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Always Adam
How do you stop a biotech billionaire armed with a virus, a vaccine and a vendetta?
London-based financial journalist Spencer Beck is obsessed with billionaire biotech prodigy, Adam Reid, orphaned in his mid-teens when his parents died in a tragic murder-suicide in New York City.
A shadowy informant with MI5 connections promises Beck unfettered access to the mysterious Reid and introduces him to Daniel Flanagan, a retired Big Apple detective who investigated the deaths of Adam’s mother and father.
Spencer’s initial scepticism, fed by the suspicions of the former police officer, turns to excitement when Reid reveals the truth about himself and his altruistic ambitions to protect society from a deadly virus with a powerful vaccine he’s developed.
But when Beck’s entire world starts to implode, he discovers Reid harbours a vendetta that, left unchecked, threatens not only his survival but that of an entire species.
London-based financial journalist Spencer Beck is obsessed with billionaire biotech prodigy, Adam Reid, orphaned in his mid-teens when his parents died in a tragic murder-suicide in New York City.
A shadowy informant with MI5 connections promises Beck unfettered access to the mysterious Reid and introduces him to Daniel Flanagan, a retired Big Apple detective who investigated the deaths of Adam’s mother and father.
Spencer’s initial scepticism, fed by the suspicions of the former police officer, turns to excitement when Reid reveals the truth about himself and his altruistic ambitions to protect society from a deadly virus with a powerful vaccine he’s developed.
But when Beck’s entire world starts to implode, he discovers Reid harbours a vendetta that, left unchecked, threatens not only his survival but that of an entire species.
- GenresThriller
286 pages, Hardcover
Published November 30, 2020
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10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2021
Take one part brilliant-scientist-gone-rogue, one part revenge-thriller, and one part snarky-narrator-with-everything-to-lose, mix them together, and you’ll get Always Adam.
From the start, I loved the writer’s voice. Spencer Beck’s voice reminds me of a noir antihero combined with a tinge of Tom Sawyer: simultaneously cynical and guileless, skeptical and eager.
By the end of the first chapter, I was completely hooked, reeled in, and ready to eat or be eaten by this story. It ate my plans for the day, that’s for certain. I couldn’t stop reading.
Things keep getting worse and worse for Spencer. First he isn’t on the guest list to Adam’s party (though the mysterious MI5-connected Simon assured him that he was). Adam’s nasty valet damages his Porsche. Later he finds the car stolen and dumped outside the pub where he had a pint or two. Then he winds up in jail overnight for DUI. And Simon keeps breaking into his apartment to leave things–a burner phone, tickets, whatever he needs to investigate Adam Reid. Each time this happens, the creepy-factor increases, and it’s unnerving for both Spencer and the reader. The guy can’t get a break. He seems to be at the mercy of an all-powerful person, but who is Simon?
And then ex-cop Daniel Flanagan arrives. Flanagan recounts the story of Adam’s parents’ murder-suicide. It was a gruesome scene. The forensic details about the murder ring true to me, though I’m not an expert. Flanagan is just as fascinating a character as Spencer. In some ways, he appears to be the cliched ex-cop: alone, bitter, haunted by what he did or left undone on this case. But Brumby gives this character a good deal of depth, too.
Spencer isn’t certain he can trust the words of an embittered ex-cop with a tainted record. But if what Flanagan says about Adam Reid is true, it’s a huge story. A career-making story–or a career-ending one. Spencer, badly in need of a breakthrough in his journalistic career, can’t resist the siren call of the story. He has to investigate. If that means Flanagan tags along, so be it. I enjoyed watching them learning to trust each other.
Brumby continually raises the stakes, creating a situation that the journalist and ex-cop find increasingly difficult to navigate. Questions pile up. The more Spencer investigates, the closer he comes to Adam Reid. Adam has a cult-like following among his investors. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. It’s simultaneously amusing and alarming to watch Spencer try to fake it until he makes it. Only this is a deadly game, and faking it might mean he doesn’t make it.
The story races forward, particularly after Spencer arrives in New York City. Even when the “action” is mostly dialogue, Brumby uses the combination of setting (an eerily-deserted American Museum of Natural History), characters, and dialogue to heighten the tension to an almost unbearable level. (Fiction writers, take note!) The denouement is a bit ambiguous, though. Spencer and the reader never receive answers to every question.
