Today it is my stop on the Blog Tour for the relaunch of PHOBIA. This is an introduction to the DS Jason Smith series and consists of 5 short stories and is a brilliant way to catch up with Jason’s early years.
Phobia: Five disturbing early DS Smith cases (DS Jason Smith Detective Thriller)
AN ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTION TO THE DS SMITH THRILLER SERIES.
Available from Amazon
Phobia is a series of five DS Jason Smith cases he worked on before we met him in the first book ‘Smith’. We get insights into what moulded him into the Detective Sergeant we first get a glimpse of in ‘Smith’. Smith quickly realizes that police work isn’t always cut and dry. Justice is not always black and white; there are many shades of grey in between.
My Review
I am a big fan of Stewart’s books they are easy to read and are a little bit different (but I can’t put my finger on why) and I have LOVED every single one. So I was very excited to be reading this book.
I have to say this is an absolutely brilliant way of bringing the reader up to date with the time before Smith became a DS. I haven’t seen this done before we usually get snippets throughout the series that you need to put together or a prequel novella so this was an enlightening breath of fresh air.
I also need to add that I am not a fan of short stories I like a book I can get stuck in to. I usually find that short stories don’t give enough insight into the characters or depth to the story. Here, again, Stewart has excelled himself. Each of the 5 stories is gripping and interesting absolutely no padding these are straight down the line detective stories.
I wont say much about the stories as they are short and I don’t want to spoil them for anyone.
Smith: well he grows and develops in each story and we learn more about his character and history but most of all about him and his unique talent for putting together the clues quickly and effectively. He is a realistic, compassionate character that can ‘read’ people very well and I am looking forward to following his career and personal life.
Absolutely brilliant and well worth the 5 stars.
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English & Drama at three different English Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling and finally ended up in South Africa, where I still live. I enjoy the serene life running a boat shop on the banks of the Vaal Dam. I came up with the DS Jason Smith idea after my wife dropped a rather large speaker on my head. Whether it was intentional still remains a mystery. Smith, the first in the series was finished in September 2013 and was closely followed by Boomerang and Ladybird. Occam’s Razor, Harlequin and Phobia (a series of short stories detailing Smith’s early life) were all completed in one hazy 365 days and Selene was done and dusted a few months later.
Links
Website: www.stewartgiles.com
Twitter: @stewartgiles