Deadly Intent

DS Penny Britain #1

by John Day

A gripping crime thriller with all the twists and turns you expect from John Day.
The chance discovery of human remains in the concrete foundations of a building and its identity, seem to lead the police nowhere. However, it is the precursor to the most dangerous case DS Penny Britain has Faced so far.
It starts with her investigating the kidnapping of a high-profile woman Lawyer. It leads Penny along a trail of destruction and murder to an unimaginable conclusion.
At the same time, a spate of serial killings point to a murderer seeking rough justice. The forensically aware perpetrator, toys with the police, leaving the ritual amputation of a finger as the only link. Unbeknown to Penny, she is under threat from a cunning adversary, determined to destroy everything she loves and has worked for.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2017

Reviews

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another riveting, fast-paced, action-packed thriller from John Day! It started with a mysterious series of murders, and quickly escalated into the dynamic game between the police in the face of Detective Penny Britain, and ISIS terrorist cell, with sinister plans concerning stolen nuclear weapons. The complicated connections between the investigations, completely irrelevant at first sight, shrewd criminals, and unpredictable situations that Penny has to find the way out of since hers and many other people’s lives depend on that, make “Bent Penny” an edgy thriller, which is simply impossible to put down. John Day proved once again that he is a master of brilliantly crafted action scenes and unforgettable, multi-dimensional characters. Definitely a five star read.

[Louise Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the humour fit nicely alongside the thrills and I'd definitely recommend this author's work in future.

Very impressive.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

When I was contacted by John Day in relation to possibly reading his book in exchange for an honest review I jumped at the chance after reading the book summary – I wasn’t disappointed!

This is the first book that I have read by John Day and after reading this, it certainly won’t be the last – I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style, how the book was laid out in the different chapters, the plot and the characters. Its a fast paced, action packed book with plenty of twists and turns. Definitely my kind of book! Its a fantastic book and I’m looking forward to the sequel – genuinely pleased to have found a new author to me- 5 stars and highly recommended to anyone who loves the crime genre

[Peter Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

I considered myself very lucky to have received an advanced copy of Bent Penny for an honest review and I will honestly say I loved this book. The style of writing was to me brilliant and put down in such a way to make this a very enjoyable book indeed. However I must stress it was not only the style of writing I enjoyed, I loved the plot too. This really is a very exciting book with many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing right until the very end. Also it must be said that the characters who the author has created have all played their part into making this what I would say is a very good all round book that will keep the reader very much entertained for hours on end. And will I be reading any more of John Day’s novels? Too right I will.

[Clarice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great and exciting read from John Day! Bent Penny is full of action and suspense! A high profile kidnapping is given to Penny to investigate but she gets into more than she bargains for. A group of terrorists are somehow tied to the case, which ends up being so much more than routine. All the while the police are also looking for a serial killer. Penny has the worst luck with men. I kind of feel sorry for her really. Well, besides the underhanded dealings she gets involved in. When it comes to that, she made her bed. It ends in a cliffhanger that makes you wonder what kind of trouble Penny will get into next and whether she can right things.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like crime, psychological thrillers that have a twist then this is a book for you. You can suss the bad person but even after you have sussed it, there is still a twist with it and the end leaves you on a cliff hanger as to what Penny Britains next adventure is.
If you get offended by bad language though then be prepared this isn't for the faint hearted.

[Patrick Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm series-ous....

A little more searching (free ebooks John Day) netted me both books in the series. The chapters run together more than "top of the next page, start of the next chapter." Amy's text to speech voice is less mechanical then the others, so I'm less likely to nod off in mid-read.

[Books 'n' All Promotions · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Day very kindly gave me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is the first book of his I have read so I was unsure what to expect but I love thrillers and I like to discover new authors.

Writing this without spoilers is going to be a challenge but hopefully I have done this without any giveaways.

Penny is the main character in this book (the title is a bit of a giveaway) and the author makes a brilliant job of building her character throughout the book. At the beginning she was a person I didn’t much like and and thought her maybe a bit unrealistic but due to John's writing skills she develops into a robust and complex character able to quickly adapt to changing situations by the end of the book I was very taken with her. Penny has a very unique and unorthodox way of doing her job, that usually gives fast results that her peers are unable to comprehend, so she is regarded as a bit of an odd ball with an overdose of 'policeman's gut feelings'.

Another main character is Sam who is a fellow Policeman under Penny's management. Sam is obviously a very intelligent and tech savvy individual but a secretive person that nobody knows very well. The 2 appear to be well matched and have a good working relationship.

