Ryder: Bird of Prey by Nick Pengelley + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for the third Ayesha Ryder thriller, Ryder: Bird of Prey. There is a tour wide giveaway on this one so be sure to read through to the end to enter.

Ayesha's latest treasure hunt was supposed to be more academic and sedate than her most recent adventures. Tasked with hunting down the real Maltese Falcon, it seemed she'd succeeded when she tracked down the ancestor of the latest person who'd had it in their possession. She'd taken on the job at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister, a man bent on selling the British government on English independence. It seems a legend connected to the Maltese Falcon promises to reveal the hiding place of the famed sword that became the basis for the Excalibur legend. A sword he believes would further his attempts.

But when Ayesha's contact is murdered on his way to deliver the falcon she finds herself on the run from a new set of would-be assassins. And then an attempt is made on the Prime Minister's life. If Ayesha is to survive this latest adventure, she'll have to follow the clues herself, with a new set of deadly pursuers hot on her heels every step of the way. 

Three books into the series I'll admit they're becoming more than a little formulaic. I still really enjoy the historical aspects, but the treasure hunts, the hidden clues, and especially the Bond-like depraved villains are super predictable. At least this time around the officials in Ayesha's corner don't immediately accept that she's a potential enemy of the state!

The Maltese Falcon/Dashiel Hammett part of this latest is really cool. Pengelley even named a character after one of the actresses in the 1931 film adaptation (Bebe Daniels), though I'm not entirely sure how the actress would feel about the character. The Knights Hospitaller and Battle of Hastings/Harold pieces all fit neatly together and make for a fun combination. Formula aside, or maybe because of the formula, Pengelley certainly knows how to spin an action-packed tale that'll keep you turning pages. Maybe a bit more time between readings would dull the sense of repetition.

Rating: 3/5

And now for the giveaway. As I mentioned, this is tour wide courtesy of the publisher. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.