Beyond The Treeline by Mark A Ellis

 

 

                       From the back cover

'In the late 21st century, in an unstable world wracked by climate change, brilliant scientist Sean Freeman has the answer - longevity. He knows long life breeds responsibility, for each other and the world.

Working with genius physicist Jess, Sean is convinced he’s going to secure the future of humanity – and maybe find his soulmate in the process.
But there is more to this miracle science than he knows and is being allowed to know. Not least, there are others in the shadows who would see him fail, at any cost. When the answers come, and he learns of Earth’s true purpose, it will take him on an epic voyage of discovery where he will be faced with the ultimate ethical dilemma.'

                          My Thoughts 

As someone who enjoys Sci-Fi and thrillers this debut from Mark A Ellis really ticked the boxes for me.

Set just in the future, where climate change has ravaged the planet Sean is working on a project to lengthen the human lifespan in the hopes of making humanity wise up and take more responsibility for our Earth (whichis actually a really good idea and certainly made me think).

To help him on his way he is mysteriously introduced to fellow scientist Jess and together they hit all the right buttons (as it were) and the project takes off . . . But someone (or someone's!) doesn't want their science to work and will do whatever it takes to stop them. 

I'll be honest, a lot of the science I didn't quite get but it is written in a way that kinda makes sense and Mark makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about (my gripe with Sci-Fi is that sometimes authors try to blind you with science and that was certainly NOT the case here).

As for the characters, again, really well done (there were several times when Sean had me, head in hands, thinking (dude, no, don't do that before he gets himself in a kerfuffle). The chemistry between him and Jess worked really well.

And that, my friends, is about as much as I can tell you. There are twists aplenty, some I saw coming, some I didn't and I will not drop spoilers. 

Beyond The Treeline is a twisty little tale that kept pulling the rug out from under me, just when I thought I had it sussed I was proved wrong. 

As a novel this is excellent, as a debut novel . . . Top notch and certainly puts Mark A Ellis on the 'Ones To Watch' list - more please. 

4.5/5*

The Less Unkind by Rosaria Georgi

 

 

Blurb

At the tender age of twenty-one, Pico’s world is one of linguistic puzzles and academic pursuits. A student at the University of Copenhagen, she is thrilled to get a summer job working for enigmatic antique dealer Antonio Bartram. When Antonio suddenly disappears leaving behind nothing but a series of cryptic messages, Pico decides to use her linguistic prowess to decode the clues – with fateful consequences.

As Pico investigates, she uncovers a labyrinthine plot that stretches back decades to the theft of a priceless Caravaggio from a church in Sicily. Caught in the crosshairs of an obsessive art collector, a police murder investigation and a Mafia-sanctioned vendetta, her quest takes her across Europe: from the shadows behind the veneer of Copenhagen’s Nordic serenity, down the sun-kissed streets of the Italian Riviera, and even along the secretive corridors of the Vatican.

As she fights to uncover the truth and witnesses the lengths one will go to protect the secrets of the past, Pico confronts the moral quandaries that emerge when the pursuit of art eclipses the bounds of right and wrong.

My thoughts 

 First things first, I found this book fascinating. I've always loved art, puzzles and travel so a story that covers all three ticks a lot of boxes for me. It's a steady pace to start with but soon picks up to the point that I was wondering what I could put off doing so I could have a few more minutes (oh, ok then,  hours but that's just between you and I 😉).

 The story starts from a kind of truth as the author did actually work for the art dealer formerly known as The Umbrella Assassin (below is a note from the author which came with the assets - in a bottle no less)

but the story belongs to Pico. And what a joy she is to travel along on this journey with. She's clever, sparky, speaks several languages and, really, for a 21 year old should be quite annoying but she comes across as someone you can rely on for the little things as well as the 'brains' stuff. When you have to remind yourself to 'take a breath, she'll be fine' it's clear the author is doing a good job.

The puzzles side of things was well done, it's easy to see there could be more to the great works of art than just a composition on a board or paper and, again, this was really well handled and kept me thinking throughout. 

It is clear Rosaria Georgi knows her stuff and with The Less Unkind she knows how to tell a tale, hook the reader in and left me wanting more.

A job well done . . . 5*

Thanks to Jane at Midas for inviting me onto the blog tour and providing both the review copy and the assets (neither of which influenced this review at all, all views and opinions are my own)