📖 Blog Tour ~ After Dark by Jayne Cowie

 

Century
12 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

WELCOME TO A WORLD WHERE WOMEN HOLD THE POWER.

They dominate workplaces, public spaces and government.

They are no longer afraid to cross a dark car park, catch the last train, or walk home alone.

With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.

It changed things for the better. Until now.

A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker. It couldn’t have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi … Isn’t it?

📖 My review... 

For the last sixteen years women have been the dominant force in this dystopian society and with all men electronically tagged and their movements constantly monitored, crime numbers, particularly violent crimes against women, have almost disappeared. So when the body of a young woman is found early one morning in a local park it is assumed that the perpetrator cannot possibly be a man as all males are under a strict curfew between the hours of 7 pm to 7am.

This dystopian future soon becomes eerily realistic as we get the developing story from four different viewpoints. Pamela is a soon to be retired detective who remembers the days pre-curfew when the country was less reliant on technology and more people focused. Sarah is a single mother who works at the tagging centre where men come to have their electronic tags logged and updated. Cass is Sarah's eighteen year-old daughter who has so much angst that she literally bounces off the page and then there is Helen, a dedicated high school teacher, in a difficult personal relationship.

The premise of After Dark is very clever and the author makes this futuristic story feel very believable. The characters, whilst not always likeable, are each compelling in their own way, and as the tension mounts so does the connection between these very different women. The story flows well and moves along at a cracking pace, the narration is good and whilst each character brings something different there is a distinct cohesion between them which makes for fascinating reading. 

After Dark brings this rather sinister dystopian society to life in a clever and intelligent way. Totally believable from start to finish, I loved it.

📖 Best read with ... Caramel Mocha, extra shot

About the Author

An avid reader and life-long writer, Jayne Cowie also enjoys digging in her garden and makes an excellent devil’s food cake. She lives near London with her family.

Instagram @CowieJayne

@centurybooksuk