Golden Icon: Facing one final shot - a thrilling page turner (A Mikky dos Santos Thriller - The Prequel)

"This book is fascinating! This is my first culture crime book and my first book by Janet Pywell, which is great! What is fascinating is Josephine's descriptions of how she is feeling while she is singing... Now, that is great writing!"

"A novel full of intrigue and interesting, well described characters. The plot is full of twists and turns with the backdrop of the world of opera, set in Ireland, Germany and the beautiful scenery of Italy."

"This is the first book I have read by this author. Found I could not put it down, as wanted to find out what happened next."

Josephine Lavelle, a once-famous opera singer who became an international outcast, has one last opportunity to resurrect her career. She was born to sing Puccini’s Tosca and is determined to earn the right to perform again on the world’s most prestigious and celebrated stages.

But her fight for the future she craves is derailed when her ex-husband embroils her in a cynical blackmail plot. She is forced to take possession of a solid gold icon, part of a secret hoard of art treasures stolen by the Nazis - that dangerous men are prepared to kill for.

As well as determining the fate of the Golden Icon, Josephine must come to terms with her past, and fight for her own life.

If only her choices were simple...

A gripping crime thriller. You will be hooked on the secrets of this surprising protagonist. This is the prequel to the Mikky dos Santos international crime thrillers.

"I rarely give a book 5 Stars but Golden Icon deserves the highest. A clever and totally original story that kept me reading far into the evening when I had other things to do. Easy reading so if you start get ready to be pulled in to an intimate story you will find hard to put down."

"This is a rich, literate, complex examination of who owns art and how it is valued. It is also a thriller, with several villains and unexpected dangers."

"This is a fabulous book especially for those who love a long book to read. The storyline is so totally different to what I normally read but it had me up at all hours reading further & further to find out the ending."

"So many books are enjoyed for the moment and then forgotten. This book creates a hold on memory."

"The rating for a book, for me, has a large element of 'was it readable, was it believable, was it entertaining?' This is certainly in that bracket. An easy 5-stars."

"A well written story about a woman who is forced into a situation and the choices she makes. With believable characters that bring alive the plot, the strands of this story and pulled together nicely so that it made it an enjoyable read."