Neon by G.S. Locke | Blog Tour

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Neon by G.S. Locke
Published by Orion Publishing Group on 9 July 2020
ISBN: 9781409190479
Genres: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Traditional, Psychological, Thrillers, Crime, Legal, Women Sleuths, Suspense, Private Investigators, True Crime, Murder, Serial Killers
Pages: 416
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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A detective desperate for revenge. A hitwoman with one last job. A killer with both on his list.
Detective Matt Jackson has reached the end. His beloved wife, Polly, is the latest victim of 'NEON' - a serial killer who displays his victims in snaking neon lights - and he can't go on without her.
Unable to take his life, Jackson hires a hitwoman to finish the job. But on the night of his own murder, he makes a breakthrough in the case, and at the last minute his hitwoman, Iris, is offered an irresistible alternative: help Jackson find and kill NEON in return for the detective's entire estate.
What follows is a game of cat and mouse between detective, hitwoman and serial killer. And when Jackson discovers it's not a coincidence that all their paths have crossed, he begins to question who the real target has been all along...

Anyone that has stuck around this blog for any length of time knows that I’m an avid reader of psychological thriller but when a serious crime element is thrown in for good measure, you know I’m anyone’s.  It wasn’t necessarily the twist that I was waiting for that made Neon so good but the devilishly dark narrative that the plot took on from the very first page. Not only is the death of a spouse a traumatic event, but for it to have been a targeted attack by the man you are actively investigating is a blow professionally and personally. 

I greedily accepted the blog tour invitation for Neon like a kid eyeing up the candy in the shop.  The cover, with all its neon attractiveness pulled me in with no effort whatsoever.  I’ve always imagined neon signs and installations that hint towards something a bit more on the darker side.  The illuminous colours providing a competent smokescreen for the seedier activities of human beings.  The serial killer certainly had an inventive way proving that theory accurate.  The synopsis provides us with little titbits but doesn’t give too much away – just the way I love it!

The format of Neon was so different but totally refreshing.  It was like walking into the eye of the storm.  Points of interest were gone, anything familiar were gone but you were powerless to the pulling power that book had over you.  You were disorientated but the thrill had an edge that you couldn’t withstand. 

DCI Matt Jackson is at the end of his rope.  He has been investigating an imaginative serial killer that displays his female victims with neon installations.  Its deeply upsetting and the macabre nature is meant to shock the reader.  Unfortunately, the serial killer’s latest victim is Jackson’s beloved wife, Polly.  This is the catalyst for his dark depression – one that he now sees no way out of.  Life Is grey without her, a stark contrast to how his last memory served him of her.  He doesn’t want to live without her – so he has organised his murder/suicide at the hands of a trained hitman.  Will a new lead make him regret his decision and can he come to a highly unconventional agreement with hitman, Iris Palmer? 

Two incredibly flawed characters, one mourning the loss of his wife and career and essentially his own life and one battling a ferocious illness.  Neon highlighted the unfairness of life and G.S. Locke brought me to my knees with a genuine but bleak prose.  I have only experienced this flow with but a few authors, but Locke nailed the inevitability of life and death. 

Neon is laced with more than a smattering of the dark and disturbing but gives a bird’s eye view of what being human entails.  An intense and clever thriller that is crackling with energy. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After a career in Public Relations, disappearing to Devon, marriage and five children, I came to writing stories later than sooner.

I’m the author of thirteen novels, including ‘Neon.’ By day, I work as an editorial consultant, specialising in crime, action adventure and thrillers in all permutations. The rest of the time I write, hang out with family and friends, practice like crazy on my piano, the aim to play well rather than badly, enjoy my roses, for which I have a soft spot, and love to read with a glass of something chilled in my hand. I also have a weakness for dark chocolate.

G.S. Locke