Connected: The Call

by Michelle Medhat

Sam loves Ellie, and Ellie loves Sam. They have the perfect marriage. Only, everything that Sam has told Ellie is a lie, and very soon his world breaks into hers in ways she cannot possible imagine.

Connected: The Call is a fast-paced, unpredictable spy thriller. With every turn of the page, a new dimension is revealed, as you go further into a world where traditional powers are failing and a new brand of enemy has the edge. Who is lying, who can be trusted, and what can be done to stop those who want to take over?

The shifting power-play between governments and international terrorists, where double agents, advanced technologies and brutal actions only seek to mask a deeper fight. In the end, it will be down to control, but those who think they have it are just fooling themselves. Control belongs to another. And this is only the beginning.

For Ellie Noor, an innocent woman who is at the centre of it all, one unexplained moment starts a chain reaction leading to series of events that will change her life forever.

But what isn’t she telling? ... And is it all too late?

Genres: Amazon

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2013

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was definitely not what I was expecting from a spy thriller. I don’t normally read spy books so I was pleasantly surprised by this fascinating book that had nano technology!!

Leading M16 agent Sam Moor has kept his job a secret from his wife Ellie who he adores and has a very strong bond with that nothing can sever!! When Ellie has a nasty experience causing her to scream out loud it starts a disastrous chain of events.

It did take me a while to get into it with all its talk of terrorism which had me biting my nails but then I was totally fascinated by this thriller.

I never expected the sci-fi element but it definitely made this a book I will not forget and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next to the adorable Sam and Ellie.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Garrard Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spy, Sci-Fi and Thriller too… Awesome Page-Turner!
Michelle Medhat takes on and pulls off a Herculean feat by seamlessly merging Espionage, Science Fiction and Thriller genres. I had no idea at the beginning that this husband and wife team that started out having a normal morning would end up fighting terrorists. Very unlikeable and nasty terrorist have a new weapon in Nano Technology and their victims will never see it coming. Mysterious, gruesome with an exciting mix of events makes for a wild ride well worth the trip. Don't miss this well crafted and fantastic debut novel in The Connected series. I already have book two 'The Shift' on my reading list.

[Paul Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Medhat’s debut novel, the thriller Connected: The Call is a sophisticatedly woven tale of Desperate Governments, Terrorist collectives, Nano-technology and one woman’s connection to it all.

The story it is fair to say had me intrigued from the start. The short sharp chapters flick between Whitehall, Washington and Dubai in real time, as the global terrorist threat of the Al Nadir collective threatens to spiral out of control. Best not mention Piccadilly… The terrorist threat is real enough to send a shiver down your spine as you read, and the reactions afforded to the relevant Governments are realistic without being overly stereotypical. The way the collective grow, by offering the slum inhabitants of the world – some 40 million – a way out is genius.

What pulled me in, over everything else though was the attention to detail of the technological aspects. I’m not so naive as to assume that Stealth Suits that render the wearer invisible – for want of a better example think Harry Potter’s Cloak of Invisibility – are in operation, but Medhat certainly made me want to believe it. The Nano-technology was enthralling, the possibilities ‘page-turningly’ brilliant. No spoilers here. The inventiveness in creating a new breed of suicide bomber must have had Medhat researching for days on end.

It’s only fair to mention at this point why Connected: The Call fell a shy ½ star short of the full 5. As much as I loved the chapter style – short and real time – I did find myself back tracking to previous chapters to time check. After reading a chapter it’s not easy to start the next chapter always remembering that the last one started at 5:05am. Other than that I found Ellie a bit hard to take to at first, but she came into her own as the novel progressed.

Suffice to say, Connected: The Call is a thoroughly entertaining debut from Michelle Medhat. With news that Connected: The Shift is only a couple of months away, it’s certainly nice to know that the spy story that gripped me more than any other in recent times is soon to have a sequel.

**** 4 ½ STARS

[Mark Fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

New ground was established for me within the pages of this fast-paced contemporary thriller, and I found it to be exceedingly refreshing. I've become accustomed to the stereotypical secret agent with the morals of an alley cat, seducing opportunistically every vixen between the rat-tat-tat of machine gun fire. In "Connected: The Call" the leading M16 agent, the sexy Sam Noor is passionately devoted to his wife, Ellie Noor. And it is on the strength of this bond that much of the motivation and tension of the plot hinges; it's that powerfully emotional. But the novel is also an indictment of the abuse of power by those in position of leadership, and how those living in the shadows doing the "dirty work" in order to protect us are susceptible to corruption and the distortion of their humanity, whether it be a product of the daily brutality they witness or unbridled power.

