The truth will out… Gavin’s life will be turned upside down. He joins a company to work on a product that will revolutionise the food industry. His initial gut instinct is to walk away until he discovers one of the company directors is the former love of his teenage life.The financial implications are global and incredible. Powerful individuals and countries are prepared to kill as they compete … kill as they compete to seize control of the company. Corruption at high levels, a deadly flaw in the product, and the stakes jump higher and higher.
Against overwhelming odds, Gavin must rescue his former love from the hands of an evil cult as they prepare her for a living nightmare.
’… doesn’t have twists – it has hairpin bends!’
’… an intricate fast paced modern day thriller’
’… will appeal to readers who like intricate plots’
’… plot kept me guessing what will happen next’
’… weaved it all together masterfully’
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When biochemist Gavin Shawlens agrees to work on a new food additive, he becomes embroiled in a network of intrigue and corruption. Discovering he’ll be working with former girlfriend Emma, he makes up his mind to walk away from the project rather than face seeing her every day. However, unknown forces quickly land him in a heap of trouble and Gavin finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
With foreign governments and secret organisations competing for what appears to be a remarkable new enzyme, Gavin and Emma are faced with a series of deadly encounters, where knowing who and what to trust, quite literally, becomes a matter of life or death.
Gordon Bickerstaff’s first novel in the Gavin Shawlens series rips along at a fair pace, trotting out more twists than Chubby Checker and a body count that’ll rival any murder mystery. Though at times the theory went a bit over my head, the author’s knowledge of biochemistry adds a sense of authenticity to the science part. Along with the action, there’s plenty of gory details too, so be warned – this is not a book for the feint-hearted. The clever plot heralds an uneasiness that corruption on this scale may not simply be the stuff of fiction, and while the occasionally over-written dialogue was a little distracting, it’s a minor niggle to what is otherwise a first-class thriller.
Gavin Shawlens, a brilliant biochemist, is invited to carry out research on a new food additive derived from a fish which lives at the bottom of our oceans. Although he is inclined to say”No,” his heart leads him to accept, when he learns that his first love Emma is a partner in the company involved.
Thus begins a journey that is filled with danger, political intrigue and many twists and turns…
The author has created a wonderful cast of characters, and I loved the Scottish humour that is peppered throughout. The dialogue was “pure, dead brilliant.”
“Deadly Secrets” is a well crafted thriller based on science, that will leave you wondering about the food we consume, political corruption and industrial espionage…
Deadly Secrets by Gordon Bickerstaff
A Lambeth Group Thriller #1
Looking for a thinking wo/man’s book to read? If so, this just might be the book for you? Why? Well, it has a fair bit of science that is part and parcel of the story and that part is well written and also written in a way that a laymwo/man can easily understand as well. There are a number of threads woven together that include secret societies, multiple government groups, thugs, academic types and others that have motivation ranging from mere personal interest to big-time greed on the world stage. At first I wondered if I wasn’t sure what to think but the further I read the more invested I became and by the time I finished the last page I was saying to myself, “So, is Gavin okay? How about Emma and Donna? And, since this is about the Lambeth group what part will they play to help or hinder when Penny and her husband decide to or not to accept the lucrative hit they have been asked to carry out?”
This book is not for the faint of heart as there are murders, deaths and inferences that might leave the squeamish upset. And yet it is also a book with a second chance at romance for two in the book, the possibility of reconnection between siblings and the hope that good will thwart evil…and boy are some in the book EVIL!
Did I enjoy this book? I did
Would I like to read more in this series? Yes, I would
Thank you to BOTSB and the author for the copy of this book to read for review purposes – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
If you are going to start a new thriller series or you want to try a new author of thrillers, you have got to read DEADLY SECRETS (Gavin Shawlens Thriller #1) by Gordon Bickerstaff. This thriller has an eerily plausible story line, intricate plot, twists and surprises that gave me chills just thinking about how this could really happen.
Gavin Shawlens is a brilliant scientist who studies protease enzymes. He is also part of a secret British organization, The Lambeth Group that monitors universities and research scientists’ discoveries that could possibly do more harm than good.
Gavin has been offered an opportunity to test a new additive that could revolutionize the entire food industry. At first he does not believe the hype, but when he discovers the wife of one of the company owner’s is an old flame that he never got over, he agrees to their proposal. With incredible global financial implications, the stakes are high and Gavin becomes entangled in a power struggle between a global corporation, the Russians and corrupt officials at all levels of government.
I have so many feelings to share about this book. The main character of this series, Gavin Shawlens is very human. He is no James Bond. He runs away from danger to save himself to the detriment of anyone with him, usually but not always. He is brilliant, but socially awkward. I cheered for him, I yelled at him and I was embarrassed for him. The other characters are just as well written. Some are so evil, to be almost unbelievable, until you consider what money and power are doing in the real world today.
The science based plot seems quite believable. The description of the deaths by enzyme were equal parts disgusting and chilling (and might be too graphic for some). When you think you are at the end, this author twists you around and the peril continues. I love when that happens.
This is a great start to a new thriller series with a unique author’s voice and hero!
I don’t usually read thrillers but took the plunge with this one, finding it full of twists and turns and lots of dark characters. The bio-process at the core of the story is not for the faint of heart and there’s a good bit of graphic violence.
The main character’s job as a biochemist with connections in high places works nicely to set up the story. Gavin Shawlin’s personal life gets tangled up with all the political intrigue as well, including his relationship with a woman he fell in love with as a teenager.
It’s a page turner, for sure, and just when you think you can breathe easier for the good guys, there’s yet another twist to escalate the tension.
Deadly Secrets, the first in the Lambeth Group Series by Gordon Bickerstaff, is a well-written story which will keep action-adventure aficionados. He’s created an intricate plot, which if successful, could potentially doom countless numbers of people to death as they unknowingly ingest harmful protease enzymes.
Follow Gavin Shawlins, a dedicated scientist and a member of the secret Lambeth Group, as he unravels the sinister plot. There is something for everyone in this exciting thriller, even a bit of rekindled romance. With plenty of twists and turns, Gordon has forged the opening novel of what should be an exciting series. I look forward to reading more!