There are a lot more characters throughout the book that come and go. All are introduced and 'built' quickly and efficiently.

There are 2 main stories that make up the book that enable the characters to be introduced in advance to appear when required. There is a lot going on with suspense from the first page and an overdose of intrigue. I am usually able to work out where a story is going but with this one I was totally in the dark most of the way through. I won't say too much about the story as it may spoil it for some readers but I found it to be (unfortunately) very realistic with the imperfections in people and organisations that I would expect to find in the real world which was a big plus for me. There wasn’t too much of the 'blood and gore' I find in some books the author managed to find plenty of adrenaline kicking suspense in other areas.

The story ends with a cliff-hanger that has made me mark the release date for the sequel on my calendar. This is one of those books that you can't wait to get to the end but you don’t want it to end.

The book is very professionally written I didn’t find any typos or other faults can often be found in self-published books. I can recommend it to any thriller lovers. I will be reading more from this author (and definitely will be pre ordering the sequel as soon as possible. A much deserved 5 stars

A big thank you to John Day for providing me with the opportunity to discover what I may have never found had he not befriended me on Facebook.

Book 2 in the series is Girl on a String with Book 3, Unlawful Death, to be released soon.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5
This was a bit of mixed bag for me, some things about it I really liked but there were also some things I had issues with.
Firstly, the good. This book is heavy on plot, there is a lot packed into it's relatively modest size. Full of twists and turns, and with enough solid story for two books, the story will have you hooked, and once you get about a third of the way into the book and you think you are starting to figure things out, another twist, and the book takes off in a different direction yet again. That brings me to the second thing I really liked , the pacing. The story takes off like a speeding train, and never really lets up, and as a reader I was happy to be taken along for the ride. The quick pace is helped by the decision to use very short chapters. At first this took a little getting used to, some of the early chapters felt almost like we were cutting from scene to scene in a movie or tv show, but once I got into the swing of it, it added to the drama ,and at times felt like a count down to the climax of the book.
Now for the things I didn't like quite so much. One of my biggest gripes was the dialogue, which often came across a little stilted, and made the characters less real, almost robotic, or as if they were speaking in a foreign language. A little more time spent on this would easily resolve it, so really quite a minor quibble. There were also some passages that I felt were included purely for shock value ,as they added nothing to the story or character development, and actually took me out of the story momentarily. One other thing I took issue with was the describing of Penny as asexual early in the book, as her later adventures would suggest this is not the case, maybe celibate or abstinent would have been better choices, than the more medical asexual.
The character of Penny evolves dramatically throughout the book, and in a lot of ways I view her as a strong anti hero type, which is always a fascinating personality type to read about. Given the ending of the book, I am confident there is plenty of drama in her future, and it will be interesting to see how her character evolves to deal with the situations she will invariably find herself in .

[Beth Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews on The Books Are Everywhere!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Crime thriller is not usually my genre, but I decided to give this one a go, and I'm so glad I did!

The plot...as should be with any thriller, is extremely captivating. I have never read a book with so many plot twists, but everything was so clear!

The characters...were complicated, but interesting. Although I will say Penny annoyed me at times with her heightened sudden sex addiction, I did like her.

The writing...I really liked it! Day makes a complicated plot seem clear and almost simple with his easy-to-read writing.

Something I liked...the writing was definitely the best part of this book!

Something I disliked...only little things. As I mentioned before, Penny annoyed me a couple of times, and I admit so did some of the other characters. The insta-attraction between Penny & Steve did get on my nerves a little.

My thoughts...overall, a very enjoyable read and a perfect on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller. If you liked Gone Girl, I'd definitely recommend this one - I actually enjoyed Bent Penny more!

My rating is....

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

[Joanna Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

BENT PENNY - by John Day

Heroine or anti-heroine? DS Penny Britain has got to be the next biggest, hottest thing! This is bound to get on TV - I know there are more ‘Penny' stories in the offing. Penny is truly original female detective whose lingering bad first impression makes her the most obvious candidate for being overlooked or not noticed at all. In her case it’s a carefully cultivated asset that is very much to her advantage. Unable to detect whether she is straight or gay, because she just doesn’t seem to have a private life at all, colleagues tend to dismiss her. She’s a perpetual outsider and they simply can’t figure her out - and neither can the villains she outwits. Her successes seem to be accidental, but they can’t be, can they?

