i really enjoyed the concept of this book and it was something different to what i usually read, i love a good psychological whodunnit type of book and with this having more of a financial element to it, it was insightful - i always enjoy it when there’s an element of a list in the narrative and how the characters try to eliminate people off the lists to solve the problem. it was a little hard to keep track of some of the characters and their narratives as the book progressed but overall a good read!

thank you netgalley and troubador publishing for the arc!

This story is full of crime and corruption. Steven was sentenced to 16 years for a murder he didn't commit. When he is finally released he sets out on a mission to solve the murder. This story is a quick read but is confusing. The story is kind of a stretch.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. A full review will be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

I have not had much luck with books recently. this was yet another in a long line of disappointing reads. The changing characters wasn't clear because each character seemed the same to me - I found it hard to keep up with. It was a forgettable book which I had no problems leaving behind. Would have DNF'd if it wasn't a Netgalley review book.

This book was odd. While the idea behind it was solid, the execution was farfetched. Every single characters "voice" sounded the same so it was hard for me to track who was who. I found it very easy to put this book down and walk away, which is never a good sign when it comes to my reading habits. Unfortunately I overall don't recommend this book.

This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

Stephen spends the 80's in jail for a murder that he did not commit. When he discovers an inmate that knows the reason behind his incarceration, he is given a list of people that are suspected as part of a mortgage fraud ring. This book was fast paced and I liked the premise behind it, but I feel that the characters and the premise fell short. Instead of description in places, there was the phrase "ie" (for example). The story just ended up feeling glazed over, as opposed to actually told. Thank goodness it was short, because I did not like it. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

Sometimes even a good guy suffers... Driving to work, Steve comes upon what he thinks is a car accident and stops to play Good Samaritan. The consequence is arrest, trial, and conviction for murder [admittedly, I found this far-fetched]. Eventually released, Steve changes his name and moves from England to Scotland, employed in a prisoner release program. His sole goal, unstated, is to uncover the facts. Who killed the bank manager, and why was Steve railroaded? Why are those with inside information disappearing? How extensive is the mortgage fraud conspiracy? If Steve perseveres in investigating, will he even survive?

I didn't finish this book as I couldn't get to grips with the writing style. Premise seemed to be good and complex as I couldn't really understand parts of what I read. Very confusing

This book had so much potential. But the writing style was so difficult for me to get past. I couldn't finish it.

I appreciate the opportunity’ to read this book provided by NetGalley. Unfortunately the writing style, tone and story just did not appeal to me. The writing style in itself was really off putting and it made it a difficult book to read.

An odd read. The story's premise was interesting and showed promise however the writing style of the author was incredibly off putting. The dates/days of the week also didn't match which was annoying. The excessive use of brackets, and the same speech pattern used by every character, were enjoying and confusing. A more ruthless editor could have dealt with a lot of these errors and turned a 2 star book into a 3+ star one.

If you’re looking for a quick read, this ticks that box.
Unfortunately it doesn’t really tick any other box for me. I honestly still don’t truly understand a thing that happened in this book. All I can really remember is someone being framed for murder and something to do with mortgage fraud?!?
I really disliked the writing style. The use of brackets was horrendously excessive, and they kept being used to explain the actions of characters which just felt so unnecessary and disjointed.
Overall it was just a messy book with no clear structure and poorly written characters. Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Let me start with the positive. It was a quick book to read.

I'm glad of this as I did not enjoy a single part of it. The writing was infuriating to read. The language the characters used was unrealistic and poorly written.

The premise of the story seemed to be promising. A man wrongly convicted of murder sets out to uncover the truth upon his release, but it just came across as halfhearted, rushed writing, with no flair for story telling.

The first thing to annoy me was the constant explanation of things in brackets. If you are going to write a story, make it into a story, not a fact sheet or a summary. The characters, I felt, were under developed and I couldn't get a connection with a single one.

The language used by the characters was particularly poor. I do not for one second think that all prisoners would speak like cockney hooligans, but it was just really unbelievable for one character who was described as a man who is in and out of jail most of his life with a drug problem, to speak perfect english and use words and lines like what has been written in the book. It felt wholly unbelievable and laughable at times.

The way the chapters, prologue and epilogue were set out was also confusing and just made the book feel messy.

Sadly, its not a book I would recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd.

The protagonist is charged with a killing he 'didn't commit' in the late 70's, gets a list of the guys that were involved with the guy he was accused of killing and then somehow does *stuff* to avenge his wrongful imprisonment.
It was a fast read, but really not all that enjoyable and a bit of a miss for me. I found myself skimming bits that just didn't seem relevant, so I'm not sure that I got the whole story, but it was hard work to get into.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Troubador Publishing Ltd - Matador, for the ARC.
I'm afraid I didn't really enjoy reading this book, although it's a fairly quick read, useful on a boring train journey.
Basically, Steve Johns is wrongly convicted of a supposed road-rage killing in 1979 (quite how that happened isn't clear). The victim Jon Armstrong was a bank branch manager from Hertfordshire. Upon Steve's release he meets up with Adam Best, another ex-con, from Hertfordshire, who supplies him with a list of names associated with Jon Armstrong (quite how he has the list isn't clear). Steve is convinced Jon's death was a result of a 'crooks' falling-out' over a mortgage scam and determines to track them down (quite how he determines this again is unclear).. With the help of his Uncle Reg in the UK and a trip to Florida with Jon's widow, the scam begins to unravel.
I couldn't really get my head around the presentation of chapters and prologues and the Epilogue(s) are a master-class in the SFO uncovering fraud and money-laundering, and the sentences handed down to those involved.
Sorry, can't really recommend this.