A cleverly crafted story. Tihis book is very well written and gripped me from the start with its evolving plot full of twists and turns. I found the descriptions of the Austrian countryside, where much of the book is, very good to the extent it's made me want to visit there.
On one level this is the story of counterfeiting scam, plug it is lifted to do much more by the conspirators having to employ a multi-lingual translator /interpreter to communicate with each other. This really helps build the tension. The hapless translator is an innocent caught up in all the intrigue.
This book is a real tour 're force and I'll look out for others by this author.

A book that contains plenty of action, some of which is unbelievable but at the same time very enjoyable.

Plenty of of devious, male and female characters all set in a large, smart villa in Austria. The hero is a young man, Jacob, who is a translator and is whisked away from London to this villa.

A very modern feel to this book with the Ukraine/Russia 'war', large scale scams and we were also treated to a CIA connection. Did Jacob escape in the end, where did the fox come from and why did anybody go fishing in a lake?

I enjoyed it and at times felt it would make a good TV/Netflix programme.

Thanks to Net Galley and Quercus Books for the chance to read and review.

I enjoyed this book. At the beginning, translator Jacob seemed a bit naive and apathetic with a bossy girlfriend. He is recruited by pushy Eloise for a role as an interpreter which will help him earn enough money to make his girlfriend happy.
Jacob is taken to a luxury mansion in Austria, but things aren't as they seem, and he soon finds himself in trouble. He struggles to keep his integrity in a confusing and violent situation.
The book has lots of interesting snippets about different languages.
Recommended

A story that really is for today featuring contemporary events and a hugely exciting plot.

When struggling translator Jacob is offered a job that is too good to refuse he grabs it with both hands. What he lands himself in the middle of goes well beyond his expectation and he is desperate to get away - but he knows too much. The storyline takes many diversions and is a fast-paced and easy read and just when you think you have a handle on what is happening something else occurs to change everything. Another high concept thriller from William Shaw following on from his brilliant Dead Rich.

The only thing to be aware of is those who won't read books where an animal is killed as part of the plot should be aware of this aspect.

That aside I would recommend this book without hesitation. 5*

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for this eCopy to review

I was hooked from page 1, what a gripping thriller as you follow Jacob who takes a lucrative translating job only to be drawn into the murky world of fake drug, people trafficking and slavery. Who can he trust? Who is killing who? How can he escape? And most importantly how can he save Vlada?

It did get a bit complicated at the end, but all the double crossing was fun. It has a happy ending for Jacob. All in all an enjoyable thriller

I was really enjoying The Conspirators by GW Shaw until it all got a bit crazy. Under the guidance of a digital marketer called Eloise, a businessman in self imposed exile in Austria exploits the demand for a fertility drug amongst well healed but barren women. But a problem develops in his supply chain and at the same time another outfit headed by and Indian criminal called Nazim wants to muscle in on the action. It would seem the fertility drug is a fake and that's the point where the plot loses credibility. For surely a fake can be faked anywhere and the supply chain isn't an issue? If you put all that aside, the scam and counter scams become quite fun if not entirely credible. It would have been a five star review from me if it wasn't for a number of flaws in the plot.

The Conspirators is a contemporary thriller set in Austria, about a young English translator who is persuaded to take on a lucrative interpreting job, but soon finds himself in serious trouble. I read and loved Dead Rich by this author last year, and this has the same mix of tension, skulduggery, and twists, but I felt like the whole plot was just a bit too far fetched this time. It’s still a fun fast paced read that kept me entertained throughout.

Jacob Meaney has a gift for languages, and loves his work translating poetry and fiction, but it doesn’t pay well enough to satisfy his ambitious girlfriend, who has her heart set on them moving into a luxury flat. When a glamorous Australian promises him a small fortune for a short job overseas, and has him flown to a stunning villa in the Austrian mountains, he can’t believe his luck, but soon changes his mind when he meets his thuggish new employer and is told he may not leave. Trapped with a group of strangers all working on an illegal pharmaceutical scheme, Jacob soon learns that this dream job is actually a nightmare…

This was an enjoyable action adventure featuring evil gangsters, a human trafficking subplot, a complicated but lucrative scam, and a locked villa scenario where our mild mannered hero is never quite sure who he can trust. There is some violence and the main bad guy is pretty nasty, but it’s not too gory. I liked the way Jacob uses his wits and specialised language skills to solve each problem that he faces, and that he was willing to risk his own life to save others. I’m not sure why Nazim was so determined to join Myroslav’s conspiracy when he could presumably have done the same thing on his own, but this was the main driver of all the events so it’s best to just go with it. 3.5 rounded up for some humorous moments and a good ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
The Conspirators is published on July 20th.

