Zak Yates

Crime & Thriller writer

Reviews

Editorial Review


★★★★  "The main reason I would be interested in reading future books is the main protagonist. I liked Blayze, and I think he is a perfect main character. The author allowed the story to go on and the plot to captivate the reader, even though it is a character-driven book. There isn’t a saturation of any key elements; the pace and the supporting characters shine especially well throughout the story.

While this story is told mainly through agent Carlson’s investigation of the crime, the author expands the suspense by introducing interesting crew members who are working on the cruise ship. One of the crucial side characters was Simon, a dance crew member. He is someone the reader gets to know well. With him, we follow the intricate relationships other workers on the ship had. There are many complex and interwoven connections, as one would expect from a close-knit work setting.

Nevertheless, there is nothing I disliked about this book. So, I can’t rate it lower than a perfect score of four out of four stars.

If you are fans of this genre, you will make a perfect recommendation group for this book. Furthermore, readers who enjoy intrigue, police procedures, workplace drama, and closed-circuit mysteries should give this book a chance. If you are a reader who likes to guess who the bad guy is or you are curious about the character’s development, this book will not disappoint you." 


Online Book Club  

***** I purchased this book as a gift for my mother who devours crime fiction. She also enjoys cruising and since it's my inheritance she's spending on her lavish seaborne holidays, I hoped Cruise would also be the perfect deterrent against such frivolous behaviour. After reading part way through this first instalment of the Blayze Carlson saga, Mother rang me and accused me of attempting to put her off cruising for life (which I denied), before telling me how gripping the story is and that she'd booked her next cruise. A few days later she'd finished the book and called me again to tell me how much she'd enjoyed it, and looked forward to reading the second book in the series. Normally she just gets a birthday card but now I have to buy her a card and a book... and worst of all, apparently there's a third Blayze Carlson novel in pipeline. This is going to cost me a fortune! On the upside, it's great that I can buy my mother gifts that I know she'll enjoy, so thank you Zak.

Dave Tymon

***** High drama on the high seas
Zak sure knows how to create drama and suspense on the high seas! A great read that has you eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next. Definitely recommend 👍🏻
***** An Amazing Read
"This book had me hooked from the very beginning. The author's talent for writing draws you in from the very first page and the pace and suspense is kept up throughout, it really is an amazing read. I would definitely recommend it and i can't wait for the next one!"
***** A must read. Compelling
"Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2020
Cruise had my hooked from the start... Having just returned from a Caribbean cruise it transported me back. Well done the Author for a look behind the scenes & also the compelling storyline of a mass murder investigation.. Blayze Carlson is a dish & I can't wait to see where he ends up next. Move over Colombo Blayze is coming through. A must read."
***** A gripping mystery on the high seas!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2020
Loved Cruise from the first to the last page. Gripping and edgy, the author captured life on board a cruise ship with all the simmering tensions and clandestine love affairs perfectly. Really liked Blaze and Simon as lead characters and a cracking ending too. Well done Zak.
***** Cruise ship, murders and a hot FBI agent! What is there not to love!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2020
Zak Yates has done it again! His first book, THE FACTORY was great, this is better!! Again he kept me guessing who the killer was! Love it, highly recommend it to murder mystery lovers. Can't wait to read more of BLAYZE!!