Free Country – Jeremy Duns

I’m sure you know what its like when you read a book and get so engrossed in it you’re  gutted when it comes to the end, well for me Free Agent was like that. To the point that I contacted the author to ask when the next would be out,

(I’m serious thanks to twitter you can literally send a message to people you don’t know without needing to find their email address first)

I know that there are many of you will know there is always the fear that a new author can’t live up the quality of their first book, that they miss the sweet spot that their first book hit with ease, Don’t worry though this isn't the case with Free Country!

In the first book (Free Agent) -we were introduced to Paul Dark who works for MI6 and thanks to his “flexible” moral code, you more than you think. not only from Larry Dark’s boy with what happens to him.

Its rare that you get a story where the main character takes such a beating, if you’ve read the James Bond books or watch the films you know he’s going to come out of it with a smile a martini (shaken obviously) and a red head on either arm. But there’s no guarantee that Paul Dark is going to survive the chapter! Which makes for a fast tempo book that once you start you can’t help but finish, I know I should have limited myself to a couple of chapters a day but I couldn’t, I sat and fall headlong into a cracker of a story.

When I twittered about Free Country, I got loads of people asking about where they could buy it! After it went on sale fair few of the people got back in touch by email or direct messaged through Twitter to say they loved it. Honestly I’d encourage you all to buy Free Country if you’ve already read Free Agent, and if you’ve not buy them both there will be a 3rd in the trilogy coming next year.

With the quality of the first two the weird thing was when I read both books I “watched” them in black and white –its weird I know but when I enjoy a book its like watching a film… only in your head, I’m sure you ever one who falls deeply into any story like I do understand what I mean when I say the book in your hands vanishes and its like watching it. 

At the time I said that I thought Free Agent didn’t feel to me like a gritty spy thriller which is what I was expecting, It felt more like a 40's era gumshoe/ film noir, It came across as a slick, highly polished and very enjoyable cold war thriller and Free Country picks up the gauntlet and runs with it, its just as  polished and complete a story as the first and lays the fears I had to rest

I did mention at the top that some authors struggle to match their first book Jeremy Duns isn’t one though if you enjoyed the first you will enjoy this the 2nd of the 3 book trilogy,

after finishing Free Country I found I was left with a small nugget of sadness came with the last page, the knowledge that the next book will be the last.

Lastly, when I posted my review of Free Agent I said

“It's a good size, some book's are a little small and holding them gives me cramp in my hand's but not this one, I've not got the hugest hands in the world but they're not the smallest either so a decent size book is a pleasure to hold”

I have to say that both Simon & Schuster and Jeremy Duns have listened and gone the same way with a slightly bigger book, it feels great in your hands and saves you from getting cramp when you read for a few hours at a time,

http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/

http://www.jeremyduns.com/

http://authors.simonandschuster.co.uk/Jeremy-Duns/66095423

If you want to follow Jeremy Duns on twitter go to twitter.com/jeremyduns or @jeremyduns and if you want to follow me on twitter if you check out twitter.com/50bookchallenge or @50bookchallenge