I opted to read this because I loved G W Shaw's previous book, and wanted to give the author another go. And on the whole I was certainly impressed by this book, the writing is great, there is a great sense of peril, and you have absolutely no idea who to trust.

It is also filled with characters I felt it was hard to like including Jacob who I just didn't gel with, and I had absolutely no idea who to trust. And at times I felt completely and utterly lost as to who was on what side and whose loyalties lay where.

It's a very good concept and I enjoyed the descriptions of the compound that Jacob was taken too, I was impressed with his translation skills, and seeing how he was coming to terms with the situation he was in.

I also really feld for Vlada, the maid and her backstory did touch me, but then again at times I wasn't sure if I could trust her too. I literally suspected everyone of everything at some point or another while reading.

Certainly for me unpredictable, and it's definitely a good book that I'm glad I read, but at the same time, I think I should perhaps stay clear of books involving conspiracies in the future as I don't really think they are for me. I'm still though curious to see what the author's next book will be.

Thank you to riverrun and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Conspirators is a fast moving and highly enjoyable stand-alone by G W Shaw with all his usual trademark twists and turns that kept me guessing what the actual outcome would be.

Highly enjoyable.

A fast paced and twist filled thriller from the author of the detective Cupidi novels. I liked the protagonist Jacob, a multi lingual translator who takes on an interpreting job for a wealthy businessman but gets more than he bargained for. I will read anything by William Shaw and The Conspirators is an ideal holiday read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A very unique use of a translator as a main character, this book had me guessing what was going to happen next the whole way through. I’ve read a few of G.W Shaw’s books published under his real name, William Shaw, and I was pleased to read this and find that whilst the tone and subject is very different, it still had that underlying charm and style that makes me love reading his books. I didn’t really like any of the characters, and I think it’s a real talent of any author to write a book with unlikeable characters and still make it an exciting and engaging read, which this definitely is. I did find the plot a little complicated in places, especially as the cast of characters is relatively big, but the ending does draw everything together. Using a translator as a main character is very clever as this is someone with a lot of power, yet Jacob is a very ordinary and not at all powerful man, making for an interesting dynamic.

I loved ‘Dead Rich’ by GW Shaw, and The Conspirators follows on in a similar vain. It’s a brilliantly fun read.
The author treats us to a cast of devious, manipulative characters who motives keep the reading guessing right up to the books dramatic conclusion. The setting of a mansion in the Austrian Alps lends an almost James Bond-esque feel to the book.

Another thing that meakes this book stand out from your standard action thrillers is the ‘hero’, Jacob, is a translator by trade, not a super spy. He finds himself caught up in a web of villainy and intrigue, and its almost a case of brain overcoming brawn as the novel pans out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to whatever the author rights next (his Alex Cupidi novels as William Shaw are stunning).

Thanks to Quercus for an early read of 'The Conspirators'.

Following on from 'Dead Rich', GW Shaw has targeted the elite rich again in a rather different tale (although a small boat does feature). Jacob is a translator, not an interpreter. There is a difference. He focuses on literary translation, poems mostly and has a rather unique set of language skills, including Hindi and Russian. It's this that brings him to the attention of Eloise, a forthright Australian who won't take no for an answer when she offers him a job. As a poor translator, the money persuades him rather than Eloise. When he arrives, he quickly discovers that he'd rather stay poor.

The action takes place in a well-guarded and gated mansion in Austria. I started reading this when I was in Vienna and I was hoping for a bit more Austria in the book. In some ways, the mansion could have been anywhere, but knowing GW Shaw, there will be a reason as to why it's Austria.

This is definitely a story where brain triumphs over brawn. Outgunned on all fronts, Jacob has to think quickly and wisely in order to get out of the situation he finds himself in. Although, it's very much a case of two steps forward, three back. I felt his frustration at every knockback. He's such an unlikely hero that you can't help but warm to him.

I'm not sure what GW Shaw will look at next but if you're rich and corrupt - watch out!

The Conspirators book is a complicated story that has Jacob, the quiet translator, unbeknownst to him, at the centre of a huge fraud with millions of dollars involved and finding himself trapped with no way out.

Don't think of this as another thriller you can pick up, put down, and read over time; be prepared to read far into the night and still be perplexed to the very end. G.W. Shaw has given us a fast-moving, well-plotted story with great, nasty, and naive characters. What more could you wish for?

An independent review for NetGalley/Quercus Books.

TRANSLATION, INTRIGUE, ACTION

I thoroughly enjoyed The Conspirators by G.W Shaw.

