Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley is on a world-wide blog tour with Digital Reads Blog Tours. Today is my stop. I want to thank Shalini G and Stephen Bentley for providing me with a copy of the book and inviting me to participate in the tour.
Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley
Published by Hendry Publishing on 08/03/2020
Genres: Crime, Fiction, Noir, Suspense, Thriller
Format: eBook, Paperback
There’s a killer in all of us. Sometimes you just don’t know it.
What drives people to kill?
Take Phil Mercer, for example, what dark secret from his past changes a decent man, and respected professional into a killer?
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 crime noir suspense novella now.
Buy on Amazon
Add to Goodreads
Source: Digital Reads Book Tours, Received from the author or publisher for review.
********************
Comfort Zone: A Tale of Sus...Shop on Amazon 
Comfort Zone: A Tale of Sus...Shop on Amazon
This book is also available on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Google Play, and The Book Depository.
********************
My thoughts on Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley:
Wow, this book will grab you on the opening pages and take you for a wild ride. Phillip Mercer is a complex character. One minute I despised him, by the next page I was feeling sympathetic toward him.
Mental issues and PTSD play an integral part in this story. Sections are difficult to read but they are important. The most incredulously parts upon reflection actually do become believable.
I’m finding it difficult to put into words how intense and shocking the final chapters are. While I waffled on my thoughts of where the book was headed, I can say the entire story comes together by the end.
If this review seems light on details, it’s because every word of the story is so important and I don’t want to give anything away. This is a very quick read so you should definitely pick up a copy today!
********************
About Stephen Bentley
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.
********************
Excerpt from Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley:
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.
********************
Review: Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley
********************
Comfort Zone: A Tale of Sus...Shop on Amazon Comfort Zone: A Tale of Sus...Shop on Amazon
This book is also available on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Google Play, and The Book Depository.
********************
More Digital Reads Book Tour posts:
The Mocking Man by Leslie Georgeson
Belters: A Space Oddity by Greg Alldredge | Tales from Far Reach Station Book 1
I also share many of my reviews on the following websites:
Lovely Audiobook’s Monthly Link-up (Not limited to audiobooks)
The Inspire Me Monday Link Party
Inspire Me Monday with Anita Ojeda
Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Monthly Link Party
[…] Comfort Zone by Stephen Bentley […]
Super review and a superbly crafted blog post. All I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart <3
You are most welcome, and I appreciate the kind words. Thank you for sharing your book with me.