Blog Tour – Smile Of The Stowaway by Tony Bassett

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour For Smile Of The Stowaway. Thanks to the author, Publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part along side the other fab bloggers on the tour! I was provided with a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

About the Book

A married couple, a stranger from far away and a murder that rocks their lives. Desperate to reach England, a bedraggled immigrant clings precariously beneath a couple’s motor home as they cross the Channel. Once holidaymakers Bob and Anne overcome their shock at his discovery and their initial reservations, they welcome the friendly stranger into their home in defiance of the law. But their trust is stretched to the limit when the police accuse the smiling twenty-three-year-old of a gruesome murder. Could this man from six thousand miles away be guilty? Or is the real killer still out there?

Former national newspaper journalist Tony Bassett tells how Anne turns detective, battling against a mountain of circumstantial evidence and police bungling to discover the truth.

This gripping first novel concerning a death in a remote Kentish country cottage is packed with mystery, suspense and occasional touches of humor.

Dark Reads Review

I do enjoy an classic style ‘who done it’ type of story, Smile Of The Stowaway was certainly that.

The book is told in the first person, from the point of view of Bob which is another plus for me, I always feel this gives a better insight into the characters.

I don’t feel there was too much back story on our characters but there was enough inner monologue throughout to make a connection. Bob and Anne were both likable characters (even if Anne is a bit of a know all) I did however picture them as couple in their 50’s when in fact they were in their 30’s.

My favourite character was Yousif, I felt he was the most well rounded and intriguing.

This book was nicely paced and flowed really well. I really enjoyed the relevance of the subject matter too. I liked the moral dilemma, the way relationships developed and how this was portrayed through Yousef, Anne and Bob.

As I said before I love a murder mystery and I was kept guessing through to the very end on who the murderer was, Bassett left a nice trail of breadcrumbs for Anne to follow and I was certainly page turning to find out what she would discover next!

Only one little niggle from me, when I am reading a crime story I like it to feel as authentic as possible, I struggled a little bit with a civilian turning detective/vigilante and obtaining evidence, sometimes by illegal means. I’m just not sure how admissible that kind of evidence would be or how well received this would be by the police force in reality. Hey I may be wrong, that’s just how I felt.

Overall this was a nice fast paced crime thriller, a gruesome murder, Stowaways, People traffickers and drug dealers, if like me you enjoy a murder mystery, I would definitely recommend you pick up a copy of this one!

You can order a copy here

About The Author

Tony Bassett, who was born in West Kent, grew up wanting to be a writer from the age of nine when he edited a school magazine.

After attending Hull University where he won a `Time-Life’ magazine student journalism award, he spent six years working as a journalist in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff before moving to Fleet Street. Tony spent 37 years working for the national press, mainly for the `Sunday People’ where he worked both for the newsdesk and the investigations department. He helped cover the Jeremy Thorpe trial for the `Evening Standard’, broke the news in the `Sun’ of Bill Wyman’s plans to marry Mandy Smith and found evidence for the `Sunday People’ of Rod Stewart’s secret love child. On one occasion, while working for `The People’, he took an escaped gangster back to prison.

His first book, `Smile Of The Stowaway’, is one of four crime novels Tony has written over the past three years.  He has five grown-up children and eleven grandchildren.  He lives in South East London with his partner, Lin.

You can check out Tony’s Website here and follow him on Twitter and Facebook