A Stolen Memory

First, I must say I really enjoyed book 1 A Long Shadow.
And thrilled to have had the chance to read the second book in this amazing series.

A Stolen Memory is book 2 in the Antonia Conti Thriller by David Beckler... And a damn good story.

It was so good being back with Journalist Antonia Conti and even DS Russell Chapman and following them on another thilling journey.
The book is so interesting with tons of action throughout.
A heart-pumping, fast paced crime thriller that hooked me as soon as I opened my Kindle.
It's definitely one of those that has you reading faster and way past your bedtime and not wanting to put it down.
Well written, well paced; compelling characters and dialogue...
Another outstanding book by David Beckler

I can't wait to read book 3 A Nuclear Reaction!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Amazon Publishing UK,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Antonia finally got a call from her source to give her information about the rumors she was hearing of the side effects of a drug. The story of the alternating drug for prison guys, to erase memories of their crime tendencies. To find he sold out to another for a higher pay. Someone found out about the meeting and a whistle blower got killed. She further finds there has been other similar accidents like this, and they were being investigated. She’s taking a risk, also putting others at harm if the company found out. Good mystery
GivenARC by Net Galley, Thomas Mercer for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

This is one of those stories that hook you quick and keep you hooked. A well thought out story that has plenty of twists and turns. I found myself getting involved in the characters rooting them on. If you enjoy a long deep who done it, this is it. There are a lot of ups and downs with the main characters, you hope this can't be the end for them, they surely don't stop here,, you have to read it to find out. Well done, can't wait for the next one.

I think there is a good story in here. However, I could only give it a mediocre review. It's the second one in a series, and it seemed to assume the reader was familiar with the first book. Although there are some pieces of the backstory dribbled throughout the book, descriptions of characters and their relationships are not established early on. Simple things like what color hair someone has, how tall they are, their age, or body type are often not provided for main characters as they are introduced. More than once I found myself well into the book revising my mental image of various people. How old is Chapman? Is his concern for Antonia due to a romantic interest or is it more fatherly? He thinks Adam is too old for her, but aren't they about the same age? I'm not sure. All of that is disturbing and makes it more difficult to sit back and enjoy the book. I do understand giving backstory is a difficult tight wire act between repeating a past book and leaving gaps. However, it was lacking in this book. In addition, I found the cast of characters rather difficult to keep straight. People who were barely mentioned suddenly reappear with only a first or last name, and I have to try to recall who they were and how they fit in. What could I have done to make this more enjoyable for myself? 1) Read the first book. 2) Keep a list of all characters. 3) Reread this book now that I have a better understanding. I may do the first. I did not do the second. I doubt I will do the third.

This time there’s more at stake than just her life—now they want to take her past.

Tell me you didn’t read that and think ooh la la.

The synopsis had me intrigued from the get go. Altering the memories of criminals in attempts to rehabilitate sounded unique but also controversial.

The title of the book is fitting and makes sense once you get settled into the plot. Definitely kept me on my toes, and the red herrings were integrated so well that the reader gets fooled alongside the characters.

I think the cover could have been more enticing and gripping but it’s a suitable fit given the story is based in good old Britain – in particular areas of London.

I do like the cloudy atmosphere and the way the title fades away; very clever given the plot of memories being potentially replaced and removed.

GRM is a morally questionably company that runs private prisons. Due to the betrayal and leakage of sensitive information, GRM are able to run a programme where they modify prisoners’ memories. The end goal is to remove the memories that lead to their criminal behaviours but as they lack the full training and knowledge, collateral damage occurs and people begin using it for ulterior motives,

This is when journalist Antonia steps up and starts investigating when rumours after the deathly side effects occur.

This isn’t the first time Antonia has had to look into GRM’s corruption, and as their attempts to silence whistle blowers results in multiple deaths, she becomes more and more certain she is getting closer to the harsh truth.

Along the way, she recruits DI Chapman and makes some new alliances. A battle against time, a threat against life and doubts against the reliability of memories are all obstacles to be tackled.

