#Darknet #ToCatchaRAT #PsychologicalSuspense #TechnoThriller
Hi, everyone!
Today I am very excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for S.J. Grey’s TO CATCH A RAT (Darknet Series Book #1). This is the start of a new techno-thriller series that had me on the edge-of-my-seat from the start!
Below you will find a note from the author, a book blurb, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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A Note From The Author
It was eighteen months ago when my husband told me about a weird and unsettling post on our local Neighbourly forum. A woman had posted that she felt unsafe in her home, that she was being watched, and listened to. She wanted recommendations for a good private investigator. This, I might add, was in suburban New Zealand, not the centre of London. It got me thinking. Was she paranoid? Or was she genuinely being spied upon—and why?
Tangents like these sit at the back of my brain for days or even weeks, fermenting into a fully-fledged plotline.
I was also playing around with the idea of a thriller series that would centre around the Dark Web, and the two ideas merged. The result is the Darknet series.
It’s part psychological suspense, part techno-thriller, part crime, part mystery. Whatever category you want to place it in, the early reviewers are loving it, and that’s good enough for me.
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Book Blurb
She said she was being spied on. No one believed her. Now, she’s dead.
Emma’s best friend Joss had a wild story to tell. She’d been hacked. She was being watched. She was in danger. No one believed her. Not even Emma.
Now she’s dead. The police write it off as accidental death, but Emma’s not so sure.
The more she learns, the deeper she’s drawn into a web of deceit and dark motives. Turns out Joss’s brother developed a revolutionary dark web application, one that people will kill to get their hands on. He’s now in jail on a dodgy manslaughter charge. And then there’s Emma’s boyfriend, who she discovers is lying about his identity.
Now Emma’s the one in danger, and she’s not sure who will believe her or who she can trust. Joss’s murder was only the start.
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50546076-to-catch-a-rat
Title: To Catch a RAT
Series: Darknet, #1
Genre: Psychological tech-suspense
Heat level: Light
Author: SJ Grey
Release date: 30 March 2020
Publisher: Acelette Press
Pricing: $4.99
Available exclusively on Amazon Kindle Unlimited
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0841NT1LF
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
TO CATCH A RAT (Darknet Series Book #1) by S.J. Grey is the start of a new techno-thriller series that took off like a shot and had me engaged from the start. This thriller, even though it is based around computer hackers, the darknet and spies, is full of action and easy to read.
Emma’s best friend from childhood, Joss shows up on her doorstep talking about be spied on and followed. She begs Emma before she runs away if anything happens to her to please take care of her and her brother’s cat. Emma finds her fears difficult believe so after work she goes to check on her friend and finds her dead.
Emma gets drawn into nightmare of lies and deceit. Joss’ twin brother, Caleb escapes from prison where he has been set-up on a charge of manslaughter and he swears he is innocent, but can Emma trust he has not changed? He believes Joss was killed for a software program he wrote before prison and he wants to find her killer.
Emma also discovers her boyfriend, Mark has been lying to her about his identity and he has plans for Caleb. Can Emma and Caleb trust him? Who is he working for?
This story pulls you in right from the start with fast and furious action and hidden agendas. You never know who to believe, good or bad. I was surprised that I could be so engrossed in a techno-thriller. I was afraid it would be too jargon centric, but the few things I did not know were explained easily without interrupting the flow of the story. This book is set in New Zealand which was unique for me.
I loved Emma’s ability to overcome her fears and doubts to continually come through for those around her. I did have some difficulty accepting how many times Emma trusted Mark in spite of all of his lies. Emma’s parents were original and entertaining in their responses to her problems. I am looking forward to following all these characters into future books in this series.
I recommend this fast-paced new techno-thriller and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Darknet series, #Red Team Attack.
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Excerpt
“What’s that?” Emma wasn’t sure if she spoke aloud, until Mark answered.
“What? Where?”
“There.” She pointed.
Adrenaline lent her speed, and she ran, her pumps slip-slopping on the wet grass. It had rained all day. The river roared, the water level high. She might be mistaken. It might be a plastic bag, caught on the rocks. Or a piece of clothing.
Mark caught up a few steps later. “Fuck,” he said, his voice harsh. He skidded to a halt and grabbed Emma. “Stop. Stop.”
She struggled against him. They were close enough to see it—a person, face down in the water.
“It might be Joss. We need to help her.” She had to force the words out. Her lungs were rasping.
“I’ll go.” His grip tightened. “Wait here. Here. Okay?”
“Hurry.”
He nodded, then strode to the river’s edge and bent over, as though checking the depth. Next thing, he sat on the bank and dropped into the water. It came to his middle. Not deep enough to drown in. Not for Joss. Like Caleb, she was a strong swimmer and always had been. Maybe it was someone else. An unlucky walker, swept down from the hills.
Emma clutching at straws. She couldn’t stand and watch. She crept to the bank, ready to help Mark climb out. Fear was now a drumbeat in her blood, booming in her ears.
He hauled at the body, rolling it over in the water.
Christ. It was Joss. Seeing her face, eyes wide open, was shocking. Nausea rose in Emma’s throat, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Mark held his fingers against Joss’s throat. “I’m sorry,” he said. “She’s gone. There’s no pulse.” With Joss in his arms, he made his way to the edge, where he laid her with care on the grass, before hauling himself out.
For some reason, Emma sat on her ass. She didn’t recall doing that. Or maybe her knees gave way.
She gazed at her one-time friend. No words would come.
“Looks like her jeans snagged on something,” said Mark.
Tears pressed against the backs of Emma’s eyes, but she was frozen. “How did this happen?”
Mark crouched beside Joss, his forehead creased in a frown. “There’s a bump on her forehead, but she might have hit the rocks when she went into the water.” He looked up at Emma. “Fuck, Em. I’m sorry. She was your friend.” He straightened. “At last. The police are here. You going to come with me, to tell them?”
That meant standing up and walking and talking, none of which Emma was ready for. “I’ll wait with her.”
“I’ll be right back.” Mark jogged toward the cops.
She was alone, with what was left of Jocelyn. Emma shuffled across the grass, to sit beside her friend. It was freaking her out, the way Joss stared up at the sky with those sightless eyes. Who would tell Caleb? He’d be devastated; the last of his family was gone.
It was up to Emma to tell the police what Joss had been saying. Someone had to speak up for her, now she couldn’t do it herself.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll find out what happened, I promise.”
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Author Bio
SJ Grey is the author of the Darknet suspense series. She studied at Manchester University, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and has worked in IT for over twenty years, before settling in New Zealand. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her with her nose in a book and a coffee at her side. She’s also written a number of romantic suspense novels under a different name, before returning to her first love – high tech thrillers.
Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Social Media Links
Website: https://sjgrey.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19941640.S_J_Grey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJGrey.Author
Newsletter sign-up: https://www.subscribepage.com/i9c2o9
Twitter: @SJGrey1 https://twitter.com/SJGrey1
Amazon author profile page: https://www.amazon.com/SJ-Grey/e/B0841R1561
