A Question of Trust

Life is not going smoothly for Tom Winscombe. His girlfriend Dorothy has vanished, taking with her all the equipment and money of the company she ran with her friend Ali. Now Tom and Ali are forced to eke out an awkward shared bedsit existence while they try to work out what she is up to.

Meanwhile, Tom has other things on his mind, including how to untangle his father from a cryptocurrency scam, how to break into a hospital in order to interrogate an old acquaintance and what is the significance of the messages he’s been receiving from Rufus Fairbanks’s LinkedIn account.

Tom and Ali’s investigations lead them in a host of unexpected and frankly dangerous directions, involving a pet python, an offshore stag do and an improbable application of the Fibonacci sequence. But at the end of it all, will they find Dorothy – and will she ever be able to explain just exactly what is going on?

This book was hilariously funny. Tom and his Girlfriend Dorothy are just not right. I laughed and actually it was a good read between the humor. Not a book that tried too hard to be humorous. There is a good plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Question Of Trust. It follows on from The Truth About Archie And Pye, which it is probably best to read first, although this does work as a stand-alone book. It’s also better, as Jonathan Pinnock has hit his stride here, I think.

The plot is...well...bonkers, really. But that’s fine, because it’s meant to be and it makes a good story which is also very funny. Tom the hapless narrator, is again caught up in complex machinations which are well beyond his understanding as this time he is in the sights of a group of cyber-currency scammers and amoral master-criminals. There isn’t much point in trying to explain further, but it’s a very enjoyable story which is part farce, part a sort of e-James-Bond, but with a bit of an idiot as its hero. There are witty riffs on bitcoins, Hooray Henrys and other things, and I smiled a lot and laughed out loud several times.

I think Jonathan Pinnock is developing into a very good comic writer. I thought this was hugely entertaining and I can recommend it warmly.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

The first book was really funny, this one is even better.
I laughed out loud and I think this one one of the funniest book I read in the last 6 months.
I think Mr Pinnock is becoming one of my favorite humoristic writer.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Farrago and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Here's another fantastic book from Jonathan Pinnock. First off, don't worry, there's not a lot of math involved, but what is there is fun to follow. The strange yet efficient trio of Tom, Dot and Ali are back solving a new mystery while still consumed to finding out more about Archie and Pye from the first book in the series. In my opinion, this book had even more laugh out loud moments and I can't wait to read more about these characters. It's well written, has a fast tempo and great humor through the witty dialog of all involved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Farrago Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is truly funny book- largely because it does it with humor, not snark! And yes, math is important (as is cryptocurrency) but it's not a problem if you, like me, need a calculator to add. Tom and his friend Ali are trying to figure out not only what his girlfriend (hah!) did with their money. He's also wrapped up with his dad and some other strange things. It's hard to synopsize the plot - just try it and know that you're going to get a clever read. I read and very much enjoyed the first novel (which I recommend highly) but I think you'd be fine with this as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book follows closely at the heels of the previous one but I liked it much better. It is lighter on math but involves cryptocurrency and some remaining unsolved issues from the previous book. It was easier to ignore the cursing in this book because the situations our 'hero' Tom finds himself in, although there was quite a lot more of it in this installment than the last one.

Tom made a couple of allies by the time he took a breath at the sort-of end of his last escapade. The story begins by dropping us right into the midst of a situation that is unexpected, especially as a follow up to the successful survival at the end of the previous installment. Then things get murkier as Tom finds newer things that do not directly concern him but he tries to get to the bottom of (for the greater good and to find missing things/people). I know that this series would make for a very entertaining movie since there are chases, guns and shooting , impersonations and lots of planning. It will take a lot of physical stamina for Tom to come out at the other end, still in one piece. I highly recommend reading the first before getting here because the seriousness that conspiracy theories in Tom's world are dealt with, will make more sense only with the prior knowledge that reading the series in order will provide.

I really enjoyed this thriller. Humor is hard to write well, and pretty unusual in a thriller. Kudos to the author on a well-written story with a good plot and fun characters. Going to circle back to the previous book in the series. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!

Tom’s girlfriend, Dorothy, has vanished, along with all the money and equipment of the company she ran with her friend, Ali. Tom and Ali’s investigations into where Dorothy and their things have gone lead them into some unexpected and dangerous situations, while Tom simultaneously tries to untangle his father from a cryptocurrency scam, locate a missing python, and work out who is messaging him from a dead man’s LinkedIn account.

So, it turns out A Question of Trust is Book #2 in a series. I didn’t realise this, but events from the first book (The Truth About Archie and Pye) were mentioned for context and it became clear very quickly that I’d missed quite a lot. However, although I would say it might be helpful to have read Book #1 first, I think this one also works as a standalone (once you get past the first few chapters).

I wasn’t fully sold on the plot, although I couldn’t tell you why. It’s very fast-paced and there’s a lot going on, but I found myself skimming a fair bit and therefore (my own fault) I wasn’t always entirely sure what was happening. However, I LOVED Tom. He was inept enough to be sweet and funny, but not so much that the whole thing was completely implausible – which is a very difficult line to draw.

Overall, it’s a good read, with a bonkers story-line and some great characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So so entertaining a mystery throw in math and humor a wonderful read .Jonathan Pinnock writes so well is so so funny I will be collecting all his books .#netgalley #farragobooks.