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open Pandora’s Box

In the midst of seemingly unrelated crimes, DI Penny Britain is under pressure to solve a kidnapping. The husband of the victim mesmerizes her, clouding her judgment.

As Penny is victimized, a dark plot against her materializes, the evidence irrefutable. Will she be able to clear her name… and solve the crimes before it’s too late?

There’s a nice treat at the end of the book. There are excerpts from the Max and Carla series. And good news: we have another Penny to look forward to… Dirty Penny.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

John, your latest book is excellent. The pace is as fast as ever. As a speed reader I tend to skim over descriptive passages, but not with your books. You can’t miss a word otherwise you will have lost the plot where personal problems twist and turn, with public duties weaving complication through chaos. This is not a genre I would naturally choose but I find the way you write absolutely fascinating and this thriller was difficult to put down.

[Hannes Birnbacher]

This is the story of a strong, sharp-minded woman, Police Officer D.S. Penny Britain. More than that, it is the story of strong women, with all their feelings, their audacity, their fears and foibles.

Qualitiy of the e-book is very good. There are almost no errors, and there is a nice,detailled Table of Contents, not the usual "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2" etc. (I still wish there would be a combined one, something like "Chapter 2 - The case of the concrete man". It is easier to remember to have read an important detail in Chapter 2, than something like "It was in the Chapter called The case of the concrete man").
The author also should correct a small legal glitch. He does not allow the E-book to be "stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic (...)", which must be done all the time to download and make visible the content, chargeable or not. The clause is from pre-Ebook-times, meant against scanning a book, printing out and selling bootlegs!

You will notice that my review of "Charm of the Devil" is almost identical of that of "Deadly intent". This was done intentionally. In more than one aspect, both titles should be read and understand together. "Deadly Intent" plus "Charm of the Devil" does not only describe the emotional and professional development of Penny. We also accompany the author into a new (sub-) genre of his, a novel of inner development.

You can see the build-up of the story, the details, the characters during the (until now) two books of the "Penny Britain" series. It starts with a lot of open questions and rather stereotypic characters. There are international terrorists but who sent them? (Yes, they have a known name but those four letters are all we learn about the organisation). What is the structure of the organisation? Why do they hit at that year, at that special moment, against that special country? - Another episode is about members of a cult. What is that cult? How old is ist, who founded it? Is the reader expected to believe in real, occult powers or does the leader of the cult mislead people for his own purposes only?
The author develops with his story, too. For example, in the beginning I had to look up the names several times, because they all seemed alike, until I knew by heart who was the good and who was the criminal heroine. The good one is a beautiful, young, hard working woman (like the criminal one, too). All good beautiful young single women in books have a cat, so this one has one, too, named Holly.
In "Charm of the Devil" there develop, among else of course, a number of sub-stories from the view of the cat. They are priceless! I grinned all the time - and they are so true. "Jill Smyth from admin said what a
delightful house guest Holly was. She had been taking care of Penny’s cat. Holly had already trained Jill to be punctual with meals". Everybody who knows cats knows how realistic this description is.
Penny Britain also gains on details. She starts on the first pages as a brillant but unpopular commissioner with lacking social capabilities. Social behaviour patterns pose an eternal riddle for her. It even seemed to me that in "Charm of the Devil" there was clearly described an autistic overload (" like she was sitting in the middle of a large field. Sounds around her became loud") but the author supplied an other explanation. But why is Penny what she is? How was her education? Is she socially impaired or is she still learning?
Very subtle humourous scenes are developing along the plot. Her assistant complains: "“You never actually said what you were looking for. - “Ah! Ow!” He tripped over a metal spike". - "You just found it I think Clive". Dramatic scenes are not missing either, and in my opinion becoming more and more brilliantly built up.
The extremely bloody and gruesome scenes like at the beginning (which I did not like very much) became less, the dramatic climaxes became better built up and much more vivid.
I came to like the plot and the style. To my own surprise, I was compelled to immediately continue reading with "Charm of the Devil" after I had finished "Deadly Intent". I think we can look forword very much to Book 3 "Unlawful Death" which is promised by the author at the end of Book 2!
Remark: I normally do not award ratings. For the reasons see my profile. Here I gave one to help other smashwords readers find the series, which I believe is quite promising. Please read Book 1 before Book 2.
Remark: I normally do not award ratings of books. If I give five stars to "The Bible" or George Orwell's "1984", how can I give the same rating to a book I liked but which has not become part of our culture, meant for entertaining? But everybody else does so I find myself spoiling the average of the books I like most, giving three or even four stars! So please read the review.