Review: Tenacity by J.S. Law

Title: Tenacity
Author: J.S. Law
Publisher: Headline
Publication Date: 30th July 2015
Pages: 341
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Suicide must be investigated.

Especially when a Royal Navy sailor kills himself on a nuclear submarine, only days after his wife's brutal murder.

Now Lieutenant Danielle Lewis, the Navy's finest Special Branch investigator, must interrogate the tight-knit, male crew of HMS Tenacity to determine if there's a link.

Isolated, and standing alone in the face of extreme hostility, Dan soon realises that she may have to choose between the truth and her own survival.

Justice must be served, but with a possible killer on board the pressure is rising and her time is running out...

Can I come up for air now?! Tenacity is absolutely brutal in its intensity and is quite easily one of the best debut thrillers of 2015. I received my review copy a couple of months ago but somehow managed to hold off reading it until July, despite the fact I had loads of people telling me on Twitter that I should be reading it (Grab This Book shouting the loudest)! Sometimes though part of the excitement of a book is knowing that you've got it coming up on your TBR.

A Royal Navy sailor kills himself on a nuclear submarine, only days after his wife's brutal murder. Lieutenant Danielle 'Dan' Lewis, the Navy's finest Special Branch investigator must interrogate the tight-knit, all-male crew of HMS Tenacity to determine if there's a link between the two. To say she isn't welcomed would be somewhat of an understatement, but Dan is nothing if not headstrong and is determined to uncover the truth. And she might just have to choose between the truth and her own survival when it is discovered there could be a possible killer on board the submarine.

The characterisation in Tenacity is fantastic. The character of Dan Lewis is so brilliantly well-drawn that she is such a believable character, easy to picture as a real person and she is somebody that you have no trouble rooting for once we witness everything that she has to contend with within the confines of this claustrophobic submarine. I found it refreshing to read a thriller like this which had a female investigator as its main lead, and written by a male author no less. It's been a while since a brand new character gripped me like this and she's somebody that I am looking forward to meeting again in the future.

As far as settings go, the submarine allows for some eerie and atmospheric scenes to play out as you read. It is a dark, tense, chilling and exciting read that I struggled to put down. If you are looking for an original setting for a thriller to take place, then I think you've found it with Tenacity. J.S. Law uses his own knowledge and experience to create an authentic picture of this life. The mystery element is brilliantly done, and is another highlight on a long list of what I loved about this book. It is a story where you don't always know where the danger is going to come from, and at times you wish you could jump into the book and warn and protect Dan (though truth be told I'd be no help at all!) from what's to come. The ending and the run up to it was nothing short of perfection. Tenacity is a must read debut this summer and deserves to be a runaway success. I can't wait to see what J.S. Law writes next.