This is the third book in the series, and I haven't read the previous two, but I think this one reads nicely enough as a standalone. The book is set in good old mother Russia, which already tells you how much excitement, danger, and thrills there is in this book! Recommended.

A Question of Death by Dean Carson
Eliot Locke #3

Smiling as I think about what to say about Eliot Locke the bounty hunter-assassin that is so much more. This series is deadly but never dull and gets better with every book!

What I liked:
* Eliot Locke: brilliant, cunning, careful, intriguing, professional, lethal, calm, and so much more. He made me smile at times. He seems to have the WORST luck with women ;)
* The fact that I can like a paid assassin and root for him to succeed.
* That the person being assassinated was one I felt needed to die.
* That Eliot is not perfect…and yet…he is perfect as the character in this book.
* The idea that an assassin has scruples and doesn’t like collateral damage.
* The setting: Russia. It was fun traveling somewhere else.
* The snippets about his sister, brother, and his CIA buddy, Bill.
* The way I was grabbed in the first chapter and could not put the book down till I finished it.
* Not sure if this is a like or not but it does make me smile…Eliot seems to have the WORST luck with women…that COULD change in the future, though.
* The straightforward way issues are presented and dealt with.
* That Eliot is still “just a guy” though also excellent at what he does.
* The way Eliot prepares for jobs.
* The “labours” that Eliot was set and how he accomplished them.
* Hoping there will be many more books in this series because they make me smile.
* All of it really…except…

What I didn’t like:
* Popovich: game show host for Final Shot, ex-KGB, cruel, and totally unlikable
* Can’t think of anything else…

Did I enjoy this book? Oh my, yes!
Would I read more in this series? Without a doubt!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sapere Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A question of death is the third book in the Eliot Locke series, although works as a stand alone book as I haven't read the previous two and I loved this book. It's been a while since I've read a proper hardcore thriller.

Eliot is sent to Russia to find and kill ex KGB mobster Popovich. Popovich is the host of a killer show, literally if you don't get the correct answers in the final round you get a bullet in the head. Before Eliot can locate Popovich he is assigned a range of tasks by Russian mobster "The Baker". His mission isn't quite as plain sailing as he had predicted as he comes across several obstacles and some unexpected turns of events.

Eliot is a character I can really get behind. His narration of the events is great the book is written as if he is just describing the whole ordeal to the reader I found myself getting far more invested that I had previously thought I would. I also really loved the way the prose is written as there are so many laugh out loud moments (he has a very dry sense of humour) within all the action. I loved the little hit of philosophy that is thrown into the chapters like we get to learn his moral of his story as we make our way through. Plus there is a hilarious conversation regarding belts and tantrics and not in the way you would think.

The story is all go from the prologue I was worried that it was going to be one of those books where the prologue is amazing and gets you hooked but then the book be a let down. Well that was not a problem here at all. The prologue sets the stage for some gripping thriller action. Like I said to begin its been a little while since I last read a straight up thriller so some of the descriptions were very very intense and descript but thats why we read these types of books.
The imagery was so in your face you can't run from it. However the author doesn't just focus on the gruesome stuff sometimes its just the scenery. There is a description of a g string where I felt I could see it its in that much detail the reason for which is explained as it seemed like over kill, but makes sense in context.

I enjoyed the side characters aswell. I thought they added to Eliot's story rather than subtract from it. I even felt compassion towards the Baker and that man was clear troubled.

The book also subtly brings in some Russian community rule history which I found quite interesting, even if at first I was so confused.

Also I liked the idea of the concept of the TV show. I know that people have used a similar concept before in books and film however the question element of it had us as the readers in suspense thinking will he or won't he. Plus there were no love stories to distract us.

In summary I would recommend this book to thriller and horror lovers. This book is brutal and might not be a good match for those very new to the genre. It at times can be a hard read. But otherwise fantastic and well written. There are 2
Big twists, I had guessed one and not the other but I think it's been written so well. Happy to reward 5 stars and make my way backwards to the first in the series. However I don't feel I've missed any crucial information or that I was at a loss because I hadn't read the previous in the series this book works great as a stand alone. If you like Chris Moneymore or C.L Taylor you will love this book. 5 stars 🌟

Thank you to Netgalley, The publisher and author for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

When Eliot Locke is shown the footage of a deadly game show being filmed somewhere in Russia - where people can win life-changing amounts of money, but lose their life if they're wrong three times, he's asked to shut it down - by any means necessary.

Eliot flies to Russia to try and track down the set, clashing with the mob - but what price will he pay to shut down a deadly scheme?

This is the third book in the Eliot Locke series - I previously reviewed The Camino Killer, which is the second book. This one is much more frothy, and a bit more straight-forward, I would say. I don't know whether you root for the characters as much as you do in Camino. A solid 3* book.