Monday 28 November 2022

King Rat - Alex Smith - DCI Kett Crime Thrillers Book 11.0

King Rat
DCI Kett Crime Thrillers Book 11.0
ISBN 9781913877101
ASIN B0B5TX43JH


I had pre-ordered the eBook for this, so it dropped to my devices on release day. And I started reading it first thing that morning. I devoured this volume over 3 days. It was hard to put down. Now it was not as fast paced as some of the other Kett novels. And really not as violent or gruesome. The description of this instalment in the Kett saga is:

“When you find yourself in hell, it pays to be a Devil.

DCI Kett’s worst nightmares have finally come true, the mysterious group known as Hollenbeck have resurfaced. After being violently abducted, Kett wakes inside a labyrinthine warehouse with no apparent way out—a warehouse rigged with deadly traps.

And he’s not alone in here.

Forced to become a rat in a maze, Kett must use every skill he has if he wants to escape. But there is a far greater price to pay if he ever wants to see his family again.

On the outside, DI Porter, DC Savage and PC Aaron Duke face a race against time to locate Kett before it’s too late. But Hollenbeck are smart, and this case may prove too much even for the Extreme Crime Task Force.

Because Kett is in hell, and he’s about to come face to face with the greatest evil of them all...”

I started this book the day it released, and even though it was a very busy week at work I ripped through it in a few days. I could not put it down. All of the Kett books are dark, and somewhat disturbing British Crime Thrillers, but this one takes it to a completely different level. Kett has been taken, and his new team the Norfolk Constabulary’s Extreme Crime Task Force, are doing everything they can to find him. Kett wakes up in a maze, and while working his way through the maze he encounters others who were drugged and found themselves there as well. Billy is beside herself. And Kett realizes it is some sort of test or gauntlet. It is another great story an intense series. There are a few twists in this tale and somethings very much unexpected. 

If you have been fallowing the saga of DCI Kett this book is a must read. If you happen to be a fan of rough and tough action you will almost certainly enjoy this novel. And the other books in the series. This is the eleventh of the DCI Kett stories that I have read, the tenth novel, Kett has also made a brief appearance in The Harder They Fall, the first of the Softley Series of books. But back to this volume.

This one is much more of a procedural crime thriller, as they team works clues and tries to track down Kett. Norman Balls wants in on the investigation, and even takes Billy under his wing. And using skill, cunning and just a bit of luck Kett just might survive. Can they team put it all together in time? 

This is another dark and gritty crime thriller from the pen of Alex Smith. About the author we are informed that:

“Alex Smith wrote his first book when he was six. It wasn’t particularly good, but it did have some supernatural monsters in it. His latest books, the DCI Robert Kett thrillers, have monsters in it too, although these monsters are very human, and all the more terrifying for it. In between these two books he has published thirteen other novels for children and teenagers under his full name, Alexander Gordon Smith—including the number one bestselling series Escape From Furnace, which is loved by millions of readers worldwide and which is soon to become a motion picture. He lives in Norwich with his wife and three young daughters.”

My introduction to Smith’s works were The Furnace novels many years ago. I have not read everything he has published but much of it. And they are always edge of your seat thrillers. I still hope that someday he will finally release book 2 is the Softley Softley Series, but until then I am thankful for another read in this dark and disturbing series. For some the Kett stories will be the things of nightmares, for others a look at the underside of society. But no matter how you read them they are crime thrillers with a lot of action, great characters and often a lot of violence! And this one has several surprising twists!

Mystery Books as Alex Smith:

Softley Softley Series:
2.0 Hard Luck House
...

DCI Kett Series:
2.0 Bad Dog
3.0 Three Little Pigs

Books By Alexander Gordon Smith:
Escape from Furnace:
Lockdown

Solitary
Death Sentence
Fugitives 
Execution
Execution Epilogue - Short Story
The Night Children - Short Story


Fury Series:
The Fury
The Storm

The Inventors:
The Inventors
The Inventors And The City of Stolen Souls

Non-Fiction:
1001 Questions and Answers
Inspired Creative Writing: 52 Brilliant Ideas from the Master Wordsmiths
The Solar System
Family Quiz
Writing Bestselling Children's Books: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Inspiring Young Readers













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