In the end, we are left reeling to find out if GRM are brought to justice or if Antonia’s teams efforts where in vain.

GRM is a morally questionably company that runs private prisons. Due to the betrayal and leakage of sensitive information, GRM are able to run a programme where they modify prisoners’ memories. The end goal is to remove the memories that lead to their criminal behaviours but as they lack the full training and knowledge, collateral damage occurs and people begin using it for ulterior motives,

This is when journalist Antonia steps up and starts investigating when rumours after the deathly side effects occur.

This isn’t the first time Antonia has had to look into GRM’s corruption, and as their attempts to silence whistle blowers results in multiple deaths, she becomes more and more certain she is getting closer to the harsh truth.

Along the way, she recruits DI Chapman and makes some new alliances. A battle against time, a threat against life and doubts against the reliability of memories are all obstacles to be tackled.

In the end, we are left reeling to find out if GRM are brought to justice or if Antonia’s teams efforts were in vain.

The plot was well crafted. Reading it, you could tell a lot of thought and planning went into the novel.

Everything flowed naturally and no stone was left unturned. The complexity of how the memory altering processed worked was well written and referenced throughout without making the reader feel lost or confused.

Red herrings weren’t cliche and made the reader empathise with the characters. I felt betrayed too!

I always think a good mystery book is able to keep you guessing until the end and fool you at every twist! Especially when no slithers of doubt occur!

It was an easy read and the dialogue felt natural. There was enough description to allow me to imagine what was unravelling whilst maintaining the realistic element to it. The action scenes were *chef’s kiss* brilliant. I was able to visualise it all and root for everyone and wince in agony too.

Character personas’ were well done and their traits aligned with what they said and did.

Honestly, I have no complaints! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan on reading the first novel of the series. I will also be eagerly waiting for the next book because I NEED to know the aftermath.

If I were to be picky, it would have been interesting to see the traitorous lawyer attempt to reverse his wrongdoings and deal with the top dogs he’d have to cross. It was the first time we see him fearful so it would have been lovely to see him all vulnerable after everything he’d put others through…

I really liked this book about the intrigue of highly placed "robber barons" who use their money, status and power to influence everything in their lives, even at the expense of the "little people". I won't mention character names as there are so many to remember, but the main character to remember, Antonia, is the driving force of an investigative publication that seeks to report the news, not the sugar-coated pap we have been conditioned to expect. Antonia is a very flawed human with her own set of skeletons in her closets but who is trying to exorcise those demons. What is the stolen memory? No spoiler here, just be prepared to read lots of facts , some of which seemed to be added for the word count for publication. Don't let that stop you from reading this book. The writing is top notch and the characters are so fully developed as to seem to pop off the page as you greet each in every scene written. The story tended to drag a bit but not enough to keep me from finishing and I did expect there to be some mind-boggling surprise that hit me square between the eyes. All added together, you'll enjoy this read!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Stolen Memory isn’t like other mysteries and thrillers. A unique twist in this tale of crime, deception and betrayal.

This book had me hooked from the very first page. I will admit some areas had me confused as I haven't read the first book in the series and so the backstories were missing from my knowledge of the characters, but nonetheless, it still works fairly well as a stand-alone. I will almost certainly buy the first book as I very much enjoyed the writing style of this one, and the characterisation was realistic and relatable. The story moved at a fast pace, and I like the short chapters which gave the opportunity to take a break. However, often I didn't want to stop reading and just had to go on to discover more of the story. I received the book for free on the promise of an honest review, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it before release, but I became so engrossed that I read from start to finish with nearly 3 weeks to spare. It was disappointing that the ideas that grabbed me on the first few pages (make-up or masks to foil face-recognition software) failed to make an appearance anywhere else in the book, but nonetheless, I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written, fast-paced thriller.

The author has delivered a fast paced and deliciously wicked tale. The characters are well rounded and come across as believable, whether you love them or hate them. This provocative, somewhat dark and twisted story grabs you from the first page and keeps you guessing until the very end! It was so captivating and exciting that I simply couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading future installments in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.