I just discovered this book and it was a cracking read. I enjoyed the characters and didn't realise it was the third in a series. Now I'm going to get the rest and get stuck in to a great adventure series.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

As part of the tony Kent ambassadorship, I really enjoyed this book, great characters and a great story line

This is the third novel I have read by this author and I wasn’t disappointed, action packed from the start and a fantastic read. Would highly recommend and can’t wait for another one from this thrilling author

Power Play was my first book by Tony Kent, but it won’t be my last. I didn’t realise this was the third in a series, and while I may have got to grips as to who was who faster if I’d read the others, it didn’t detract from a fast-paced and gripping story.

The narration switches rapidly between several characters. This did cause me confusion at the beginning trying to keep everyone straight, but it swept you up in the rhythm of the book and lent it speed and tension as each character must fight their own battles. All the characters were likeable and you want them to emerge victorious.

The plot had high-stakes and was a compelling page-turner. While the writing had me gripped (despite the tension, I laughed out loud more than once), I thought the story was going to be predictable. I was wrong: curveballs are thrown when you least expect it and I remained engrossed throughout.

Kent’s writing style draws you into a complex world full of spies and cover-ups, where the danger increases with each page read. But he artfully balances the tension with pivotal moments of, well, not necessarily light-relief, but perfectly timed lines that make you laugh.

If you’re into stories full of mystery and a case waiting to be solved; of gripping characters and an intriguing plot-line, I recommend Power Play. It’s a brilliant ‘spook’ story and I was unable to put it down. I’m looking forward to reading more by Kent.

A powerful fast paced political thriller. A lot of suspense and keeps you guessing. It really makes you think of how far people wold go on certain occasions......

Wonderful read

An explosive political thriller with plenty of action and a plot which manages to be far-fetched yet scarily plausible at the same time.

I wasn't aware that this was part of a series when I started it, but it soon became clear that some of the characters' relationships had been established from events earlier in the story arc. 'Power Play' can definitely be read as a stand-alone novel but with hindsight it would have been better to read the other two books first. Since this book was so cleverly plotted and well-crafted as a thriller - both the political machinations and the action - I'll be going back to read them. I liked the way two of the characters didn't take things at face value and kept open minds, especially when certain accusations began to unwind.

The story involves international intrigue, assassination, spies, several gun fights and the title is most definitely apt - who are the players in the game for power at the very top? This would make an excellent film.

I tried with this book 3 times and I just couldn’t my get through it, I really wanted to love this as the premise was so interesting but unfortunately I just couldn’t

This book had a big build up with a lot of people and places to take in, but once I got my head round it all and the action kicked in, it became a fast-paced political thriller that is a great addition to the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book that showed the intricacies of the power plays behind the presidency in the US and the lengths that some people will go to to hold on to that power. The scary thing is imagining that this type of thing could actually be going on in modern day politics but it wouldn't actually be too far of a stretch of the imagination to believe that it is!

The interplay between the British police and the Secret Service agents in the plot provided tension, action and a battle of wills with surprising results. and it was great to see key female characters in powerful positions within the book too.

If you're a fan of tension, suspension, thrills and politics this is the book for you!!! I'll definitely be reading more by this author!!!

This is not my usual read but I’ve read a few books like this lately including I Am Pilgrim and it’s given me a taste for the espionage secret world! I really enjoyed the different elements of the book and how the different threads of the story came together. I’m absolutely devastated to discover it is the third in a series (I normally check these things before starting a book!) but I have to say other than a few mentions of things had gone before with some of the characters I could still follow the story and wasn’t confused at not having read the previous two. I’m going to go back and read them now! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Elliott and Thompson Ltd for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Exceptional and very clever thriller. When a plane explodes with US presidential candidate Dale Victor it seems as though it's an act of terrorism. Or is it? At the same time the supposed "bomber" hands himself in to custody. Case closed? No - and then the action takes off. I'm quite snobby (sorry!) about the thriller writers I prefer but I adored this work by Tony Kent. It's my first intro to his works and it won't be the last. An excellent take on the well trodden Deep State.

I love this political action patriot games kind of book with politics layered through it. Kept imagining the key players as actors in a film so it would make a great film. I have already told a couple of friends to read it as was an action drama as well.

Two books in one - but not in a good way

Dale Victor is the frontrunner Presidential candidate to take office from sitting President John Knowles. He is visiting London and has suggested he has information about Knowles’ past which will discredit him totally. His return flight to the US explodes in mid-air, killing 500+souls on board. Coincidence? Probably not. At least that’s what Joe Dempsey thinks as he is tasked to investigate as part of the UN’s team based in New York.

In parallel Michael Devlin, a criminal barrister has the job of defending the Syrian refugee bomber who has given himself up at a London police station but who will now say no more about the crime. Devlin joins forces with Will Duffy, a city solicitor, and together they try to unravel the tangled mess. Key will be earning the bomber’s trust and his ability to stay alive long enough to get to trial. Evil forces are at work on both sides of the Atlantic.

The action is non-stop and is based in both the UK and USA. The issue for me was simple. The story was told about Dempsey’s activities and Devlin’s, but ne’er the twain shall meet. This led to a jerky read which was not smooth-flowing. Towards the denouement, it was almost as if the author remembered he had some loose ends to tie up in the London location so tacked a couple of chapters on the end.

The characters are lifelike and suitably violent, dense, mysterious or just plain evil, and the plot flows well. Dialogue is well done and believable, and the violence not too gratuitous or overdone. However, my initial criticism stands. Two stories in one and although they overlapped they were not blended together well enough to make for seamless reading.

mr zorg

Elite Reviewing group received a copy of the book to review.

