Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With its name in lights, NEON is destined for the top of the bestseller charts in 2020.
'NEON' is an astonishingly accomplished novel from debut author, G.S. Locke. I loved every single page and devoured this edge-of-your-seat thriller in one sitting. So, if you are looking for novel that provides a new twist on the serial-killer genre, then NEON is the book for you. With its sublime characterisation and tautly-plotted narrative, this is a superior thriller in every way. The story focuses on a trio of main protagonists. There is, of course, the serial killer NEON who poses his victims in elaborate light displays in and around Birmingham; then there is Detective Matt Jackson, lead investigator on the NEON case, whose wife Polly, was also a victim of the NEON's. Our third main protagonist is the fantastically realised hitwoman, Iris, who is hired by a suicidal Matt, to put an end to his misery. All seems straightforward until Matt finds information that could lead to the real identity of NEON and then the fun really begins. Instead of Iris carrying out the contracted murder/suicide of Matt, the two join forces to hunt down the deliciously twisted serial killer, NEON. Cue a high-octane, thrill-a-minute, literal page-turning journey to the final, stunning denouement of NEON. Whilst the plot of the novel is undoubtedly a force of nature, the real stars of the show, so to speak, are the enduring characters of NEON, Matt and Iris. They quite simply burst forth from the page, as if rebelling against the mere jumble of words that make up their fictional existence. Hitwoman and terminally ill Iris, a cross between the indefatigable Lisbeth Salander and the gloriously psychotic Alice, from 'Luther', in particular, simply light up the page (pun intended), of Locke's debut novel. As I've run out of superlatives for 'NEON', a glorious mash-up of 'Luther', 'Line of Duty' and Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium Trilogy', I will stop here. Suffice to say, you won't be disappointed in the sparkling, gloriously colourful, light display of 'NEON' - a definite smash hit for 2020
In one word: brilliant! #Neon #NetGalley