Power Play by Mike Nicol

Reviewed by Desere

I am going to start this review off with a little warning, do NOT start reading this book if you have to go out, or an early morning start or if you know you are for sure going to be interrupted. Because this is one of those books that simply once started is not to be stopped, or rather you won't want to stop!

The book tells of Krista Bishop, she runs a security agency, for woman only. But all that goes flying out the window when she get's a call she simply cannot refuse. The call comes from the government spooks, the mission is simple : Guard two high - profile Chinese businessmen.

Should be easy, after all this is her field of expertise so no problem , right? No , no and no again, because Krista isn't told that the Chinese are mopping up the richly rewarding abalone poaching business and they want it all, from shore to plate!  It's the takeover of the century and it will kick three Cape Town ( for our blog's international readers - Cape Town is South Africa 's mother city and absolutely spectacular!) ganglords out of business and destroy their perfectly filled to the brim luxury lifestyles.

And so starts a battle of power, corruption and a full on war on the streets that has everyone involved racing for the finish line and the ultimate prize of power above all it 's leader prevails.

So now that you know what the book is about let's get down to the review portion. I have always been a huge fan of mysteries and crime reads, the more complex the better and of course my ultimate goal is to see if I can solve it before it's actually fully revealed.  Sadly you get crime authors and then you get crime authors! The ones that make that the crime author list is a very short one for me anyways. Because there is always lose ends that the author's don't tie up and then I am always thinking okay so maybe there will be a follow up, and you know what happens 95 % of the time, no follow up and thus I am still left feeling pretty much unsatisfied and very frustrated.

I am ecstatically  happy to announce that Mike Nicol is not one of the above mentioned, no wait make that overjoyed and extremely proud! A South African author is on the top, top list of crime authors ! His writing style is addictive and it feels as if I was right there staring down the bad-guys , living the emotions of fear, anger and power.

Riveting , gripping absolutely spellbinding and so mesmerizing that you think at the start of the book that you won't get too involved in this play of power because somehow it seems like it could turn out to be just another book about crime , I was wrong , so very wrong, I was completely trapped and so involved that the third World War could break out right next to me and I would not have noticed!

If you are a once in a lifetime I read a crime story kind of reader, then this is the one you should read!  Incredibly realistic, fast paced , historically packed and a true masterpiece.

5/5 star review
" If you think you've seen power before, you're about to enter a world so dark and powerful , that you will never be able to escape" 

Available now at Penguin Random House South Africa