This book is meticulously researched which gives incredible realism to the conspiracy. I love how integral language is to the plot and the resolution is really clean as well, all the questions I had were answered at the end giving a great sense of closure.

Read this if:
📖 You love language and secret codes
✈️ You want a modern, international thriller
🎁 You like to see all the loose ends tied up

Official summary:
Jacob Meaney makes so little money as a translator that his girlfriend has given up on him. Then Eloise, an Australian digital marketer, appears out of the blue, offering him unheard of sums for a couple of weeks’ work.

Some more thoughts:

📚 Fast paced and full of action and intrigue.

🙋 Character backstory is revealed through the action really seamlessly. The focus is definitely plot but the characters are believable and their actions all make so much sense. I loved how most of the characters are both victims and villains at different times and that there isn't really a 'golden' character.

📍Austria, hyper-luxurious setting, modern day. Current events super well integrated including post-covid world and the war in Ukraine. I also learned a lot about Ukrainian food in this which was unexpected and lovely.

👩‍🎓 Fast-paced and quick. I'd have liked a bit more of the original languages included not just the translation during conversations but that is probably just a 'me thing'

A gripping international thriller that had me totally hooked!

What a novelty to have a translator as a hero of a novel! This is a fun romp with gangsters and an unwitting main protagonist who is accidentally persuaded to work for them.
Jacob Meaney is an impoverished translator and language teacher who is keen to earn a bit more cash as his girlfriend wants him to contribute to the purchase of a property.
When he is approached by Eloise a pretty Australian and offered an interpreter’s job he decides to take the position as the pay is very good, more than he could make translating literature.
He is whisked off to Austria and meets Eloise’s business colleague, Myroslav who lives in a large mansion in the Austrian countryside.
It becomes apparent very quickly that Jacob has bitten off more than he can chew and he is being employed by a group of gangsters who are participating in some very shady business.
His life is obviously in danger and he must work out how to escape and alert the authorities before matters get worse
I like crime thrillers and this was a fast paced and enjoyable read with lots of action. There was also a fair amount of humour and despite a few deaths along the way this was not a particularly gory read!
Jacob was a good hero, he engendered sympathy despite the fact he was too trusting and should have known better than to accept Eloise’s offer.
Apart from Jacob and the maid, none of the other characters were likeable- in fact Myroslav made for a rather two dimensional violent thug with no redeeming features.
All in all a quick and light hearted read which I skipped through very quickly. The end was great- the pace really picked up and it left me wondering whether the author has another book about Jacob in the pipeline.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc.

Young Jacob Meaney, the reluctant hero of "The Conspirators," is a quiet, smart multilingual translator, keen for a dollar because his girlfriend has issued an ultimatum, so when a mysterious rich person offers him a huge amount to interpret between Russian and Hindi over a few days in a remote Slovenian villa, he jumps at the chance. Quickly it becomes clear that he is in the murkiest of waters, and his situation plunges into fraught mayhem with no way out. A well-traveled ex-journalist, turned mystery and thriller writer, George Shaw is blessed with a cunning grasp of plot, lightness of touch in style, and, especially, it seems, an affinity toward throwing ordinary people into impossible situations that bring out the best in them. The action rips along, with the reader forever guessing the next twist in the plot's skein, and the climax clocks in perfectly. A bonus is a fascinating peek into the world of book translation. Seeking a one-sitting entertainment spasm? Look no further, The Conspirators will satisfy.

This is another gripping international thriller from GW Shaw who combines excellent writing with a compelling plot every time. His lead character is a translator who is tempted by the idea of a big payday, money that will help him get his girlfriend back, he hopes.
Instead, Jacob finds himself trapped in a luxury mansion in Europe, subject to the whims of his new employer who seems to be entangled in something that is far from legal.
With a cast of criminals all of whom have their own issues and backgrounds, Jacob has to decide who might be on his side, and who might help him make it home alive.
A great read - will keep you reading the whole way through.

Jacob Meaney is a translator who earns little money. He is offered, out of the blue, huge amounts of money for a couple of weeks work. Too good to be true?

He is unwittingly dragged into a massive crime fraud operation. He meets Vlada who is being held against her will as one of the criminals holds her mother and son hostage.
Can they escape together?
Fast paced, glamorous and action packed.

It started off very well, a poor broke Jacob desperately needs 20K for a deposit on a flat with his girlfriend so when a beautiful mysterious lady headhunts him to do translating for her boss he can’t resist.
Turns out said boss is organised crime leader & Jacob is stuck in Austria in the most beautiful villa but all is not as it seems.
I personally felt a little bit of a dip in the middle and wanted to slap Jacob a few times but all in all a good story with some twists.
Thank you Netgalley & G W Shaw for an advanced copy of this book.