All the same, it’s a fitting end. Brumby forces us to think about how humans try to advance their world through science and forces us to grapple with the questions for ourselves. Always Adam is a thought-provoking thriller that shows the consequences and costs of these scientific achievements. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes techno-thrillers.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
From the start, I loved the writer’s voice. Spencer Beck’s voice reminds me of a noir antihero combined with a tinge of Tom Sawyer: simultaneously cynical and guileless, skeptical and eager.
By the end of the first chapter, I was completely hooked, reeled in, and ready to eat or be eaten by this story. It ate my plans for the day, that’s for certain. I couldn’t stop reading.
Things keep getting worse and worse for Spencer. First he isn’t on the guest list to Adam’s party (though the mysterious MI5-connected Simon assured him that he was). Adam’s nasty valet damages his Porsche. Later he finds the car stolen and dumped outside the pub where he had a pint or two. Then he winds up in jail overnight for DUI. And Simon keeps breaking into his apartment to leave things–a burner phone, tickets, whatever he needs to investigate Adam Reid. Each time this happens, the creepy-factor increases, and it’s unnerving for both Spencer and the reader. The guy can’t get a break. He seems to be at the mercy of an all-powerful person, but who is Simon?
And then ex-cop Daniel Flanagan arrives. Flanagan recounts the story of Adam’s parents’ murder-suicide. It was a gruesome scene. The forensic details about the murder ring true to me, though I’m not an expert. Flanagan is just as fascinating a character as Spencer. In some ways, he appears to be the cliched ex-cop: alone, bitter, haunted by what he did or left undone on this case. But Brumby gives this character a good deal of depth, too.
Spencer isn’t certain he can trust the words of an embittered ex-cop with a tainted record. But if what Flanagan says about Adam Reid is true, it’s a huge story. A career-making story–or a career-ending one. Spencer, badly in need of a breakthrough in his journalistic career, can’t resist the siren call of the story. He has to investigate. If that means Flanagan tags along, so be it. I enjoyed watching them learning to trust each other.
Brumby continually raises the stakes, creating a situation that the journalist and ex-cop find increasingly difficult to navigate. Questions pile up. The more Spencer investigates, the closer he comes to Adam Reid. Adam has a cult-like following among his investors. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. It’s simultaneously amusing and alarming to watch Spencer try to fake it until he makes it. Only this is a deadly game, and faking it might mean he doesn’t make it.
The story races forward, particularly after Spencer arrives in New York City. Even when the “action” is mostly dialogue, Brumby uses the combination of setting (an eerily-deserted American Museum of Natural History), characters, and dialogue to heighten the tension to an almost unbearable level. (Fiction writers, take note!) The denouement is a bit ambiguous, though. Spencer and the reader never receive answers to every question.
All the same, it’s a fitting end. Brumby forces us to think about how humans try to advance their world through science and forces us to grapple with the questions for ourselves. Always Adam is a thought-provoking thriller that shows the consequences and costs of these scientific achievements. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes techno-thrillers.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
November 28, 2020
Always Adam was a book that intrigued me from the moment that I read the blurb, and yet it is still a book that caught me by surprise in the most unexpected ways.
Brumby is a fantastic writer, but where he really shines through is in the dialogue between the characters because it is so well written that it feels as though you are there listening to the conversation as it happens. The characters are well fleshed out, and each one had a unique voice and viewpoint that brought a different element to the story, and I particularly enjoyed how Flanagan and Spencer played off one another. Spencer, I felt made for a fascinating character and getting to experience everything alongside him really brought him to life. However, it was the character of Adam – both the one that we got to experience through the beginning and middle, through information and the viewpoint of others and then the one that Spencer interacted with – who really caught my attention. There were so many twists and turns around his character, and his part in the story, and while he was unpredictable and certainly not a ‘likeable’ character in most regards, he was fascinating.
The tension and sense of danger were threaded throughout the story, escalating as we got closer and closer to the edge, and Always Adam was one of those books that you can literally breathe in the uncertainty and suspense, and whereas as soon as you think you’ve connected some of the dots, the story twists in ways that you could never predict and yet make perfect sense. Brumby has written a gripping thriller, with twists and turns, and a building sense of suspense that crescendos with an ending, that doesn’t necessarily give you all the answers, but which was perfect how it was. The ending was fraught and unexpected, and my heart was in my throat as we raced towards the finale, and I was left, heart-pounding and yet wonderfully satisfied at the same time.
