January 6, 2018

Blog Tour: Beginnings

Beginnings, Book 1 of Same Face, Different Place

Author: Helen Christmas

Publisher information: Chichester Publishing, February 12, 2012

Kindle Edition, 348 pages

Genre: Thriller

Buy it here: Amazon

From the publisher:

Beginnings is a romantic thriller set in the criminal underworld of 1970s London. Eleanor Chapman is 16. She has no idea her father is employed in a world of organised crime until the day he is forced to go on the run, leaving her at the mercy of dangerous people.

Her life is spiralling out of control yet on the night she plans to escape, she stumbles across a mysterious prisoner. His name is Jake, a rock musician from Holland and he has a contract on his life.

Their daring escape across London eventually draws them into a place of hiding before Jake’s chilling story begins to unfold. He was the one vital witness to a sinister scene leading up to the death of a British MP and now those responsible want him silenced. As two young people, thrown together by fate they develop intense feelings for each other. It does not take long for Eleanor to realise that she will do anything possible to keep Jake alive.

Their tender love bond keeps you turning the pages as they live on a knife edge, desperate to escape London. Will they outrun the deadly enemies who stalk them? Or are the people at the top more powerful than they think?

My review:

East End, London. July 1972. The time where disco reigns supreme and skirts were short but the boots were kickin’. The city is ruled by gangs and thugs. Sammie Maxwell has ruled the East End of London with his right hand man, Oliver Chapman, for years. Despite his heavy involvement in the criminal underbelly, Oliver has raised his only daughter, Eleanor, mostly ignorant of the worst that London has to offer. All of this changes, however, when Dominick Theakston arrives and sets out to take the East End from Sammie’s long-held reign and rule it with fear and terror.

Sixteen year old Eleanor Chapman is just back from boarding school when Oliver reveals the danger gang turf wars have placed them. Her shelter from the seedy underworlds been broken as she is now thrust into the heart of it.

Dominick is cruel and ruthless, single-minded in his determination to get even with Oliver Chapman in any way he can, including through Eleanor. Her great love for her father leads her to reckless decisions and forces her to grow up fast. She finds help in unlikely places; Jake Jansen, a twenty-two year old Dutch guitarist for a rock band, was a key witness to a political assassination and also taken captive by Dominick’s thugs. As she unwittingly breaks all the unwritten rules of gangs, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues across the city. Will she survive?

Beginnings isn’t just a book about gang warfare, it’s steeped in political intrigue and shady government. The levels of corruption and political conspiracy run deep throughout the city and threaten not only Eleanor and Jake, but the entire country.

Beginnings is told from multiple 3^rd person POV’s. It is the first book in a series of British political thrillers where each book takes place in a different decade, beginning with the 1970’s.

Buy it here: Amazon

This review is part of a promotional blog tour for this book. I was given a free copy of the eBook in exchange for a review.

Author Bio –

Helen J. Christmas lives on the south coast of Sussex with her husband. With a love of writing since childhood, she started her decade spanning thriller series ‘Same Face Different Place’ in 2011. Her first book ‘Beginnings,’ set in 1970s London, combines romantic suspense with a hard-hitting conspiracy thriller. Writing is something she juggles around family and social life. Helen is self employed and enjoys running the web design company, she and her husband set up from home. They have no children but enjoy the company of a faithful border collie and a fluffy white cat. Helen confesses to have got most of her ideas for writing, whilst walking Barney along the beach.