This is the third book in a series featuring a London based QC, his American TV reporter wife and an operative for a UN linked investigative agency, although this book largely concentrates on the latter.. Having not read the earlier stories didn’t appear to be a handicap since there are sufficient, but not excessive, links to relevant background. From a genre point of view, it is reminiscent of Jason Bourne, in the shape (and it’s a large shape) of Joe Dempsey, the UN agent. It starts with a bomb on a plane planted by a middle eastern baggage handler at Heathrow, who has been coerced by a rogue Secret Service agent (as in the specialist group that guards the President of the USA). The ostensible reason is to prevent the release of information that would bring down the Presidency. Dempsey is tasked with clearing up the increasingly messy situation, which takes him to Afghanistan and involves a great deal of well written shootout scenes both there and earlier in New York. As is the nature of such stories the rationale is highly contrived and the truth or otherwise of the damaging information is not hard to deduce. However, it rattles along at a good pace and there are some tense moments to keep the reader reading.

A fast paced book about apparent terrorism that is actually an assasination, and a bunch of intrigue wrapped around a taut storyline. Solid characters, designed in a great plotline, and extremely enjoyable.

Power Play is a fast-paced political thriller about corruption at the highest level. When Republican presidential candidate Dale Viktor is travelling from London to New York, his plane is blown up, killing him and all the other passengers. What appears to be a terrorist attack soon becomes something even more disturbing. Did the current president order the plane blown up?

When a Syrian national Nizar Mansour hands himself into a London police station claiming he planted the bag containing the bomb, DCI Ball interviews the suspect, and his instinct tells him that all is not as it seems. When Special Agent Romeo Meyer shows up, the fear Nizar feels is palpable.

The chain of events takes on a frantic pace as those responsible try to take out Nizar and members of the International Security Bureau who are closing in on the truth. As their plans to eliminate the key players are foiled, intelligence agent Joe Dempsey and Grace Eden travel to Afghanistan to uncover the truth. What they discover puts their lives in even more danger. When the president of the United States is merely a puppet being directed by the shady and corrupt Blackspear, who can be trusted? Will truth triumph in the end?

This story started by bombarding me with characters, places and information that I struggled to maintain. However, that may be because I haven't read the previous books with the same characters. I felt the characters were strong and the story was very interesting. I wanted to know what happened at the end and read through relatively quickly.

When a plane crashes to the ground killing all aboard including a presidential candidate, the obvious conclusion is a terrorist attack. When someone comes forward to confess to planting the bomb, it would seem to be a cut and dry case. But DCI Bruce Bull suspects this isn’t as cut and dried as it may look and he is not the only one with suspicions. Joe Dempsey and his boss from the International Security Bureau suspect that this goes all the way to the top, with the President himself somehow embroiled in the mass murder. It isn’t long however before their questions attract some unwanted attention and it isn’t just their suspect in danger, but everyone connected.

This is a fast paced, high action political thriller that doesn’t pull it’s punches as it hurtles you into a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons of government. I struggled to get into it at first, perhaps because of the number of characters introduced in the initial short, sharp introduction but before long I was hooked. That is perhaps that novels main flaw; it introduces a lot of characters yet doesn’t develop enough of them. It works as a stand-alone novel because of the fast pace, but I can’t help but think there was something missing. Several characters clearly have a backstory explained in previous novels, but unless you have read the prior novels, you are left rather in the dark and expected to connect with characters you know precious little about.

The lawyer is perhaps the best example of this. He has clearly been a lead character in previous novels and so Kent wastes few words building him up. For those of us coming in blind though, this leaves a supposedly crucial character feeling strangely two dimensional. He gets dragged into events almost accidentally but he remains an accidental character to the end. Kent is strongest when building his truly incidental characters; those who haven’t got a backstory written that a new reader is unaware of. A lot of characters are also introduced very quickly, meaning that to begin with it was difficult to keep various characters straight in your head. This became less of an issue as the novel went on, but did make it difficult to initially jump into.

Once events get going, it is all hands on deck as those in a place of power to do so turn to ever more ruthless methods to suppress what the truth and stop the spread of information. I admit that I found the number of 'hits' ordered to be somewhat extreme and rather implausible - by the time you've failed to kill three people, it surely must occur to you that you are simply making the situation worse. Instead events keep on multiplying with more dead bodies and what must have been an unavoidable amount of public attention in real life. The underhanded political machinations are given far less credence than the big bang action scenes with guns and it all because a little too implausible for my liking, even if the fast paced action certainly does keep you turning the pages.

All in all, this is well written and if you like your novels to be full of tense shoot outs and hits gone wrong, then you will likely love this novel. Personally, I found the events depicted became almost farcical as Kent ramped up the pace. Nobody seemed to stop and think of the likely consequences of so many bodies surrounding a high profile terrorist case, which seems unlikely to say the least. I also felt more could have been done with the characters, particularly those who have back-story in previous novels as if you come in to this cold like I did, there is an assumption that you have more information than you really do.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Oh my, what a read this was! Extremely fast paced and had me in the edge of my seat reading it - definitely going into my top books of 2020!

It took me a while to get into this book, lots happening and various characters to get my head around. At first I thought the book was going to be over dramatic and quite film like, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, it’s full of action and suspense, but not in an unbelievable way. It really grabs your attention and makes you think about the going ons that are happening in governments around the world.

Having never read any of Tony’s books before, I went into this with fresh eyes and I loved the style of writing. He works the book between the USA and the UK and manages to develop the characters, whilst still pulling out all the punches. You just can’t help but like Joe Dempsey, despite his unorthodox career choice!

The premise of the book is extremely up to date and grabs you immediately - a flight from London to New York is blown up over the Atlantic Ocean. It touches on terrorism and political corruptness, a thriller of today’s times that certainly packs a punch!