Do you like a book with a gripping story? A page-turner you can’t put down? A book with believable (if not always likeable) characters, a twisty yet credible plot and an easy-to-read pace? If that’s you, then this thriller set in Dublin should be right up your street.
Here’s the blurb:
“University Lecturer David Ryan is having an affair. And he thinks no-one knows.
He’s wrong. Someone does know. And that someone is out to blackmail him.
But when the blackmail attempt goes wrong, both Ryan and the blackmailer find themselves dragged into an underground (and decidedly seedy) world of secrets, lies and violence. A world where no-one can be trusted and everyone has something to hide.
Set in modern-day Dublin, ‘After the Affair’ is the unputdownable debut thriller from author Jonathan Kaye.”
What does TWG think?
If you can hear a loud banging noise don’t panic, it’s just my heart attempting to beat its way out of my chest! I know hearts are supposed to beat and things, but geeeez, they’re meant to stay INSIDE chests. How on EARTH is this book ONLY a debut novel?! Seriously! I have read many, many books in my time that don’t help my heart plan its escape route, yet they have been the authors second, third or even fourth novel.
Debut.novel…mind blown.
‘After the Affair’ was another one of those ‘out of comfort zone’ type books for me. When I read those sorts of books, I ensure my mind is kept open and my wussiness is kept under lock and key. Ha, ha, well, I ATTEMPT to keep it under lock and key. Jonathan Kaye’s novel pulled me in from the very beginning; I was trapped in the storyline and the only way out was to finish the novel.
Not only did the storyline grab my attention from the start, the twisting and gritty circumstances within, made each and every hair on my arms stand to attention. I have to admit though, there were times where I felt a bit too panicked to continue reading, but I didn’t want to give up because I was feeling a wuss.
A couple of the characters stood out for me more than the others, but each individual character was written rather realistically. Even though there was a lot of information to process whilst reading this novel, the busyness of the storyline didn’t put me off in the slightest as it meant that there were no pregnant pauses or gaps in between events. The only downside is that I have to be rather cagey in my review so I don’t accidentally give anything away. Plus, ‘After the Affair’ is definitely the sort of novel that the reader needs to appreciate and devour with their very own eyes, as each reader will interpret the storyline in a completely different way and end up with a varied opinion. Yes, this book really does have THAT kind of storyline.
The fact that this is Jonathan’s debut novel really did surprise me as it oozes structure and grit that often appears later on in novels, let alone the first one. However, because I have read A LOT of crime/thrillers, I was hoping that this one would stand out from the rest for me, a little more than it did. That said, it was a corker of a read but not as memorable as I would have liked. Ten out of ten for the heart pounding grit though!
Thanks HC/Jonathan Kaye.
Buy now from Amazon UK
There are still a few more stops on Jonathan Kaye’s blog tour, make sure you check them out! Details below:
The Writing Garnet 