Stone Cold Trouble by Amer Anwar #bookreview

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on Stone Cold Trouble by Amer Anwar on my blog today.

BLURB

Set in the heart of West London’s Asian community, this is the latestinstalment in the unmissable ZAQ & JAGS series . . .

Trying – and failing – to keep his head down and to stay out of trouble, ex-con Zaq Khan agrees to help his best friend, Jags, recover a family heirloom, currently in the possession of a wealthy businessman. But when Zaq’s brother is viciously assaulted, Zaq is left wondering whether someone from his own past is out to get revenge.

Wanting answers and retribution, Zaq and Jags set out to track down those responsible. Meanwhile, their dealings with the businessman take a turn for the worse and Zaq and Jags find themselves suspected of murder.

It’ll take both brains and brawn to get themselves out of trouble and, no matter what happens, the results will likely be deadly. The only question is, whether it will prove deadly for them, or for someone else . . . ?

MY THOUGHTS

I loved Brothers In Blood the first novel by Amer Anwar, but his second book, Stone Cold Trouble, is even better. This is an exhilarating, fast-paced read that will sweep you into the story from page one. You won’t be able to stop reading until you’ve reached the final page.

Zaq and Jags are back. Right away, they are thrown headfirst into a terrifying series of events. In their style, however, Zaq and Jags seem to take it all in their stride. It certainly isn’t something they aren’t used to. Zaq’s brother, Tariq and his friend have been involved in a serious fight and they have both been left fighting for their lives in hospital. Zaq is left puzzled by the events. What would give someone the motive to do this to his brother? What has Tariq done? It’s clear that Zaq isn’t simply going to let this lie low. He wants answers, and he is willing to put himself in danger to get them.

Another storyline which the book focuses on is a necklace which Jag’s Uncle, Lucky, has lost in a gambling debt to a wealthy businessman. The necklace is important to Lucky; it is not only a precious piece of jewellery that belongs to his wife; it is also an important family heirloom. It also has some interesting history. It’s clear that the person who now has it may not be totally aware just how much the necklace is really worth. Lucky asks Zaq and Jags to get it back for him. What they don’t have an idea of is just how difficult this will be.

Stone Cold Trouble is an action-packed book. The chapters are short and snappy as well. I was keen for Zaq to get to the bottom of what was going on with his brother. This is the part where it does get really tense as they both begin to delve deeper. What they soon find out is that the events that ended up putting Tariq in hospital are linked to a wedding. Tariq and his friend had been hired as the DJ’s. But what did they exactly get themselves involved in while they were there?

I think the friendship between Zaq and Jags is what really make these books. The dialogue between them is witty and engaging. You get the sense that they are willing to do anything for each other; even if it means sailing close to danger. They are always up for a fight, and I imagine that this must drive their parents to despair. In this book, you can also see how much family means to Zaq. He is desperate for his brother to pull through and he is also keen to avenge him as well.

Amer Anwar’s latest book is exhilarating and really entertaining. If you haven’t yet discovered his work, then you really need to take a look at his books. Top stuff!

Publisher: Dialogue Books

Publication date: 24th September 2020

Print length: 464 pages

Stone Cold Trouble is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

Brothers In Blood by Amer Anwar Cover Reveal @ameranwar @dialoguebooks

Do I have an exciting cover reveal for you today. I’m delighted to be able to share with you the cover for the debut novel by Amer Anwar Brothers In Blood. I read and reviewed this book last year on my blog when it was previously titled Western Fringes and it was one of my favourite reads of 2017. Now it is being re-published by Dialogue Books, an imprint of Little Brown which I was really excited to hear about. So when I was asked to take part in the cover reveal I knew that ‘yes’ was going to be the obvious answer straight away.  This book is definitely for you if you enjoy action-packed thrillers.

Before I reveal the cover here’s the blurb.

 

A Sikh girl on the run. A Muslim ex-con who has to find her. A whole heap of trouble.

Southall, West London. After being released from prison, Zaq Khan is lucky to land a dead-end job at a builders’ yard. All he wants to do is keep his head down and put the past behind him.

But when Zaq is forced to search for his boss’s runaway daughter, he quickly finds himself caught up in a deadly web of deception, murder and revenge.

With time running out and pressure mounting, can he find the missing girl before it’s too late? And if he does, can he keep her – and himself – alive long enough to deal with the people who want them both dead?

“An engaging hero, a cunning plot, and a fascinating journey into Southall’s underworld. We’ll be hearing a lot more from Amer Anwar.”
– Mick Herron

“A fine debut novel. With his engaging characters and skilful plotting, Anwar brings a fresh and exciting new voice to the genre.”
– Ann Cleeves

 

And so without any further ado here is the cover for Brothers in Blood. Can I have a drum roll please . . .

 

Brothers in Blood is out on the 6th September 2018. And if you would like to pre-order you can do so by following the link below.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amer Anwar grew up in West London. After leaving college he had a variety of jobs, including; warehouse assistant, comic book lettering artist, a driver for emergency doctors and chalet rep in the French Alps. He eventually landed a job as a creative artworker/graphic designer and spent the next decade and a half producing artwork, mainly for the home entertainment industry. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London and is a winner of the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award. Western Fringes is his first novel. For everything else, he has an alibi. It wasn’t him. He was never there.

Follow Amer on Twitter

 

Brothers In Blood by Amer Anwar Book Review

BLURB

THEY’RE NOT BOUND BY FAMILY. BUT A FAMILY COULD TEAR THEM APART.

Southall, West London. After being released from prison, Zaq Khan is lucky to land a dead-end job at a builders’ yard. All he wants to do is keep his head down and put the past behind him.

But when Zaq is forced to search for his boss’s runaway daughter, he quickly finds himself caught up in a deadly web of deception, murder and revenge.

With time running out and pressure mounting, can he find the missing girl before it’s too late? And if he does, can he keep her – and himself – alive long enough to deal with the people who want them both dead?

MY THOUGHTS

This is such a brilliant book; it is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year.

There is action right from the first page, and there are some brilliant, well developed characters. I’m hoping that Zaq and Jags are going to return in a future book as I would certainly like to catch up with them again. There was some exceptional dialogue between them and a good dose of humour which is what made them both really likeable. In fact, I think some of the best scenes were when Zaq and Jags were alone together, they were a pair who really gelled well together.

Zaq Khan has recently been released from prison after serving five years for manslaughter. He is keen to keep his head down and stay away from the criminal underworld. As far as he is concerned, he has done his time and he doesn’t want to go back there. But his boss has other ideas. His boss asks for his help to track down his daughter, Rita, who has disappeared to escape an arranged marriage. Zaq is reluctant to help out but when his boss threatens to put him back in prison what choice does he have? But Zaq soon realises that he has become a part of something much bigger and it may be tricky for him to get out alive.

Brothers In Blood is an explosive debut from a fresh new voice. Amer is a very talented writer when it comes to dialogue and especially the fight scenes. This is one of those books which I would like to see on the big screen, I think it would translate to film really well.

The final chapters of the book really did have me gripping the pages as it raced towards its climax. After finishing the last chapter, Amer has left me wondering what’s happening with his characters now, especially Rita’s family. This is an exceptional debut. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait too long for another book. Highly recommended.

Publisher: Dialogue Books

Publication date: 6th September 2018

Print length: 448 pages

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE