BOOK DESCRIPTION
There’s a killer lurking in all of us. Sometimes you just don’t know it. Take Phil Mercer, for example, what dark secret from his past changes a decent man, and respected professional into a man with murder on his mind?
Down to earth Northerner, Phil Mercer, begins to question why so-called university friends failed to help him establish a practice at London’s Criminal Bar. Despite that and colleagues’ professional jealousy, he goes on to achieve success as a fearless defender of society’s less fortunate until his career is threatened by events triggered by something completely out of his control.
Figuring his life and career are about to change forever, Mercer strives to find a way to right wrongs by inventing a new parlour game called ‘Comfort Zone.’ At a dinner party surrounded by colleagues he insists they all play the game. He introduces it after dinner as a ‘storytelling game.’ He adds – “the easy choice is not an option at all. What terrifies you? What scares you shitless? Be brave. Be reckless. You are among friends. What can possibly go wrong? It’s just a parlour game, right?” Get this dark suspense noir crime novella now.
The main character and narrator of this enthralling thriller is a complex individual who had various mental health issues. Even though we are now living in the 21st century and despite the fact that mental health issues don't carry as much stigma as they did in the past. There are still people that scoff at and ridicule others whose brains refuse to work properly. Intrusive thoughts are one of the terrifying aspects of mental health, add onto that the shocking treatment that Phil Mercer had apparently experienced in the past then you have a ticking time bomb that is bound to explode at some point. There have been a number of cases where people who have mental health issues have gone into a dissociative fugue and murdered their loved ones. Is this what happened to Phil and if it was then it's very unfair if we readers judge him as unlikable when he had no control over his behaviour and actions. Were we being cleverly manipulated by the author and Phil into feeling sympathy for someone who was really insane or a cold blooded killer and was hiding behind a mask. What really happened in Afghanistan in 2002? We all know that terrible atrocities are carried out in war torn countries and sometimes the truth is locked away by the powers that be and never divulged to the public.
This is a well written, thought provoking story that keeps the reader guessing and causes you to experience a wide range of emotions. The plot definitely took the reader out of your comfort zone at times especially during some of theocrats that were set in Afghanistan. This is the first of this author's books that I have read and I would happily read more of his books in the future.
PROLOGUE
2017
She heard the footsteps and guessed the guy was about ten yards behind her. It must be a man. They are too heavy for a woman. Another few hundred yards and she would reach safety – her garden flat home. I swear, no more drug runs for Ben Turner, she thought. This is too risky. Her heart pounded faster. She could hear it thumping in her chest until the sound of her panting blocked it out. She could smell aftershave. It wasn’t her cologne, nor was it her breathlessness she could now hear. Before the lights went out, she thought, Fuck you, Ben!
When she regained consciousness her first sensation was movement. I’m in the boot of a car. She was unable to see anything. I must be blindfolded. She tried to check for a blindfold but trying to move her arms was futile. Her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn’t move her legs as they too were bound. Then she felt a searing pain in the back of her head and lost consciousness once more.
Clueless as to time, she knew she was in a strange room. It stunk of urine. In the distance she heard the low rumble of motorway traffic. Her head still hurt, her eyes unable to pierce the gloom, but she could see shadows. The blindfold’s gone. On trying to move, she heard a scuffling noise and knew she was tied to a chair. She heard a door open but was unable to see in the dark.
Then she heard footsteps walking away and heard a second door open. A few moments later, a car engine started and the headlamp beams flooded both doorways and the room with bright light, penetrating the darkness. She was forced to shield her eyes from the light by tilting her head to the side, averting her gaze. Curiosity taking over, she scrunched her eyes and made out the figure of a man in front of her. A man dressed in black, wearing a ski-mask. He held a long knife in front of him. He cut the tape across her mouth before running the blade down her cheek. She felt the blood as it ran to the corner of her mouth, giving her the metallic taste of her own blood.
“Who are you?” she asked in panic. “Is this about the drugs? Here, have them.”
Removing his mask, the man in black said nothing.
AUTHOR BIO
Stephen Bentley is a former police Detective Sergeant and barrister (trial attorney) from the UK. He is now a freelance writer and occasional HuffPost UK contributor on undercover policing.
His memoir Undercover: Operation Julie - The Inside Story is a frank account of his pioneering undercover detective experiences during Operation Julie - an elite group of detectives who successfully investigated one of the world's largest drugs rings.
His memoir became a UK bestseller and now translated into Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. It is available in English in these formats: eBook, hard cover, paperback, and audiobook.
He also writes crime fiction in his Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thrillers and Detective Matt Deal Thriller series. He has also written an award-winning short story, The Rose Slayer, which has now been published in an anthology of murder mystery short stories titled Death Among Us, along with over twenty short stories from ten authors.
When he isn't writing, Stephen relaxes on the beaches of the Philippines with his family where he now lives often with a cold beer in one hand and a book in the other.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/stephen-bentley
HuffPost UK Blogger https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/stephen-bentley/spycops-is-there-such-a-t_b_12857408.html
Website https://www.stephenbentley.info/
Books2Read https://books2read.com/ap/n6Pgrx/Stephen-Bentley
Amazon Author page https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Bentley/e/B01CNPG7K6/
All Author https://allauthor.com/author/stephenbentley/
AI Sheets for trade booksellers may be found here at hendrypublishing.com
Twitter @StephenBentley8
Instagram @author_stephen_bentley
BOOK LINKS
UNIVERSAL LINK
https://books2read.com/b/4Dygjr
Amazon Universal Link
http://getbook.at/ComfortZone
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51000899-comfort-zone
PUBLICATION DATE 3rd August 2020
PURCHASE LINK.....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comfort-Zone-Suspense-Stephen-Bentley-ebook/dp/B084GQ9XT9/ref=sr_1_27?crid=3EZVD81LPVH90&dchild=1&keywords=comfort+zone&qid=1599062485&s=books&sprefix=Comfort+%2Cstripbooks%2C444&sr=1-27
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