Always Adam is a book that demands attention because it is clever, relevant and while there are parts that incredibly complex, it is well worth the effort to untangle because this is a story that packs a punch. It is incredibly impactful when read within the context of the current circumstances, and with the questions that it brings to the surface. A gripping book that will consume your thoughts both while you read it and afterwards, and one I would definitely recommend.
Brumby is a fantastic writer, but where he really shines through is in the dialogue between the characters because it is so well written that it feels as though you are there listening to the conversation as it happens. The characters are well fleshed out, and each one had a unique voice and viewpoint that brought a different element to the story, and I particularly enjoyed how Flanagan and Spencer played off one another. Spencer, I felt made for a fascinating character and getting to experience everything alongside him really brought him to life. However, it was the character of Adam – both the one that we got to experience through the beginning and middle, through information and the viewpoint of others and then the one that Spencer interacted with – who really caught my attention. There were so many twists and turns around his character, and his part in the story, and while he was unpredictable and certainly not a ‘likeable’ character in most regards, he was fascinating.
The tension and sense of danger were threaded throughout the story, escalating as we got closer and closer to the edge, and Always Adam was one of those books that you can literally breathe in the uncertainty and suspense, and whereas as soon as you think you’ve connected some of the dots, the story twists in ways that you could never predict and yet make perfect sense. Brumby has written a gripping thriller, with twists and turns, and a building sense of suspense that crescendos with an ending, that doesn’t necessarily give you all the answers, but which was perfect how it was. The ending was fraught and unexpected, and my heart was in my throat as we raced towards the finale, and I was left, heart-pounding and yet wonderfully satisfied at the same time.
Always Adam is a book that demands attention because it is clever, relevant and while there are parts that incredibly complex, it is well worth the effort to untangle because this is a story that packs a punch. It is incredibly impactful when read within the context of the current circumstances, and with the questions that it brings to the surface. A gripping book that will consume your thoughts both while you read it and afterwards, and one I would definitely recommend.
November 27, 2020
I absolutely love discovering new authors and Mark Brumby is certainly a new author for me. I read the synopsis for ‘Always Adam’ and it certainly sounded like an intriguing sort of read. So without further ado, I grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for the afternoon. I really enjoyed reading ‘Always Adam’ but more about that in a bit.
I must be honest and say that ‘Always Adam’ was a little way out of my comfort zone with all the talk of biotech and the like. Me and technology do not best friends make. I soon got over my fear of biotech and then began enjoying the story. To say that reading ‘Always Adam’ became addictive is a huge understatement. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would read far more than a couple of chapters. I lost all track of time whilst reading this book and I was staggered when I looked up to check how long I had been reading for, only to see that I had been reading for two solid hours. I seemed to race through the story at a rate of knots.
‘Always Adam’ is well written. The author knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into what proves to be a thrilling read with more twists and turns than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. This was one of those books that gripped me from start to finish, kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. At times I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘Always Adam’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading much more from Mark Brumby in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.
I must be honest and say that ‘Always Adam’ was a little way out of my comfort zone with all the talk of biotech and the like. Me and technology do not best friends make. I soon got over my fear of biotech and then began enjoying the story. To say that reading ‘Always Adam’ became addictive is a huge understatement. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would read far more than a couple of chapters. I lost all track of time whilst reading this book and I was staggered when I looked up to check how long I had been reading for, only to see that I had been reading for two solid hours. I seemed to race through the story at a rate of knots.
‘Always Adam’ is well written. The author knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into what proves to be a thrilling read with more twists and turns than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. This was one of those books that gripped me from start to finish, kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. At times I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘Always Adam’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading much more from Mark Brumby in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.
December 1, 2020
Mark Brumby has brilliant research skills. Always Adam is full of scientific knowledge that Brumby has eeked out into a delightful tale of intrigue and the impossible.
My first take of this novel was that it was absolute genius. The thrills begin right away and never stop coming. When I got to the first part with Adam as the narrator I felt like this was the most ludicrous book I have ever come across. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the storyline becomes over the top with ridiculous ideations.
But, after that first initial shock, Brumby did something that I didn’t think was possible, and he brought me back in. I got sucked into the story, where the ridiculous was still just as unbelievable, but it all seems plausible the further you read.
I will be honest and tell you that I only read this book to be helpful to Emma when someone else backed out of the tour. I had no interest in this novel from the blurb, but I am delighted that I chose to read it. The novel is entertaining and makes you believe the impossible is real.
A work of fiction like this is rare, and I haven’t had this feeling in some time. With that, I am pleased to award Always Adam 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantastical thrillers.
