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Licence to Die
Three shattered people. Two cutting-edge technologies. One licence to die. This time, the spy game is real.
'A total stranger knows my thoughts? Oh, my God! I'm gonna die. For real.'
When fledgling ASIO agent and tech guru, Benjamin Alejandro, takes over a top-secret 'mind-reading' software project, he inadvertently exposes Mac, an unwitting participant who's embroiled in a dodgy witness protection scheme.
The mysterious Mac unravels Ben's altruistic comfort zone quicker than a cat attack. With a criminal consortium poised to pounce, is Ben the only one who gives a bandicoot's patootie whether the audacious teenager lives or dies? Stuck for options, Ben enlists hotshot game developer, Christopher Darnell, but Chris's own demons surface to drag them all under.
Integrity and emotions collide as Mac's thoughts-brilliant, spirited, and irresistible-dance across Ben's computer screen. With a killer closing in, time running out, and Chris out for revenge, must Ben pay the ultimate price to save the intriguing stranger whose thoughts have captured his heart?
Bleeding hope and humour through cracks at the edge of reality, Licence to Die is quirky, raw, and redemptive; a unique blend of intrigue and inspiration with an upmarket Down Under vibe.
Mazzy Adams' entertaining, genre-bending fiction offers a thought-provoking word feast for New (and not-so-new) Adults alike, with deeper allegorical and metaphysical mysteries to intrigue upmarket readers and book club connoisseurs.
'A total stranger knows my thoughts? Oh, my God! I'm gonna die. For real.'
When fledgling ASIO agent and tech guru, Benjamin Alejandro, takes over a top-secret 'mind-reading' software project, he inadvertently exposes Mac, an unwitting participant who's embroiled in a dodgy witness protection scheme.
The mysterious Mac unravels Ben's altruistic comfort zone quicker than a cat attack. With a criminal consortium poised to pounce, is Ben the only one who gives a bandicoot's patootie whether the audacious teenager lives or dies? Stuck for options, Ben enlists hotshot game developer, Christopher Darnell, but Chris's own demons surface to drag them all under.
Integrity and emotions collide as Mac's thoughts-brilliant, spirited, and irresistible-dance across Ben's computer screen. With a killer closing in, time running out, and Chris out for revenge, must Ben pay the ultimate price to save the intriguing stranger whose thoughts have captured his heart?
Bleeding hope and humour through cracks at the edge of reality, Licence to Die is quirky, raw, and redemptive; a unique blend of intrigue and inspiration with an upmarket Down Under vibe.
Mazzy Adams' entertaining, genre-bending fiction offers a thought-provoking word feast for New (and not-so-new) Adults alike, with deeper allegorical and metaphysical mysteries to intrigue upmarket readers and book club connoisseurs.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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December 1, 2023I'm so excited that I can finally share my debut novel, Licence to Die (GRUnGE.001) with the reading community. Enjoy it as an entertaining, fast-paced, quirky Aussie spy thriller strewn with hope and humour, or dig deeper to discover and contemplate underlying allegorical and metaphysical layers. :) Mazzy.
October 26, 2022
I found Mazzy's voice refreshingly quirky and enjoyed the story very much. I did find the first transcript passage a bit tricky to follow, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story. It's also refreshing to read a story set in (some) places I'm a little bit familiar with, Brisbane particularly. As a debut novel, it's great.
January 21, 2023
Australian spy thriller with lots of twists and turns. Like the characters, the reader is often wondering who to trust. It was cool to experience a story like this set in some familiar locations. The characters were younger than you'd usually expect for a spy thriller but it worked for the story. Some parts were written in a stream-of-consciousness style which were a little hard to follow at first, but there are important story reasons for this. I enjoyed the addition of some light science fiction in a fascinating new technology that has some interesting moral implications.
November 24, 2023
What would you do if you found out that the cochlear implant that enabled you to hear was also able to read your thoughts? Not only that, but spies are transcribing your private thoughts and you're in witness protection because there are some who would be happy to kill to get their hands on you and the software?
This is one of the intriguing premises of 'Licence to Die' - a spy thriller that disrupts the lives of three young people (aged 16 to early 20s) who are connected in ways they don't fully understand. I can't say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but there are lots of twists and turns, characters you care about, and ethical dilemmas galore.
It's hard to believe this is Mazzy Adams' debut novel, because the writing is stellar, with lots of unique metaphors, similes, strong verbs, and imagery. Although it's a fairly serious story, there are also moments of humour, particularly within the dialogue. There is even a bonus scene from the puppets who ended up on the cutting-room floor of the main novel. I've never seen that before; nor have I read a book in which one of the chapters was entitled 'Discombobulated'!
There is also an exploration of faith issues, which I found interesting. Is there a God who cares about us even when it seems like our lives are falling apart? Is there meaning beyond ourselves and how does that fit in with the big picture of our lives? The allegorical deeper meaning from one key scene will resonate with many.
The chapters are short, so you keep moving along at a good pace. As the plot is fairly complicated, it's probably good to read it over a short period of time if possible so that you can keep it all in your head. Although it's a stand-alone novel that reaches a satisfying conclusion, there are a couple of strands that will no doubt be picked up again in a second book. I hope it's not too long before we see that one.
Although this is a 'clean' read, there are a couple of scenes that deal with some confronting issues, so it would probably be suitable for ages 15 and beyond (from mature teens to 100+). If you like drama, suspense, mystery, imaginative writing and ethical issues, there's much to enjoy in this book.
(Disclaimer - I gave some feedback on a very early version of this book, but it has changed a lot since then. This review contains my honest thoughts.)
This is one of the intriguing premises of 'Licence to Die' - a spy thriller that disrupts the lives of three young people (aged 16 to early 20s) who are connected in ways they don't fully understand. I can't say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but there are lots of twists and turns, characters you care about, and ethical dilemmas galore.
It's hard to believe this is Mazzy Adams' debut novel, because the writing is stellar, with lots of unique metaphors, similes, strong verbs, and imagery. Although it's a fairly serious story, there are also moments of humour, particularly within the dialogue. There is even a bonus scene from the puppets who ended up on the cutting-room floor of the main novel. I've never seen that before; nor have I read a book in which one of the chapters was entitled 'Discombobulated'!
There is also an exploration of faith issues, which I found interesting. Is there a God who cares about us even when it seems like our lives are falling apart? Is there meaning beyond ourselves and how does that fit in with the big picture of our lives? The allegorical deeper meaning from one key scene will resonate with many.
The chapters are short, so you keep moving along at a good pace. As the plot is fairly complicated, it's probably good to read it over a short period of time if possible so that you can keep it all in your head. Although it's a stand-alone novel that reaches a satisfying conclusion, there are a couple of strands that will no doubt be picked up again in a second book. I hope it's not too long before we see that one.
Although this is a 'clean' read, there are a couple of scenes that deal with some confronting issues, so it would probably be suitable for ages 15 and beyond (from mature teens to 100+). If you like drama, suspense, mystery, imaginative writing and ethical issues, there's much to enjoy in this book.
(Disclaimer - I gave some feedback on a very early version of this book, but it has changed a lot since then. This review contains my honest thoughts.)
October 30, 2023
Read this modern Aussie espionage novel ONLY IF YOU DON’T NEED OXYGEN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS!!!
This masterful cat and mouse spy game is a work Agatha Christie would be proud of and will leave you breathless at every turn. The three main characters are quirky, authentic, emotionally fractured, frustrating (at times) young people you can’t help falling in love with, as they are hunted by devious, hard-hitting criminals with a capitol “C”. Those criminals are playing for more than sheep stations, more like a software with mind-reading capacity, as they encircle their targets from familiar east coast cities to the very centre of Australia, and are willing to employ any form of manipulation and violence, even torture, to track and entangle their prey towards their ultimate purpose. And Adams does not hold back on the severity of their desperation. (So yeah, you won’t be getting a lot of sleep either.)
I could wax lyrical about the literary qualities of this work, which are quite brilliant BTW, and the many threaded puzzle pieces that keep you guessing to the end. But there are also those things you know—KNOW (!)—and the characters don’t (yet) understand, which make you want to shout at the page “don’t be so blimming stupid—can’t you see????”. From the point you meet Mac you’re left in a state of anxious anticipation of possible reunions, to blasts that leave beloved characters in ashes (maybe— and that’s enough spoilers for now) that shred your heart. It’s like an emotional rollercoaster ride where the safety harness hasn’t been anchored and you’re just waiting for that approaching corkscrew to flip you out in a tumbling, ultimately painful thud of inevitability.
Truth be told, the first time I picked up this novel I was busy, distracted, weary. I read the first chapter and realised this was a story I needed to be awake for and properly focus on. So, I put it down and waited until I could do that. And give it attention I did. Unless you read faster than me, be prepared to read into the night to the point of exhaustion, only to enter fitful sleep where you can’t get Ben, Chris or Mac out of your head wondering how this impossible puzzle will resolve, or they’ll realise that person they’re confiding in is not their friend, or they’re so close “it could bite them”. You can see how much work, reflection and intricate thought has gone into this story, and the lived experience and attention to detail, right up to the missionary puppets touring to the outback, provide an element of realness that sweeps you into the unfolding drama. It was also kind of cool that I was reading the novel at the location of one of the key high-stakes turning points in the story.
All-in-all, Licence to Die (GRuNGE.001) is a brilliant debut "genre-rebel" novel from Mazzy Adams—and buckle up people, with an untied thread dangled at the end, it’s not over yet.
Five stars.
This masterful cat and mouse spy game is a work Agatha Christie would be proud of and will leave you breathless at every turn. The three main characters are quirky, authentic, emotionally fractured, frustrating (at times) young people you can’t help falling in love with, as they are hunted by devious, hard-hitting criminals with a capitol “C”. Those criminals are playing for more than sheep stations, more like a software with mind-reading capacity, as they encircle their targets from familiar east coast cities to the very centre of Australia, and are willing to employ any form of manipulation and violence, even torture, to track and entangle their prey towards their ultimate purpose. And Adams does not hold back on the severity of their desperation. (So yeah, you won’t be getting a lot of sleep either.)
I could wax lyrical about the literary qualities of this work, which are quite brilliant BTW, and the many threaded puzzle pieces that keep you guessing to the end. But there are also those things you know—KNOW (!)—and the characters don’t (yet) understand, which make you want to shout at the page “don’t be so blimming stupid—can’t you see????”. From the point you meet Mac you’re left in a state of anxious anticipation of possible reunions, to blasts that leave beloved characters in ashes (maybe— and that’s enough spoilers for now) that shred your heart. It’s like an emotional rollercoaster ride where the safety harness hasn’t been anchored and you’re just waiting for that approaching corkscrew to flip you out in a tumbling, ultimately painful thud of inevitability.
Truth be told, the first time I picked up this novel I was busy, distracted, weary. I read the first chapter and realised this was a story I needed to be awake for and properly focus on. So, I put it down and waited until I could do that. And give it attention I did. Unless you read faster than me, be prepared to read into the night to the point of exhaustion, only to enter fitful sleep where you can’t get Ben, Chris or Mac out of your head wondering how this impossible puzzle will resolve, or they’ll realise that person they’re confiding in is not their friend, or they’re so close “it could bite them”. You can see how much work, reflection and intricate thought has gone into this story, and the lived experience and attention to detail, right up to the missionary puppets touring to the outback, provide an element of realness that sweeps you into the unfolding drama. It was also kind of cool that I was reading the novel at the location of one of the key high-stakes turning points in the story.
All-in-all, Licence to Die (GRuNGE.001) is a brilliant debut "genre-rebel" novel from Mazzy Adams—and buckle up people, with an untied thread dangled at the end, it’s not over yet.
Five stars.
April 22, 2025
Couldn’t turn the page fast enough
I love stories of all kinds, especially those that have me asking questions about what is really going on. There are multiple layers of trickiness as the central characters try to navigate what turns into a deadly investigation. I especially appreciated the way Mac was introduced into the story, and the wrestling each of the characters went through as the truth became clearer.
This book is definitely not one to pick up for a little light reading before bed - one perplexing puzzle after another will stop you from putting it down. I loved the fast pace and am hopeful that there will be more in the same series )i(
I love stories of all kinds, especially those that have me asking questions about what is really going on. There are multiple layers of trickiness as the central characters try to navigate what turns into a deadly investigation. I especially appreciated the way Mac was introduced into the story, and the wrestling each of the characters went through as the truth became clearer.
This book is definitely not one to pick up for a little light reading before bed - one perplexing puzzle after another will stop you from putting it down. I loved the fast pace and am hopeful that there will be more in the same series )i(
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews