forests flush with life and filled with bird song, air fragrant with the scent of flowers, loud and soft calls of unknown creatures, and the heady welcoming embrace of nature all around him. If Eden had ever existed it had to be like this".

However, this Eden has problems of its own.

Andrews is tasked with solving the mystery of the missing children. Some of them disappear for a while only to re-appear without remembering anything about what might have happened to them.

When daughter of the local widow goes missing, her mother is distraught. Andrews and his Deputy begin the investigation, following the possible clues, only to discover that the dreadful disappearances are just an indication of a much bigger problem, going beyond the Semillion's colonists.

There are "strange things going on out there in the forest".  As his Deputy says, "The shadows in these woods suck the life right out of you, Sheriff. It's an ominous feeling, like being watched all the time by God knows what. Go on, tell me you don't feel it. Everyone does".

To find the answers to their problems, Andrews has to go back to Earth. He has no choice. The trip could well end in a disaster, as the alien Spooks who rule the planet refuse to grant access to Earth to any colonial humans.

The surviving humans live in primitive conditions, without modern technology. What's more, the creatures of myths and legends now inhabit the same space as the humans.

Andrews hopes to find ex-commando Seethan Bodell and recruit him in the dangerous mission. Yet Bodell has undergone a huge change, having become a werewolf. "Seethan wasn't your average werewolf. He was a war veteran. A man who cared. Someone who'd learned to use his PTSD strategies to temper his murderous and manic lycanthrope urges, tools to keep the darkness away".

To succeed in their mission, Andrews and Seethan have to work out their differences. In fact, there is a lot in common between two war veterans. They also need to challenge their own fears and wipe away the preconceptions. 

To confront the embodiment of the interstellar evil, all the diverse groups inhabiting the Earth, have to unite and fight together: humans, elves, werewolves and shapeshifters, and even the dead. 

The first book was a thrilling mix of dystopian sci fi, fantasy, horror and high-octane action. While all these elements are still present in the second book, it leans heavier on the fantasy side. Plus there is a strong philosophical undertone, with the insights into PTSD, its effects and methods to cope with it. 

This dark tale raises deep philosophical questions about the survival of human species, futuristic technology, the devastating effects of colonialism and unchecked exploitation, and many others.

Though set in the future, the book is a commentary on the present state of humankind. 

The story pulls you in and refuses to let you go. The shocker of an ending hints at the next book in the series, and I'm hoping it won't take too long for the Book 3, as I really want to know how certain plotlines will develop. Highly recommended. 

About Mark Iles:

Born and raised in Slough, Mark Iles began studying the martial arts when he was 14 and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17. A voracious reader he used to devour up to three paperbacks a day - primarily science fiction, fantasy and horror - by the likes of John Wyndham, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, Ray Bradbury, Brian Lumley, Frank Herbert, Stephen King, and a plethora of others.

After The Falklands War Mark was drafted to Hong Kong, where he began writing features, for a variety of martial arts magazines, and short stories for a wide range of markets.

In 2012 he decided to challenge himself and undertook an MA in Professional Writing, followed by Diplomas in Copywriting and Proofreading. With over 200 short stories and articles under his belt the book he wrote for his MA Project, A Pride of Lions was published by Solstice - followed by two other novels, a short story collection, and four novellas. His novel Gardens of Earth, book I of The Sundering Chronicles, was published by Elsewhen Press in 2021.

A Voice in the Darkness is the second in the series. Now a 9th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, Mark is still involved in martial arts and has also written both a book and an app on the subject.

Author's Social Links:

http://www.markiles.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Iles/e/B004YZBP3I

http://www.twitter.com/welcometoearth

www.linkedin.com/in/mark-iles-82267a33

Mark Iles – Elsewhen Press

 

The Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble

 

"...if nothing else, this war had taught her how important human beings were to one another. How everyone needed someone else to rely on, to trust."

"It was time to forget the past and concentrate on creating a different kind of drea. A different kind of future".

The Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble is a stirring tale of friendship and loyalty, trauma and challenges, fulfilment and inner strength.

This is a character-driven historical fiction with strong female protagonists. Rachel Brimble portrays the home front nurses and the challenges they face with compassion and sensitivity.

Blurb:

September 1941, Bath - three friends are about to find that some of the biggest battles are to be found on the home front...

As war rages and brave soldiers returning home from the frontline need nurses more than ever, fiercely proud redhead Sylvia Roberts is determined to help in any way she can. In spite of her mother's belief she isn't good enough, Sylvia believes that becoming a home front nurse is her calling.

Together with the two friends she makes on her first day in the job - Freda and Veronica - she knows she can help save lives. And, as the devastation of war shows no signs of ceasing, their work becomes even more vital.

Then Sylvia's life is thrown into the path of a man who might just be able to capture her heart. Even though he is somebody who everyone - except her best friends - seems prejudiced against. Can love really conquer all, in times of war?

One thing she knows is that - in the dangerous days that will follow - she and her friends will all need to support each other right to the end.

Sylvia, Freda and Veronica are newly qualified nurses, working in one of the hospitals in Bath. Their friendship is helping them through difficult times.

The nurses' personalities are quite different, what they have in common is their desire to help save lives.

Sylvia Roberts lives with her mother, who has told her countless times she would fail to become a nurse.

"Having stood firm and determined in her work and mind - not to mention remaining stalwart in the face of the daily physical strain - from today, she was a fully registered nurse. The world was her oyster..."

Sylvia is trying to prove to people that she is nothing like her brass mother who's got quite a reputation locally.

"I might not have been enough for certain people in my life, but I am good enough for Bath hospital and I'm determined to become one of the best nurses this city has ever seen".

Freda is trying to be "a good girl", while cherishing a dream of using her writing skills in the future. Her parents don't mind her being a nurse, as they think it is a good opportunity of finding a decent husband. 

Freda, however, has ideas of her own. "She could not waste her life adhering to her mother's well-meant but wholly domestic plans for her and Dorothy [younger sister]. She was made of tougher stuff than to serve and pander to a husband, see to a brood of kids and cook something - to quote her mother - "delectable" every night". While determined to do her job diligently, Freda knows that nursing is not for her, not by a log shot.

Veronica is the complete opposite of self-assertive Sylvia. She is shy and vulnerable, and is hiding a dark secret. Friendship with Sylvia and Freda helps her face her fears and believe in herself. "Sylvia's confidence and humour and Freda's quiet strength and kindness had begun to break down her self-imposed boundaries".

Three friends have to deal with their own personal issues. Sharing their secrets and hopes, they offer advice and support to each other. 

"It was time women took control of their lives and openly declared what was best for them once and for all in this stupid messed up world".

The Home Front Nurses will appeal to the fans of historical fiction, set during WWII. 

It is a gripping story, that transports you back in time. An unforgettable page-turner of love and hope, grief and resilience, drama and romance.

The book ends slightly abruptly, on a cliffhanger, and some of the plotlines will hopefully be explored further in the next instalments of the series.

Many thanks to Rachel Brimble, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/homefrontsocial

Author Bio –

Rachel Brimble is the bestselling author of over thirty works of historical romance and saga fiction. The first book in her series, The Home Front Nurses, is set in Bath.

 

Social Media Links –  

 

Facebook: @rachelbrimbleauthor

Twitter: @RachelBrimble

Instagram: @rachelbrimbleauthor

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