In this way the author intelligently provides an almost insider's perspective of an inner world where the "snake devours its own tail"—an action justified by the notion that it's in the best interest of the public, when in fact its career elites and technocrats consumed in protecting their careers. There is a certain florid richness to the writing and I certainly got a sense that the author enjoyed writing the scenes when psychotropic medications were applied during the interrogation "interview" process; these hallucinatory descriptions were both vivid and immersive. Dynamism in the form of the futuristic technologies, such as Nano-technology was added rather convincingly, which contributed greatly to the richness of the story. Somehow Ms. Medhat made it seem plausible, as was her almost prescient characterization of the fictional terrorist group, Al Nadir, a global terrorist enterprise driven by corporate-like ambitions to strangle the world. The ending is a dramatic cliff-hanger, deliberately so, as Ms. Medhat has already written the sequel, "Connected: The Shift"—soon to be added to my reading list.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't do this anymore, and have given up at 27%.
I tried, I really did, but the awful mangling of the English language, horrible characters and plodding plot were doing me in, and when I reach a scene where the "hero" revels in graphic torture, that was it. It's also very long for a thriller - I think it may be two books combined into one as my copy was called What Isn't She Telling, and despite reading for hours, my Kindle was taunting me with 9 or more hours still to read. I don't often give up on books, and it's a shame because the premise and techno-thriller aspects sounded interesting, but with so many other books to read, I feel liberated by this decision. It took me a while to get to this, as it was an older NetGalley "Read Now" but it was fast approaching the 3 month deadline of shame so I had to postpone other choices and get on with it...

From what I got so far, this is about Sam Noor, an MI6 agent who has lied to his wife Ellie for ten years about what he does, until one night she experiences acute auditory hallucinations, freaks out, and he unmasks himself by racing in with a gun. She obviously proceeds to freak out further, surprise surprise. He can't quit his job because a notorious terrorist leading a massive new organisation has developed a nano-bomb capable of turning people into explosive devices...

I couldn't work out whether this was a translation, or if English is not the author's first language, but this is full of frankly bizarre sentences and neologisms, as well as prose that could probably be described as purple, if I knew exactly what that meant. eg the heroine is described as having "beautiful blue grey orbs". I gave up highlighting all the jarring phrases as it was slowing me down even further.

Ellie is completely feeble, while the female antagonist is a psychopathic nymphomaniac, and these are the only female characters that appear. There are classically corrupt politicians and a maniacally evil baddie who wants to rule the world.. this was published in 2015! The science is nonsense too.
The more I write, the happier I am with my decision. Now this does have several high star reviews so if the things I mentioned wouldn't bother you then please don't let my negativity put you off.

Thanks to NetGally for the free copy in exchange for a voluntary honest review.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did struggle at the beginning of this book and had to backtrack a few times as quite a few characters. However, once I had sussed the characters out more (about quarter way through) I enjoyed being able to read from different characters perspectives and found the terrorist threat in the book could be a very real possibility. Strong characters, interesting storyline with some suspense, betrayal and tension. Recommend to fans of terrorist books.
FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

[Elizabeth Horton-Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Connected: The Call” by Michelle Medhat a new terror has arrived. Al Nadir has developed a new terrorist weapon that can change the world. Utilizing high tech methods Medhat skillfully uses language that actually makes sense even a novice can grasp. It’s obvious she did her research because the weapon proposed is believable with the advances in nano-technology. The frightening concepts get the reader thinking. While the complex relationships between Sam and Ellie Noor and Dr. Salim Al Douri and Dr. Sabena Sanantoni move the story along the other characters, from the US President to the British Prime Minister, also play vital parts in the plot. This is a fast paced thriller that is well handled by Medhat’s creative use of dating each short chapter with the date and time. Capturing the present day mood of government dishonesty and corruption it is easy to see her behind the scenes portrayals of politicians and their personal agendas. There is a lot more to this story than just techno terrorists and spies; there is the understory of government officials who will go to any lengths to conceal their more than shady activities. A rollercoaster ride with something for everyone “The Call” is high tension read and part one of “The Connected”. I am definitely looking forward to “Connected: The Shift”. (There are a few typos but they do not in any way detract from this novel.)

