Established writer, Tony Bassett, not only knows that suspects are the lifeblood of his mysteries but also that he needs to create these characters with rich backgrounds and plenty of secrets to challenge his sleuth. His compelling mystery will have readers following the police and the investigative journalist as they track down, examine and work towards eliminating suspects to come to a final solution.

I was impressed by my first introduction to this author! Not only was this a fast-paced thriller, but it kept me guessing right to the end.

As the novel opens, an assassin strikes at London’s Albert Hall just as ticketholders begin taking their seats for a concert. Eager to see the note-perfect ‘Sovereign of Soul’, Loretta Kay, perform, concertgoers had arrived early and had begun chatting to fellow fans in the venue. It wasn’t long until the fellow in seat 97 slumped over dead; he’d been shot by a mystery man who had appeared from behind the stage.

Was it targeted? A case of mistaken identity? What type of assassin shoots in a public place? Surrounded by potential witnesses? And with no guarantee of a quick escape? A trained one or a foolish one? You’ll have to read to find out.

As is always the case, there’s more than meets the eye and those seeking anonymity walk a thin line. I appreciated the different points of view because they afforded a wider look at the suspects and increased my doubt. The juxtaposition within the London-based setting was fantastic; the dark, seedy, underground and the luxurious concert venue in an upscale neighbourhood.

I’ll be looking for another one of this author’s books to read again soon!

I was gifted this copy by The Book Folks and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Engaging Whodunit..
A concert at the Royal Albert Hall turns fatal in this pacy suspense. Who was sitting in seat 97 and why were they shot? Journalist Nick Colton just happens to be sitting in the next seat and sees the action first hand as it unfolds and is soon on the trail of a killer. A deftly drawn cast, a firm sense of place and a swiftly moving narrative make for a nicely plotted and engaging whodunit.

Synopsis: Nick Colton is the lead character who works as a journalist at "The Post". He went for a concert with his wife, Greta, and was having a wonderful conversation with his neighbor on Seat 97. The neighbor, David Barron, told him that he had to swap seats, he had agreed since he came alone and is very excited for the concert. Even before the show starts, David is shot dead. While the Police are trying to solve this mystery, Nick, having known and spoken with David, feels the need to investigate this murder himself. Greta seemed to notice someone who vanished right after the shot, Nick followed him but could not catch him. So, Nick is trying to follow that lead. Meanwhile, coming out of shock, the other audience members have provided other leads to the Police too. Who would murder David in such a public forum? Why not kill him when he was on the way? David seemed very likeable, who are his enemies? Was he shot for being at the wrong place, at the wrong time? Who is the killer? But first, who is the real victim?

My thoughts: This is easily a page turner. The story develops from multiple perspectives of, Nick, David's family, the Police, and a big man with a bad reputation. It was interesting to read 2 investigations working simultaneously. One from the perspective of the Police, and the other from the perspective of a journalist. There are rules that a journalist can bend, but the Police can't. It was interesting to find out who will crack the case first. The writing is clever, as it keeps multiple perspectives and yet is an easy read. Like a lot of detective novels, this follows singular timeline. It was a very interesting plot though. I would recommend this for crime, mystery lovers such as myself!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was an enjoyable and easy read I look forward to reading more by this author.

The beginning of Seat 97 starts out at a concert that journalist Colton and his wife Greta are attending. Nearby in seat 97 is David Barron who is shot by a mystery assassin. Who is David Barron and why was he assassinated? More importantly who is the assassin? The plot is well thought out and cleverly crafted to be complex and gripping. I loved every minute of this book and was desperately trying to solve the mystery. I think all the characters are superbly presented from the criminals to the detectives and even the journalists. A action packed mystery that I am highly recommending.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Seat 97' by Tony Bassett.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Tony Bassett, The Book Folks and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.

Publication date 16th April 2023

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching and colourful cover and its intriguing synopsis. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being The Book Folks. I have yet to read a book published by The Book Folks that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 50 chapters. The chapters are short to medium to long in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist being Nick Colton The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions and the perfect atmosphere for the storyline. The synopsis and cover work perfectly with the book cover. I am always wary about trying a new author out but was definitely not disappointed.


This book is an intriguing and thrilling mystery that will have readers investigating the killing of the occupant of Seat 97 along with Colton. It is a standalone crime mystery based in London where David Barron is at the wrong place at the wrong time. David is shot at London's Royal Albert Hall after he swaps tickets with someone. Nick Colton and his wife Greta were sat next to David when he was shot. Nick begins to investigate what happened and if David was the intended victim or if the shot was meant to kill the original ticket holder. Tony takes us on a mysterious and dangerous adventure into the world of London gang crime and British journalism. It is quite a unique storyline and I enjoyed trying to work out the answers along with Nick. Tony drip feeds the reader just the right amount of information to give them enough to try and work it out but not too much to make it too easy and ends the book with a great twist that I was not expecting. It is filled with mystery, crime, twists, suspense, action and will keep you turning the pages to find out the answers. I loved the fact that even after I finished the book it left me thinking about it for a long time after I turned the last page and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Tony in the future.


The characters are all well developed and realistic and I enjoyed getting to know Nick and enjoyed his investigative techniques. I also like how he was determined to get to the bottom of what happened and find out why seat 97 was targeted that day. Tony's writing skills brings not only the story to life but also each of the well developed characters who all played their parts in the storyline perfectly. The fact that Tony had experience working as a Fleet Street Journalist shines through the pages as he weaves his own experiences and investigative into the character of Nick.


Overall a gripping and action filled mystery!

Genres covered in this novel include English Crime, Thriller, International Mystery & Crime, Hard-Boiled Mysteries, Amateur Sleuth, Murder Thriller, , Crime Thriller, Noir Crime, Organised Crime, Mystery, Organised Crime, Thriller, Noir Fiction and Crime Thriller amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Martina Cole, Jessie Keane, Heather Atkinson, Emma Tallon and Kimberley Chambers.

303 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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A good read
A good plot
Plenty of twists and turns
A good crime mystery
Will have you hooked
Thanks NetGalley