Dirty Geese

Dirty Geese by Lou Gilmond

The Blurb

When Chief Whip Esme Kanha learns of the sudden death of the Minister for Personal Information, she bitterly regrets missing his desperate calls the previous evening. Unconvinced by the verdict of suicide, and suspicious that corrupt colleagues played some part in the man’s death, she decides to investigate – but she must tread carefully in a near-future world dominated by technology, where ‘what can see watches, what can hear listens, and what can be followed is tracked’

Meanwhile, Big Tech executive Henri Lauvaux arrives in London. His mission: to ensure the new minister, Harry Colbey, will not prove as problematic as the last. As the West inexorably slides towards an Orwellian ‘Big Brother’ future, Harry Colbey and Esme Kahn join forces in a deadly cat-and-mouse game against political corruption – at a great cost to themselves.

My thoughts

Ok, where to begin. I was hooked from the first page – I will admit I ended up down a rabbit hole of googling political terms, but this only added to the enjoyment. In the end, I had a notepad full of terminology.

Gilmond’s writing style is detailed, descriptive and gripping. I felt like I was invited along to a secret government mission, and each turn of the page was another twist and turn along the corridor of some ministerial building.

The character development is perfection, I instantly liked Harry and although initially I was dubious of Esme’s intent – I warmed to her and found they made the best team. This book contains great characters, and although some may only be in the story for one page – we get a really great glimpse into their personality.

Referring to the ‘Author’s Note’ – ‘Although the characters, companies, political parties, websites and events are fictional – the technology in this book is not, either it already exists or someone, somewhere in the world, is working to bring it into being’ really stuck with me, even after finishing the book. Gilmond did a fantastic job of bringing a topical subject to the forefront with ‘Dirty Geese’, it feels realistic and as the events unfold you find yourself actually picturing the day you see this on the news.

I highly recommend Dirty Geese. Thank you Lou Gilmond and Fairlight Books for a gifted copy in return for a review.

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