[Bree Salyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish

The premise sounded interesting and I wanted to like this book. However, I didn't make it past chapter 2. Not because of the story itself but because the writing was.... confusing? For lack of a better way to describe it. It was as if half the sentences were written backward. Maybe it was translated from a different language? Or maybe it was just me. Who knows. But the flow was very definitely off somehow and I couldn't continue.

[Marla Troyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different for me

I've noticed typos in these e books, if you can overlook those and sometimes rearrange some words you'll be fine.
I'm really tired of terrorists books, almost didn't finish this one.
Didn't care much for the abrupt ending.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you make a cocktail with new ingredience you sometimes discover something delicious. A mix of thriller, sci-fi and intrigue with a swizzle of romance. Great read. Bought 2nd book straight after.

[N · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is plagued by a handful of things that are nearly constant throughout the book. There are punctuation mistakes on almost every page, usually ending a question with a full stop (e.g., Sam looked at Justin and asked, “Where are we at.”). There are grammatical mistakes all over, usually sentence fragments. I suppose this is meant to be some kind of modern affectation in writing, but it’s annoying, distracting, and wrong. (Sam looked left. Nothing. A bird. Flying by. Not a care in the world.) In the last quarter of the book, I noticed an enormous uptick of the silliest, stupidest similes I'd never expected in a book like this. Imagine something like this: “Sam looked with evil delight at Justin, like an eastern box turtle, indigenous to the mid-Atlantic all the way up to the Northeast, who had swiped the last bite of ice cream from a communal ice cream bar at a 1970’s rock concert featuring The Who.” That’s the level of nonsense in these similes and metaphors, and they just keep coming, one after another! I counted three in as many paragraphs in a row, entirely unrelated to each other. Last of all—and this is really unforgivable writing—is the constant head-hopping perspective-switching whiplash. I don't mean by chapter, mind you, although over a hundred chapters feels a bit like the author has ADD. I mean, from one sentence to the next, we know what is going on deep down in Sam’s mind, then Ellie’s. And this is constant and frequent throughout the book. “Sam felt that he couldn’t trust Ellie, but Ellie was worried that Sam was in trouble.” What in the world? Whom are we following here, Sam or Ellie? If we’re following one, we shouldn’t know what the other one is thinking. I’m over 90% of the way through this—heaven knows why I’ve stuck with it—but I doubt my opinion will change by the end, unless something absolutely retarded happens, which is possible. Oh, P.S., describing the person’s tongue as “stabbing” into the other’s throat is about the least sexy way of writing.

[Mimi Davis Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret Games

This is a very intriguing story with lots of "I spy secrecy" ( smile ). The story is fast paced with a steady flow. The characters are very well defined. The plot is something that the reader can almost vision. Great Read.

[Hannah J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just too graphic for me...and I felt like there was a lot of rambling. Maybe just not my personal cup o' tea.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast Action, Futuristic Technology Mixed Plot

This book blasts you with small two or three page chapters - almost like vignettes, one after another without end. You have to keep your wits about you to follow along.

This is a political thriller, a terrorist thriller, a techno-thriller and a spy story all rolled into one book. There is action, double agents, nanotechnology, kidnapping, torture, murder, interrogation, radical new quantum physics weapons, hallucinogens, explosions plus a whole lot more.

There are really three story arcs going on here. We have the evil mastermind and his organization which is successfully trying to take over the world. There is the U.S. President who needs to regain his super power status while defeating the mastermind and will do anything do get there. There is also MI6 and especially Dr. Sam Noor who works for them. Their main priority is to bring down the mastermind. No one is having any real success or making progress. Some small inroads are made, but the evil dudes are smart, and upgrade quickly.

Medhat has a vivid imagination. There are some great ideas in this book. The way the mastermind put together his organization was brilliant. The technology was superb. I especially liked the nanobombs. That was a very nice touch. Those short chapters blasting at you give you a heightened sense of motion and speed throughout the story. The way the spies are written is very credible. When it is all put together it has the same feel as 24 does, where you feel you are under the gun and bad things will happen if you don't do anything about the problem quickly.

The characterization was quite good in this story as well. Since we are dealing with intelligence types who are trained as human life detectors, it is always interesting perceiving dialogue from their point of view. There are some strong characters in this book. Sam and Ellie Noor are very strong and likable characters.

