Captivating from page one. I love the science aspect as a science teacher and has lots of plot twists to help the reader engaged.

I had been looking forward to read this book so much - and I came back from reading it, feeling extremly dissappointed. I wanted more - more actual spy work, more insight more... Well, action.
This claiming to be a spy novel feels a bit of an overachievement, since for me it read just like any other thriller. There was no element of real spy work that made me gasp or halt or question what I just had read; instead, it felt very flat and could have done with another go to the editor. I hope the second installement will involve some actual, more relatable, "clicheed" spy work, instead of yet another thriller among many.

I received a free copy by Netgalley for an honest review.

The first half of Yearn to Fear is very much concerned with introducing the characters, explaining the technology and setting the scene for the main action of the story.

A microchip known as the Lamarr chip was invented several years ago by DST (Defence Science and Technology), ostensibly invented with a view to improving 5G communication. The chip is found to also emit a transmission which causes the recipient to fall asleep quickly and experience vivid dreams of yearning.

Marcus Hall, one of the main protagonists, brings the invention home to test on himself and then lets his brother, Bill and sister-in-law, Helen use it, as well as her sister, Maddy, who Marcus is in love with. They all have vivid sexual dreams about their loved ones and on looking at PET scan results the brain’s “love” center is seen to be fully functioning during these dreams.

I have to admit during the first few chapters of this book I found myself getting lost in some of the technical jargon. There were quite a few detailed explanations which I found distracting.

Marcus’s Project Manager, Sarah, is being blackmailed by her boss Peter Esser and forced to pay him each month for two years during the duration of the Lamarr project, in return for which she will also get a payout. Initially she was so eager to work there that she agreed to his terms, but is now having second thoughts. However it transpires that Peter is a paranoid narcissist who has been entrenched in industrial espionage for a foreign organization for years. He was originally contacted via his kung fu teacher, Sifu and believes himself to be working for the Chinese as a spy.

Henry Henderson is also a spy, working for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. He is working undercover with Marcus and Sarah as a lab assistant, but also providing covert security. We learned some of Henry’s back story in the prologue, so the fact that he is a spy does not come as a complete surprise. Sarah and her team members are all likeable characters and get along with one another very well.

Marcus and Henry test whether the device they have christened the ‘Marc1’ can cause fear in people in the same way it causes heightened love and yearning. If this is the case it makes the device a potential weapon and they realise they will need to be a lot more careful in terms of security for both the device and their personal safety and that of their loved ones.

Halfway through the narrative the pace of the action picks up dramatically as Sarah becomes the victim of a home invasion kicked off by Peter. Two men, Shane and an unnamed younger man, have come for her prototype of the invention, the ‘Sara1’. Meanwhile Henry is also on the way to her house to recover the device per order of his handler. Marcus is also planning to drop by and check on her as they have been worrying about her despondent attitude, apparently caused by interactions with her boss, Peter. Marcus gets there before Henry and sees Sarah tied to a chair through her curtains. Unfortunately one of her captors sees the light from Marcus’s phone display as he calls for help and the younger of the two assailants chases after Marcus. This turn of affairs is seen by Henry, who has just arrived. There follows an exciting, fast-paced action sequence. Marcus thinks Henry has shot at him and drops to knees in shock but Henry was actually aiming at the assailant to save Marcus. Poor Marcus is totally confused by what is going on by this point. The two bad guys make a run for it, setting Sarah’s house on fire as they go.

Like Marcus I found myself reeling from the shock of the unexpected death of a likeable and believable character, who I felt I was just getting to know.

The thrilling action of this episode is just the beginning of a story full of fast-paced drama and more than a few unexpected twists.

Marcus and Henry are taken to a hotel room with armed guards for Marcus’s protection. Maddy and Helen have been kidnapped by Shane, on behalf of the despicable Peter. Here a very technically detailed plan is hatched to locate the house at which the victims are being held. I will not give away any more of the plot and you will need to read the book in order to find out if the plan works out!
The author has quite a few surprises in store in the conclusion of the story and promises another thrilling story in the yet to be released follow up ‘Fear to Recall’.

this was a great suspenseful mystery, I really enjoyed going on this journey and getting to know these characters. It was a good introduction to this world. I look forward to more in this series.