"A Question of Trust" is the second book in a series. I haven't read book one (The Truth About Archie and Pye) but I wished I had before reading this one as I felt I was missing too much to fully appreciate this story.

Life is not going smoothly for Tom Winscombe, whose girlfriend, Dorothy has vanished, along with all the equipment and money of the company she ran with her friend Ali. Tom and Ali are left to manage an awkward shared bedsit existence while they try to work out what she is up to. Tom also has other things on his mind, including how to untangle his father from a cryptocurrency scam, how to break into a hospital in order to interrogate an old acquaintance and what is the significance of the messages he’s been receiving from Rufus Fairbanks’ LinkedIn account. Tom and Ali’s investigations lead them in a host of unexpected and dangerous directions. Will they find Dorothy – and will she ever be able to explain just exactly what is going on?

I thought the plot was marvellous and there was a lot happening, so this book was never boring. Big on humour, "A Question of Trust" was a really great read with an extremely entertaining story-line and some fabulous characters. Rating: 4 Stars.

Jonathan Pinnock plays with mathematical formulas as much as words in the second novel of the Mathematical Mysteries. Rest assure, I know nothing about maths and still enjoyed the whole book. Everything is unusual about this series ! The way the characters work. The pace of the thriller, its "logic", the use of maths.
Like the characters, the reader has to adapt to changes, and smile, learn, or turn the page to go through the suspens, learn somehow about maths and discover that repitlians after all can be almost friendly... Can't wait for Book 3 !

I read this book thankfully to the courtesy of the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Life always seems unnecessarily complicated round Tom Winscombe. Just when he thought things were settled, his bizarre luck strikes again and everything comes unraveled. His girlfriend Dorothy has gone missing, and her company's offices have been cleared out; all the PCs stolen, all the money gone.
Now Tom is having to share a bed-sit with Dorothy's business partner, Ali (not Tom's biggest fan). While she desperately tries to keep their company going, Tom's priority is to find out what's happened to Dorothy. Is it feasible she's run off with the money and equipment? Could someone else have stolen it and be holding Dorothy hostage?
Meanwhile, Tom's father has got tangled up in some cryptocurrency scam, an old presumed-dead acquaintance has re-surfaced, and another definitely-dead acquaintance is sending him LinkdIn messages. Life's certainly not dull around Tom!
So off he goes on another escapade; an innocent caught up in a world of criminal activities and dodgy dealings, with little but his luck to help him. This time he gets mixed up with questionable city types, an off shore independent country in the Bristol Channel, crashing a stag weekend, an escaped python and an unusual use of the Fibonacci sequence - with plenty of dangerous James Bond style stunts (though Bond would probably have pulled them off with a bit more grace and panache). It's hectic, frequently dangerous, sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes laugh out loud slapstick.

As with Tom's previous mis-adventure The Truth about Archie and Pye, it's not a serious, grim Nordic Noir thriller, more 'James Bond meets Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright', or Adam West's Batman without the cape. It could all turn deadly, but it's undeniably fun.

Another excellent comic novel from Jonathan Pinnock. The second in his series of mathematical mysteries, though you can enjoy as a standalone you shouldn't miss the first. It has all the hallmarks of his writing: witty, fast-paced, strong interesting characters, laugh out loud moments and great set pieces. Highly recommended.

Explaining Bitcoins

Well, yes this is a self-contained story, but really, book one adds tremendous depth to the overall story arc. Our hero presents as a nebbishy fellow but finds himself at the core of a bitcoin scandal trying to play James Bond. Murder, mayhem, bad puns, Benny Hill antics, a stag party, chases, gunfights, and plenty of evil villains are littered about this humorous tome.

If the first book was funny, the second one is funnier! If the first book was about Vavasor twins and Euler's formula, the second is about cryptocurrency, Fibonacci, python (the one that hisses), and much more!
I absolutely loved the story! It's super quirky, hilarious and also has some James Bond-like action sequence. And not to forget some mean hacking skills and spies and pizzas!
I highly recommend this book. In fact, if you haven't read the first book, then read that too. Although this book can be read as a standalone, it's better to start with book #1 so that you get a hang of the story and the characters.

Das Buch muss man gelesen haben, man kann es einfach nicht beschreiben - es hat von allem etwas, es ist vor allem lustig und ziemlich schräg.

A deliciously fast-paced thriller that is engrossing and has some great characters. A must-read!

Synopsis:
Life is not going smoothly for Tom Winscombe. His girlfriend Dorothy has vanished, taking with her all the equipment and money of the company she ran with her friend Ali. Now Tom and Ali are forced to eke out an awkward shared bedsit existence while they try to work out what she is up to.

Meanwhile, Tom has other things on his mind, including how to untangle his father from a cryptocurrency scam, how to break into a hospital in order to interrogate an old acquaintance and what is the significance of the messages he’s been receiving from Rufus Fairbanks’s LinkedIn account.

Tom and Ali’s investigations lead them in a host of unexpected and frankly dangerous directions, involving a pet python, an offshore stag do and an improbable application of the Fibonacci sequence. But at the end of it all, will they find Dorothy – and will she ever be able to explain just exactly what is going on?