And now the down side:
What I don't understand about the book is why it left the U.S. story arc DOA after 1/3 of the book. It also left the mastermind story arc DOA after 2/3 of the book, and the remaining 1/3 of the book was a paranoid fantasy of some high level MI6 gentleman that runs amok. Does this sound like a tightly plotted book to you? The end wasn't even a cliffhanger (sigh), it was what I call a moment in time ending, where the book just stops. I really hate those endings. I always wonder what makes an author cut off a story at what appears to be a random point. Beats the heck out of me.

The Bottom Line: At the half way point, I was thrilled with the book, it was fast-paced, exciting, and high tech and then somehow everything went off the rails with the last third of the book. I realize this was done for a purpose, and I can see where it is going, but it seems to me like Ms Medhat could not make up her mind about which story she was going to write and got lost somewhere in the middle where things go awry. Either story would have been wonderful, because her writing talents are excellent, but one is better than two.

[Neil Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In sea of clever formulaic espionage novels, Michelle Medhat’s “Connected: The Call” is a breath of fresh air. Not that the book, the first in a series of two, is without action, clever maneuvering, and cutting edge technical elements. It has all that. What makes it different is very humanized and complex characters.


Ellie Noor is a woman in crisis. Not only has she just found that her husband is a high level black ops operatives in Britain’s MI6, but she is hearing voices and experiencing frightening visual phenomena. While her husband fights a world-wide terrorist superpower, Ellie is trying to make sense of the voices and visions that come without warning. Medhat more than holds the reader’s attention with the knowledge of the growing terrorist threat and the mystery of the origin of Ellie's paranormal experiences.


There is plenty of action for those who buy novels that are page turners. But unlike many cut and dried action novels, Medhat is able to establish a strong mood of the eldritch, especially through the character Ellie and her struggles with frigtening but seemingly significant experiences that shake her to the core. She also paints a fascinating picture of Prime Ministers and Presidents, all with their own dark agendas, and all slightly evil in their own way. In this book, the conflicts comes from many directions, creating a complex web of intrigue that builds in intensity.


This is a multi-faceted, multi-genre novel, one that should not be missed by anyone who reads thrillers, science fiction, and espionage. I look forward to the second book in the series, “Connected: The Shift”. Medhat has a great future in commercial fiction and I will expect to see her on one of the bestsellers list in the near future. Bravo!

[Towerbabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violence, short chapters and a large cast of characters work in this thriller

Michelle Medhat tells this intense, complex story with many threads that keep the reader at a distance. Jargon, political - scientific, technological, medical - swarms the prose; the novel reads like a high-brow sitcom, but Medhat handles it well. By this I mean, with confidence. I’m not sure if the jargon is authentic, having no experience of these very specific environments, but her assurance means that I don’t spend time worrying about its authenticity, I just keep reading.

The short chapters work for me (I’ve never understood novels’ tendency for huge chapters). Brief, intense moments strung together create the balance between clarity and mystery that a spy novel needs. Each chapter is labeled with a time and date, helping us to appreciate each jump and the bubble of pressure that the high-powered characters are under.

With these short chapters, Medhat plays expertly with our fear and expectation, using each event and diversion to make the stakes higher for us. By using minor characters roughly, we start to fear for the major characters that we have gotten to know intimately. Extreme violence crops up everywhere, and the next moment, a romantic or sexy scene will counter it, making the atmosphere double-edged...

To read the full review, go to http://www.towerbabel.com/library/107....

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won't read the next one....

Wish I had back the hours I spent reading this book. Once I start a book I have to finish it but this one was a challenge. Lousy writing, far too many typos and grammatical errors. Books shouldn't come off the press like that. Definitely have no interest in reading this author again.

[L. Sengul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Connected is Mission impossible, Jamed Bond and The Bourne series all in one but with a sci-fi twist. You are drawn into the action really quickly and taken on a ride with Ellie Noor and Sam noor. So many twists and turns and betrayal. I was so taken that i had to buy the second in series The shift to read how it all ends!

[marvin shults · Rating 3 out of 5]

A potentially good read

A potentially good read

Too much use of the F word and used out of context. Almost seems like the author had to have a quota of F words to sell the story. I would not waste my time on a sequel.

[Richard Seaman]

This is included with The Shift in the combined novel I'm reading from Michelle, her Author's Cut.