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The Foundling: Sex, Lies and Swimming Naked
Abduction, torture, murder. Sex, lies and swimming naked.
By agreeing to work for a new client, who claims she’s a police detective, Jonathan Miller sets in motion a sequence of catastrophic events which result in devastating consequences, both for himself and his family.
He joins forces with an old adversary. A man he’s terrified of, yet, when you’re backed in to a corner, this man can always find a way to get you out alive. Together they attempt to solve the brutal assassination of a young woman. In doing so they uncover secrets which have been hidden away for decades. Secrets involving some of the most powerful people in the world.
Hold tight for a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Captivating, unpredictable and shocking.
By agreeing to work for a new client, who claims she’s a police detective, Jonathan Miller sets in motion a sequence of catastrophic events which result in devastating consequences, both for himself and his family.
He joins forces with an old adversary. A man he’s terrified of, yet, when you’re backed in to a corner, this man can always find a way to get you out alive. Together they attempt to solve the brutal assassination of a young woman. In doing so they uncover secrets which have been hidden away for decades. Secrets involving some of the most powerful people in the world.
Hold tight for a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Captivating, unpredictable and shocking.
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2019
About the author
Angie Smith
6 books57 followersAngie Smith was born in Doncaster and educated at Huddersfield University where she graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Education and Training. After a long career in adult education, training and performance management she retired early to pursue other ventures.
She travels extensively, and was nominated for an award on her knowledge transfer partnerships work, during which she co-produced and presented a journal article at the International Social Work Conference in Durban.
In 2013 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and, following a year of extensive and gruelling treatment, her desire to write was rekindled. Her highly acclaimed CXVI Trilogy and The Spy Who Chipped The China Teacup inspired the creation of her fifth novel The Foundling – Sex lies and Swimming Naked.
She currently lives in West Yorkshire with her husband, youngest son, two dogs and horse.
She travels extensively, and was nominated for an award on her knowledge transfer partnerships work, during which she co-produced and presented a journal article at the International Social Work Conference in Durban.
In 2013 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and, following a year of extensive and gruelling treatment, her desire to write was rekindled. Her highly acclaimed CXVI Trilogy and The Spy Who Chipped The China Teacup inspired the creation of her fifth novel The Foundling – Sex lies and Swimming Naked.
She currently lives in West Yorkshire with her husband, youngest son, two dogs and horse.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 2, 2019
Jonathan is a man with 2 names. One name for his day job and another for his nighttime job. Nights he works for an elite escort service. He's been married over 20 years and his wife doesn't seem to have a problem with her husband's chosen profession. He tells her everything so there's no room for secrets.... at least, many secrets.
One of his clients is a young woman .. pregnant with a child that could possibly be his. What .. no safe sex??? Another client is an older woman, very wealthy, that he genuinely likes.
He agrees to a new client, only to discover that she's a law enforcement officer, undercover, and she wants him to gather information on one of his clients. By agreeing to this proposition, it puts him and his unscrupulous boss in the crosshairs.
And when she is assassinated all bets are off.
I did not like any of the characters. They all had issues, were morally bankrupt with no redeeming qualities. They all run around trying to unearth long hidden secrets and if anyone gets hurt in the process .. oh well.
I wouldn't exactly call this a thriller, nor would I call it captivating. It was more like driving by an auto accident and rubber necking to see if there are any bodies. Unpredictable - yes. This was a fast read ... less than 200 pages.
While I persevered in reading, it just didn't do it for me. It was certainly not the worst I've ever read ... but not even close to the best.
Many thanks to the author / TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for the digital copy of THE FOUNDLING. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
March 11, 2019
THE FOUNDLING by Angie Smith is a short action novel with lots of characters and a fast-moving plot.
Abduction, torture, murder. Sex, lies and swimming naked.
