THE REBEL SON by Andy Maslen

5*, despite a puzzling and misleading -deliberately so? - title. 

This is a book I've been waiting for with huge impatience since the last Kat Ballantyne tale ended. It opens with a banger and ends with one, too, although I'm not sure how the latter ties in with what comes next. There's the vaguest connection with Kat's dad, who came across as half-decent due to banger#1, then seemed to have reverted to his underhand dealings again just before banger#2.

The storyline itself is non-stop, calling out sportswashing; the death of the journalist Kashoggi; the Saudi involvement in the latter and how it's all been brushed under the carpet, because of money, money, money. And corruption. And greed. And 'the bigger picture'. Kudos to Andy Maslen and Thomas and Mercer for going there. 

The storyline was decent. The suspects were plentiful. The infighting of the various parts of the UK's security services/police/Met was entertaining, although I also wanted to smack a couple of characters. Carve-up's oneupmanship attempts were smacked down time and time again by a female with balls bigger than his, although she didn't play well with Kat. There was quite a lot of bitching and dissing that seemed like it'd happen IRL.

I'm not sure about, though, and don't think I like where the author is taking Kat and the coroner/pathologist character. Dreaming about him, fantasising about him, saying his name in her sleep, feeling things are off with Van, gives me a bit of tummy ache. She's got a good thing going with Van and Reilly, and she's a fool if she has an affair, as well as a hypocrite, seeing that she despises her dad for his cheating. I think if she does, that'll be the last book about her I'll read. 

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my reading pleasure. 


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