The Burn Card by Simon Lendrum

Fans of Michael Connolly and David Baldacci will be delighted with local author Simon Lendrum’s latest thriller “Burn Card”. The writing is polished and the storytelling exceptional, with a mix of quirky characters. The Burn Card is the sequel to his debut novel, The Slow Roll, chronicling the ongoing accidental detective, O’Malley, and his girlfriend Claire. O’Malley is an ex-convict and now a professional poker player living in Auckland, with a reputation among his acquaintances for solving crimes that the police have little interest in.

 A rigged poker game draws him into a deadly game with some aggrieved drug dealers determined to punish those who cheated them. A rather naïve gambler and his attractive assistant are on the run and reach out to O’Malley, while at the same time the dealers insist that he helps them.

Added to this, O’Malley is also approached by Eddie, a fellow poker player whose nephew died in mysterious circumstances, with the police taking little interest. O’Malley tries to bring peace to Eddie and his family, looking for clues to an unexplained death. This leads him onto a trail in search of answers from a religious cult where the young man was last seen.

He is also on the trail of an evil drug manufacturer who supplies product to the dealers.

The added bonus to this thriller is that the action takes place in Auckland with numerous recognisable locations which provide a feeling of familiarity and authenticity.

A great read that comfortably sits beside the best of international fiction.

Reviewer: Chris Casey

Upstart Press