Jonathan Miller has two jobs and two names. During the day he works as a local government officer under the name of Jonathan Miller, while at night he works under the name of Joe Cavendish, as a male escort for an exclusive high-end escort service, under the direction of Albion Bedford. They are the UK’s leading escort service. He says he needs the night job, to relieve his boredom from his mundane daytime job. And to make matters even more unreal, the gigolo is married for over 20 years, his wife Katharine, is only interested in her horses and her property. She doesn’t seem to have a problem with his evening job. What a set-up!
The Golden Rule: never get emotionally involved with clients.”
One of Miller’s clients, Suzie, lonely and pregnant with possibly his child, has just escaped an unhappy marriage from an abuser and control freak. She fears for her life.
Katya, a new client is an undercover officer with the Special Operations Unit, and hires Miller (his 3rd job), who needed him to obtain some very important information from one of his clients. This action results in a nightmare for both him and his family. And then Katya is murdered!
“He joins forces with an old adversary. A man he’s terrified of, yet, when you’re backed in to a corner, this man can always find a way to get you out alive. Together they attempt to solve the brutal assassination of a young woman. In doing so they uncover secrets which have been hidden away for decades. Secrets involving some of the most powerful people in the world.”
While this is a fast-paced action novel, something in this novel just didn't work for me. I found some of the actions hard to believe and the characters failed to engage me.
Many thanks to the author, TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for my digital copy.
Abduction, torture, murder. Sex, lies and swimming naked.
Jonathan Miller has two jobs and two names. During the day he works as a local government officer under the name of Jonathan Miller, while at night he works under the name of Joe Cavendish, as a male escort for an exclusive high-end escort service, under the direction of Albion Bedford. They are the UK’s leading escort service. He says he needs the night job, to relieve his boredom from his mundane daytime job. And to make matters even more unreal, the gigolo is married for over 20 years, his wife Katharine, is only interested in her horses and her property. She doesn’t seem to have a problem with his evening job. What a set-up!
The Golden Rule: never get emotionally involved with clients.”
One of Miller’s clients, Suzie, lonely and pregnant with possibly his child, has just escaped an unhappy marriage from an abuser and control freak. She fears for her life.
Katya, a new client is an undercover officer with the Special Operations Unit, and hires Miller (his 3rd job), who needed him to obtain some very important information from one of his clients. This action results in a nightmare for both him and his family. And then Katya is murdered!
“He joins forces with an old adversary. A man he’s terrified of, yet, when you’re backed in to a corner, this man can always find a way to get you out alive. Together they attempt to solve the brutal assassination of a young woman. In doing so they uncover secrets which have been hidden away for decades. Secrets involving some of the most powerful people in the world.”
While this is a fast-paced action novel, something in this novel just didn't work for me. I found some of the actions hard to believe and the characters failed to engage me.
Many thanks to the author, TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for my digital copy.
February 1, 2019
Jonathan Miller really has his cake and eats it and has done for the last 20 years but he has over stepped the mark once too often and someone wants a pound of flesh, his of course.
Jonathan has a day job working as a local government officer, all very respectable and reasonably paid but when he gets home he often goes back out to make the big bucks, the job that really rakes in the cash. Jonathan works as a male escort for the rich and lonely and he is more than willing to oblige if they require anything else…………………… for a price. His wife is more than happy to look the other way for the life style they have and his never waning libido and eye for a pretty lady can be more than accommodated. Life had been good until one of his clients gets a little problem, hubby finds out and all hell breaks out.
When Jonathan is approached by an under cover cop with a deal that has no loop holes in it for him to crawl out of, he has no choice but to contact his shady boss and tell him the score. Jonathan’s life is about to go down the pan rapidly.
I was really a sucker for this guy because I didn’t want to like him but I think I would have fallen for his charms as much as the rest of the ladies. He really has charisma in the story, good-looking with boyish charms and all the right stuff to say. He in my mind became more like a James Bond, but in a weird way. Where Bond’s girls are a bonus, with Jonathan he uses women to sweet talk them to doing anything he needs but they are also his Achilles heel.
This is a truly entertaining novel, light in many respects but also has its share of drama, murder and heart breaking moments. Angie Smith is back!
Jonathan has a day job working as a local government officer, all very respectable and reasonably paid but when he gets home he often goes back out to make the big bucks, the job that really rakes in the cash. Jonathan works as a male escort for the rich and lonely and he is more than willing to oblige if they require anything else…………………… for a price. His wife is more than happy to look the other way for the life style they have and his never waning libido and eye for a pretty lady can be more than accommodated. Life had been good until one of his clients gets a little problem, hubby finds out and all hell breaks out.
When Jonathan is approached by an under cover cop with a deal that has no loop holes in it for him to crawl out of, he has no choice but to contact his shady boss and tell him the score. Jonathan’s life is about to go down the pan rapidly.
I was really a sucker for this guy because I didn’t want to like him but I think I would have fallen for his charms as much as the rest of the ladies. He really has charisma in the story, good-looking with boyish charms and all the right stuff to say. He in my mind became more like a James Bond, but in a weird way. Where Bond’s girls are a bonus, with Jonathan he uses women to sweet talk them to doing anything he needs but they are also his Achilles heel.
This is a truly entertaining novel, light in many respects but also has its share of drama, murder and heart breaking moments. Angie Smith is back!
January 27, 2019
Another great book from this author, fast paced, great storyline and brilliant characters
January 25, 2019
Kidnapped and held at gunpoint in the dark of night in one of the remotest areas between Lancashire and Yorkshire, it doesn't bode well until he tells them who his boss is, they give him a beating but he didn't think he wasn't going to get out of it alive. He has a unique combination of jobs, by day he works as a local government officer but by night he is a high-class escort, a job that enables him to live the high life. His wife turns a blind eye to his indiscretions as long as she has the money to look after her beloved horses. Everything starts to spiral out of control when he is approached by a woman claiming to be a police officer, she wants him to get information on one of the bosses clients but what will the boss have to say about it? The book is a brilliant thriller with plenty of twists and turns, I read it in two sittings. Once you start it you won't want to put it down.
January 25, 2019
A truly fabulous read from one of my favourite authors. This is a deeply intelligent thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I like the fact that none of the characters are particularly pleasant and even though you don't always like them you still end up involved in their lives and caring about what happens to them. Angie Smith is a master at weaving numerous strand of plot together easily and this book is no exception. A real sleep stealer of a book.
April 3, 2019
The foundling by Angie Smith.
This was a fantastic read with some great characters. I loved Jonathan's character. What he got up to. Lots of action too. There were some characters I didn't like. 5*.
This was a fantastic read with some great characters. I loved Jonathan's character. What he got up to. Lots of action too. There were some characters I didn't like. 5*.
January 25, 2019
I am a big fan of Angie Smith and read all her books. The Foundling didn't disappoint: fast-paced plot, plenty of twists, interesting characters and witty dialogue kept me turning the pages right to the end. A must read for all the fans of the genre.
March 18, 2019
Fast paced and captivating !! But whilst I did enjoy this book there was just something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe lacking a little bit of depth and certain aspects being a little unreal . I did , however , find it an easy fast read .3.5 stars rounded up to 4 and my thanks to tbc reviewers for my chance to read
January 29, 2019
Jonathan Miller leads a double life. He acts as an escort in the evenings, which his wife is quite happy about. The man he works for is effectively a gangster and Miller would like to get out of the business and settle down to a more law-abiding life – but his boss won’t let him quit without some payback. The story is steeped in murky business but the top layer of Miller’s life is glitzy and glamorous. It’s a hard thing to give up. Although he’s mixed up in some nasty business, you can’t help rooting for Miller and hoping things work out for him. It’s an exciting story and packed with action, as all Angie Smith’s books are, and I enjoyed it.
February 3, 2019
This is a return for me as it reminds me of the style and why I felt CVXI trilogy was one of the best I had read.
Strong characters who really seem to have more issues than what you should expect. What I like is that the lines are somewhat blurred as to who the good guys and bad guys are.
Johnathon is a great character who has such a passion for life but he seems to be stuck in a rut that is his life. He has two distinct jobs which would clash of they came out.
I found the story very enthralling and it has all the makings of one of the great books of 2019. I must say I was happy to see this book as it really brought back what I loved with the writing style.
Thank you to the author for an arc of this book so that I was able to read this and find one of the better reads so far in 2019.
Strong characters who really seem to have more issues than what you should expect. What I like is that the lines are somewhat blurred as to who the good guys and bad guys are.
Johnathon is a great character who has such a passion for life but he seems to be stuck in a rut that is his life. He has two distinct jobs which would clash of they came out.
I found the story very enthralling and it has all the makings of one of the great books of 2019. I must say I was happy to see this book as it really brought back what I loved with the writing style.
Thank you to the author for an arc of this book so that I was able to read this and find one of the better reads so far in 2019.
March 18, 2019
This is a lovely pocket sized story full of action and intrigue. I loved the sub-title of Sex, Lies and Swimming Naked.
Jonathan Miller by day is a local council worker with very dreary responsibilities and even drearier colleagues but by night he is Joe Cavendish high class male escort. One day Jonathan is approached to help recover something very valuable from one of Joe's clients and this starts off a series of dangerous situations, placing Jonathan in more danger with every day.
I enjoyed the pace of this book, how one minute Jonathan was running for his life and the next was in the middle of some lovely moving moments. I don't want to say more as I don't want to include spoilers.
Definitely an author I'd read again.
Jonathan Miller by day is a local council worker with very dreary responsibilities and even drearier colleagues but by night he is Joe Cavendish high class male escort. One day Jonathan is approached to help recover something very valuable from one of Joe's clients and this starts off a series of dangerous situations, placing Jonathan in more danger with every day.
I enjoyed the pace of this book, how one minute Jonathan was running for his life and the next was in the middle of some lovely moving moments. I don't want to say more as I don't want to include spoilers.
Definitely an author I'd read again.
February 11, 2019
Really enjoyed this book - it is pacy, engaging and exciting. The characters are realistic and interesting.
I would have liked to know more about Jonathan’s back story - his relationship with Katharine, why he became a male escort- what were his motivations and what impact it had on his other relationships, and how he became involved with Albion Bedford, plus a little more insight into Albion himself.
But other than that it was a cracking good read from a talented author. I loved the CXVI series and the Spy Who Chipped the China Teacup. This book is in the same vein and is a thumping good read!!!
I would have liked to know more about Jonathan’s back story - his relationship with Katharine, why he became a male escort- what were his motivations and what impact it had on his other relationships, and how he became involved with Albion Bedford, plus a little more insight into Albion himself.
But other than that it was a cracking good read from a talented author. I loved the CXVI series and the Spy Who Chipped the China Teacup. This book is in the same vein and is a thumping good read!!!
March 18, 2019
Jonathan Miller is a dull office worker by day, but by night, he lives the secret life of Joe, an elite male escort. When a new client, who turns out to be an undercover police detective, is assassinated, Jonathan’s life spirals out of control! Having loved the CXVI trilogy, I was so looking forward to this novel by Angie Smith – and I was not disappointed! This was a short, fast-paced, action-packed thriller, with great characters. Despite the unsavoury nature of their business, you can’t help quickly turning the pages to see how the characters develop, and to follow all the twists and turns! A great short read, and another highly entertaining book by Angie Smith!
May 1, 2019
I received a copy of this book from TBC Reviewers request- Thank you
Meet Jonathan a drab council worker by day and a male gigalo by night- it sounds like it should be the start of a cemedy but it actually develops beautifully into a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns, enough to keep me entertained and guessing right up until the end. To be honest when I read the blurb I was a little unsure of the viability of the book as crime thriller but I can absolutely guarantee that it ticks the box perfectly!
A plot to keep you guessing to the very end- thank you
Meet Jonathan a drab council worker by day and a male gigalo by night- it sounds like it should be the start of a cemedy but it actually develops beautifully into a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns, enough to keep me entertained and guessing right up until the end. To be honest when I read the blurb I was a little unsure of the viability of the book as crime thriller but I can absolutely guarantee that it ticks the box perfectly!
A plot to keep you guessing to the very end- thank you
March 18, 2019
Johnathan Miller has a secret life, known only to a few but things are about to change and become complicated, his nice profitable life is begins to unravel.
He becomes a father.
He leaves his wife for another woman.
He becomes involved in something that’s leads him on a hunt and he witnesses a murder, or does he?
This is a fast easy read although I enjoyed it I felt that there was something missing. It wasn’t meaty or gritty enough for me. It lacked depth of both storyline and characters.
He becomes a father.
He leaves his wife for another woman.
He becomes involved in something that’s leads him on a hunt and he witnesses a murder, or does he?
This is a fast easy read although I enjoyed it I felt that there was something missing. It wasn’t meaty or gritty enough for me. It lacked depth of both storyline and characters.
March 8, 2019
An avid Angie fan, I was looking forward to reading this book. Not in the league of the trilogy for me (I devoured those), but an enjoyable whodunnit nonetheless.
Still can’t decide whether I like the lead character ‘Miller’; I am interested in what happens to him next. He has an exciting future ahead of him.
Well written, as usual and the only thing I would maybe change is to stop switching between using Miller’s surname and first name ‘Jonathan’ so often. It became confusing at times.
Still can’t decide whether I like the lead character ‘Miller’; I am interested in what happens to him next. He has an exciting future ahead of him.
Well written, as usual and the only thing I would maybe change is to stop switching between using Miller’s surname and first name ‘Jonathan’ so often. It became confusing at times.
March 18, 2019
This is the second book I have read from this author and I thoroughly enjoyed both, so much so that I have added quite a few more to my TBR pile. This is quite a short book but it is fast-paced and action packed, which kept me turning the pages into the early hours.
I didn't really warm to the main character but that didn't spoil the overall enjoyment of the book. Recommended and a full 5 stars from me.
I didn't really warm to the main character but that didn't spoil the overall enjoyment of the book. Recommended and a full 5 stars from me.
March 18, 2019
The Foundling
Having loved Angie Smith’s previous books to date, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this new offering!
The Foundling is a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, The Foundling has some brilliantly strong characters and an engaging storyline. I definitely recommend this short treat, an engaging must-read for 2019!
Having loved Angie Smith’s previous books to date, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this new offering!
The Foundling is a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, The Foundling has some brilliantly strong characters and an engaging storyline. I definitely recommend this short treat, an engaging must-read for 2019!
April 8, 2019
Having read the CXVI trilogy by this author, I know how well she can write a multi-plotted novel and seamlessly bring all the loose ends together for a shocking climax - and The Foundling definitely delivers this and more!
Angie's writing is superb; fast paced and descriptive with twists and turns throughout.
The Foundling is unlike any thriller I have read before, which is so refreshing. A great story well told which I highly recommend.
Angie's writing is superb; fast paced and descriptive with twists and turns throughout.
The Foundling is unlike any thriller I have read before, which is so refreshing. A great story well told which I highly recommend.
March 18, 2019
What an adventure. It didn't feel like a short story! What a life the main character leads. It made my head spin trying to keep up with him. Really enjoyed this, as I have all the other books by this author. She knows how to spin a yarn!
January 28, 2019
Review to follow soon.
February 19, 2019
Well what a roller coaster of a book. I liked Jonathan, but his life wasn't easy. Lots of twists and turns and was not expecting the end.
May 31, 2019
Brilliant Book, Great main character, love or hate him. Great story, a real page turning read. A fast paced thriller. Hightly recommend it. You wont be disappointed if you love a good thriller.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews