I loved this latest thriller from Simon Mayo, it's left me with a book hangover!
I'll be sharing my full review and links closer to publication date.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot or publisher's blurb.

I've previously read and enjoyed several books by Simon Mayo, so was looking forward to reading this one.

This is the follow up to a previous title "Knife Edge", and shares a few characters with that novel. Whilst I really enjoyed the previous book, I found the pace of this one rather slow moving - although it picked up in the second part of the book. I also didn't find Famie as sympathetic a character as in the earlier book.

So all in all a mixed bag for me. I'll still read future novels from Simon Mayo though (particularly as I enjoyed his standalone - "Tick Tock" - so much!)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Black Tag is the second book to feature journalist Famie Madden, a character first introduced in Mayo’s 2020 novel, Knife Edge. This is not overly obvious from the cover splurb – a shame as, although the plot of Black Tag is standalone, the establishment of many of the characters is not. I do feel this book would have benefitted from greater character exposition and development in its own right. This flaw is exacerbated by the fact the plot is slow to gain momentum, all in all making this quite a tricky book to get into.

However.

I loved the second half of the book. The pace and tension of the plot ramp up, resulting in a real page turner. There aren’t many novelists who could make a trip to the National Archives exciting to read about! The final chapters and ending are great.

Black Tag is certainly a book worth persevering with. Just maybe give Knife Edge a read first.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Bantam, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mixed feelings on Black Tag - I was a few chapters in when I realised it was a follow up to Knife Edge, which I enjoyed very much back in lockdown times. This didn’t grab me in the same way and I found Famie less realistic in her approach this time round. Some entertaining set pieces, but overall the book didn’t hold my attention as much as I hoped. It’s an interesting concept but perhaps didn’t sustain the length of the book. It’s the first of Mayo’s I’ve not really bought into, but I’ll certainly be giving his next a go anyway.

Oh WOW!! I only discovered Simon Mayo as an author recently as I try to stay away from celebrities who wander out of their specialism thinking they must be good at everything. However, Simon Mayo is very much the exception. He writes exceptionally good books of which Black Tag is the latest. It is the second book featuring Famie Madden and her daughter Charlie although personally I think it reads well as a standalone book. The story is complicated, exciting, scarily believable and extremely well researched. The characters are very believable and well written. I was hooked immediately as the book opens with the fire bombing of an Art Gallery in central London. The tension level never drops from thereon in. Another amazing book from an exceptional writer. I hope there are many more still to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

3.75/5 stars! This is by the same author that brought us "Tick Tock," a great pandemic thriller. I was excited to check out "Black Tag." I wish I had been aware that this was a sequel because it didn't work for me as a standalone. The characterization was strong and the general story arc was intriguing, but without understand the motivation behind actions, I felt disconnected at times. I did like the ability of Simon to make us want to explore things that aren't fully developed, almost as if we are trying to live in his world.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

As a standalone this book is fine but I’m glad I read Knife Edge by Simon Mayo previously as there is a backstory to Famie Madden, the ‘crusading journalist’ at the heart of this book.

The book starts well with a storyline that grabbed me, but I also agree with some other reviews that it drags a bit in the middle before picking up pace again in the final third. I do enjoy the author’s writing style though and as expected it is very well written with a solid story and a great ending. I would still recommend this book, especially if you’re already a fan because you won’t be disappointed to have stuck with it to the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Black Tag - Simon Mayo

Absolutely LOVE Simon’s books - and this latest outing certainly didn’t disappoint.

Black Tag builds magnificently and unfolds into what can only be described as an action movie grand finale!

No spoilers here - but fantastic to be reunited with Famie, Charlie and Sam….let’s hope it’s not the last we see of them.

An unmissable read - and should be a superb addition to your TBR pile!

Black Tag by Simon Mayo
I had read Knife Edge by the same author in which Famie Madden the journalist first appeared and so I was really pleased to be reading about her again a while on from the previous novel This meant that I was aware of Famie’s backstory although I felt that this book works as a stand-alone.
The novel is all about a fire in an art gallery located in the Granary Square area of Kings Cross. The gallery owners are Uber rich and Famie’s daughter, Charlie, lives with Lena , the daughter of the gallery owner in Gasholder Park. The Black Tag of the title refers to a dead body within a burnt out building.
Famie notices that the person who died is a crusading would be journalist and decides to investigate what he was doing in the building unearthing some very unpleasant truths from the and ultimately puts herself and her daughter at risk. It is a gripping story and one which I read in a very short time despite its length. The Good Guys are well developed characters but we do not really get to understand the motivation of the baddies. A gripping read and one I will be recommending. Many thanks to Simon Mayo, the publishers and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

A slow start with a lot of not very interesting characters. The first few pages are gripping but then it loses impetus and starts to drag. The characters didn't pull me in and I wasn't really invested in their stories but about two-thirds of the way through the plot suddenly took off and became the thriller I'd been expecting.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. What a fantastic book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people! A bit on the long side but enjoyable!

A slow moving thriller about a fire in an Art Gallery and a journalist trying to find out who set the fire and why.
I didn’t know that this book was part of a series and I was reading this as a stand alone novel. I found it hard to get into it because I didn’t know the back story of the principal character. I think I would have enjoyed it better by reading the previous novel first.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this one too long. It is a standalone but reads like if it was a part of a series. There is no proper introduction to the characters so I felt it was a bit disjointed.

Black Tag is the second, or possibly, third in a series, although that is not made clear, Reading as a standalone means there is a lot of backstory missed, and I think it would work better if the preceding novel was read first.

Black Tag features crusading journalist Famie Madden and her daughter Charlie. When a nearby London art gallery, the West End Gallery, burns down with an unknown body inside, Madden wants to know why, Her investigation leads her to the owners, the ultra wealthy Nash family, and they are resistant to her approaches. She digs deeper and begins to uncover the true story behind the Nash family's fortune.

A little overlong at 400+ pages, Black Tag is slow to get going. But it is worth persevering and the narrative is compelling once it finds its stride. The characters are strong, although the bad guys are very one dimensional, Overall a decent thriller.