I received a complimentary digital copy of Always Adam in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My first take of this novel was that it was absolute genius. The thrills begin right away and never stop coming. When I got to the first part with Adam as the narrator I felt like this was the most ludicrous book I have ever come across. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the storyline becomes over the top with ridiculous ideations.
But, after that first initial shock, Brumby did something that I didn’t think was possible, and he brought me back in. I got sucked into the story, where the ridiculous was still just as unbelievable, but it all seems plausible the further you read.
I will be honest and tell you that I only read this book to be helpful to Emma when someone else backed out of the tour. I had no interest in this novel from the blurb, but I am delighted that I chose to read it. The novel is entertaining and makes you believe the impossible is real.
A work of fiction like this is rare, and I haven’t had this feeling in some time. With that, I am pleased to award Always Adam 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantastical thrillers.
I received a complimentary digital copy of Always Adam in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
December 4, 2020
Always Adam by Mark Brumby has a synopsis that made me curious immediately. A story about biotechnology that I would not have thought I would have understood...never mind enjoyed!
Well, enjoy is a bit of an understatement, I got caught up in the story and was at the end before I even realised. A book that is action packed with all sorts. So many twists and turns and conversations that are on the darker side of life.
We meet a financial journalist, Spencer Beck, who’s on an obsessive mission to understand an infamous billionaire whose parents were killed in a murder- suicide when he was a teen. Then the story just unravels from there and wow, what a story. The author has created scenes and characters that are so vivid and memorable that I just need to keep on reading to see how it all panned out.
I love a story that hooks me immediately and Always Adam did just that. It is a dark, very twisty story and not short on keeping me curious. A great book with surprises aplenty too. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy an immersive, intriguing read that never stops with the action.
Thanks to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and Mark Brumby for the copy of Always Adam for my review today.
Well, enjoy is a bit of an understatement, I got caught up in the story and was at the end before I even realised. A book that is action packed with all sorts. So many twists and turns and conversations that are on the darker side of life.
We meet a financial journalist, Spencer Beck, who’s on an obsessive mission to understand an infamous billionaire whose parents were killed in a murder- suicide when he was a teen. Then the story just unravels from there and wow, what a story. The author has created scenes and characters that are so vivid and memorable that I just need to keep on reading to see how it all panned out.
I love a story that hooks me immediately and Always Adam did just that. It is a dark, very twisty story and not short on keeping me curious. A great book with surprises aplenty too. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy an immersive, intriguing read that never stops with the action.
Thanks to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and Mark Brumby for the copy of Always Adam for my review today.
November 24, 2020
Jeeeez!! What an absolute whirlwind of an experience! I never knew I needed a book about biotechnology in my life, but this has just blown my mind. A book filled with clever twists, dark conversations, action-packed scenes and one repulsive billionaire you really wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of…
This book went beyond any expectation I had and completely knocked me off balance! The synopsis intrigued me straight away, but the actual plot was quite a surreal experience. Characters are so memorable, some even make you think twice at times, and the twists later on in the book will leave you completely speechless, guaranteed! This author is definitely one I’ll be keeping an eye on in future, and if you love a book you can really get your teeth into over a day or two, this one has to be on your TBR list. Such a gripping book, no doubt about it! I’ll definitely be recommending.
This book went beyond any expectation I had and completely knocked me off balance! The synopsis intrigued me straight away, but the actual plot was quite a surreal experience. Characters are so memorable, some even make you think twice at times, and the twists later on in the book will leave you completely speechless, guaranteed! This author is definitely one I’ll be keeping an eye on in future, and if you love a book you can really get your teeth into over a day or two, this one has to be on your TBR list. Such a gripping book, no doubt about it! I’ll definitely be recommending.
December 3, 2020
This was the first book I've read by Mark Brumby. "Always Adam" was an intriguing read about biotechnology that will draw you in. This action thriller has twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. You will get lost in the storyline and characters without realizing how much time has past. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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November 29, 2020Please see blog for [K]'s review:
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December 11, 2020
This is such a good read.
To combine the worlds of journalism, finance and biotechnology into a fast paced thriller takes real skill. Mark Brumby has a fluid style that provides insights into what can be challenging areas but makes them clear, engaging and provides surprises to the end.
To combine the worlds of journalism, finance and biotechnology into a fast paced thriller takes real skill. Mark Brumby has a fluid style that provides insights into what can be challenging areas but makes them clear, engaging and provides surprises to the end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews