Published 21st November 2024 by Armillary Books.
From the cover of the book:
WHAT CAN SEE WATCHES, WHAT CAN HEAR LISTENS, WHAT CAN BE FOLLOWED IS TRACKED…
When opposition Chief Whip Esme Kanha is handed a secret dossier containing evidence of government corruption, she suspects its original owner, a top journalist, was murdered for gathering it. Despite the danger, she feels she must investigate. Meanwhile, lowly backbencher Harry Colbey is working his own leads. A known campaigner against big tech, he is often sent data from anonymous sources and this time round he has something truly alarming.
But both Colbey and Kanha must tread carefully in a world dominated by AI, where 'what can see watches, what can hear listens, and what can be followed is tracked'.
As Kanha and Colbey again join forces, they are locked into a deadly race against political corruption, no matter what the cost. But when an old enemy returns, it may already be too late…
***********
Harry Colbey MP is on the back benches once more, this time with his party in opposition, but his well-earned reputation as a campaigner for privacy often means interesting whispers still come his way. This time, a really shocking piece of information has dropped into his lap about the intentions of the new government from an anonymous source.
Meanwhile, opposition chief whip, Esme Kanha has recently come into the possession of a secret dossier that tells of the deeply sinister influence of an elitist organisation pulling strings in the corridors of power - an organisation that is not beyond murdering to keep its secrets from getting out.
In a world where AI watches over every move people make, Colbey and Kanha must join forces once more to fight back against, not just, corruption and the terrifying plans of those who prize security above all things, but the re-emergence of an old enemy they thought had been thwarted...
Lou Gilmond returns with the second part of her gripping near-future, political thriller series featuring Harry Colbey and Esme Kanha, Palisade. The first book in the series, Dirty Geese, absolutely blew me away last year, easily earning itself a place among my books of 2023, so I could not wait to dive into this book.
Continuing the ever-more topical theme of the conflicting arguments for privacy vs security, Gilmond weaves an intricate, and supremely slick novel that has Colbey and Kanha racing against time to stop the nefarious plans of a new political opponent on one hand, and an old adversary on the other, all while trying to avoid the surveillance that pervades a near-future world so scarily prophetic that you can taste it.
Gilmond leans heavily into the thriller genre for this second book, building on the thought-provoking tenets of Dirty Geese (which you really do need to read first) to up the ante in every aspect of her tightly woven plot. She brings the worlds of politics and the super-rich players who tip the balance of power through fair means or foul (mostly foul) vividly alive, and evokes real fear in the pit of your stomach about what the seemingly unstoppable march of AI into every aspect of our lives could mean for the freedoms we hold so dear.
This is serious stuff, but Gilmond presents it in such an engaging way, incorporating her message into the fabric of a utterly consuming story, tying you to the fates of characters to both love and loath, and using humour to lighten the book at just the right moments. I adore the relationship that has blossomed between Colbey and Kanha, with a budding romance that has grown out of mutual respect and the recognition that they both stand for good in an environment not always known for integrity - and there is a stellar supporting cast for you to take to heart too. It was great to see tech wizz Mani making an appearance once more, and how I loved Kanha's little group of aristocratic help-mates working under the auspices of her godfather, Lord Silverman. An interesting little development of the front of Colbey's ex-wife too - go Clarissa!
Twist, turns, a cracking plot, truly fabulous characters, and themes to ponder make this another winner from Lou Gilmond, and yet again a book that makes my books of the year list. And if cliff-hangers to die for are your bag, then this is something pretty special... I cannot wait for book three, The Divinity Games, which is coming in 2025!
Palisade is available to buy now in paperback and ebook. Thank you to Armillary Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to M8das PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Based in Oxford, UK, Lou Gilmond is an author of mystery and thriller fiction, screenplays and travel books. www.lougilmond.com
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