“The greatest scientific invention of modern times…
Capable of curing humanity…
But more adept at controlling it…

Sydney scientist, Marcus Hall, is developing a radical 5G Wi-Fi receiver for CSIRO. With access to secretive Lamarr computer chips – this technology promises billions to repair Australia’s ravaged economy. On a caffeine boosted whim, he inadvertently discovers a therapeutic breakthrough in neuroscience. Or so he thinks…

His seemingly trustworthy lab partner, Henry, is an unlikely Australian spy. His official duty is keeping tabs on the project and their Lamarr chips. But the whole project is now classified top-secret.
Marcus remains blissfully unaware of the many secrets surrounding him, until he witnesses the graphic murder of a colleague. Could this event reveal Henry as a master deceiver and ruthless double agent? Will the scientific discovery be fatal for Marcus, those he loves, and the one he yearns for? Marcus faces a soul tearing dilemma: is the only means of stopping the carnage to weaponise his prototype?

Foreign intelligence agencies realise the top-secret breakthrough is priceless. One particular spy leads the race to seize the invention. A psychological master of the long game, espionage, and extortion, his only rule according to Kung Fu: Win.

Friend and foe alike confront this psychotic mastermind. All will FEAR him, but is their FEAR real? Only the next six minutes will tell…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I’m handing the blog over to my guest reviewer, Ryan, who is going to share his review of Yearn to Fear by Chas Murrell as part of the blog tour. Yearn to Fear was published on 18th November 2020 and is available in paperback and digital formats. Ryan chose to read and review a free digital copy of Yearn to Fear but that has in no way influenced his review.

Yearn to Fear is the debut novel from Chas Murrell and what is very impressive about this book is that Chas has his own distinct style already. Yearn to Fear is not a formulaic spy thriller, nor is it a dry police procedural. Rather it is a character driven espionage, spy thriller with weapons! It’s intriguing, it’s different and it’s well worth a read!

Yearn to Fear follows Marcus and Henry as they work at CSIRO on a new telecommunication chip. The work isn’t showing promising results but after one experiment they discover the unexpected power of the Lamarr chip. The chip can bring benefits to the users and the potential market is suddenly much bigger than the 5G companies. This is something that everyone wants to get their hands on and they will stop at nothing to get it!

Once we realise the power of the chip, the reader is plunged headlong into an exciting adventure where everyone we met in the first half of the book suddenly starts to show their true colours. When you have something every government would kill for, who can you trust? Each character starts to evolve; we see what drives them, we see more of their true purpose and that means things will get messy. Throw in a handful of heavies, some special ops and of the course the local police and you get a story you will not want to put down. I felt intrigued as to where this was going to go, who was really out to get who, and who may not be who they seem. There were definitely twists and surprises in this one that left me shocked.

I must say I found the first half of the story a little slow. The character building and the scientific explanation of what the Lamarr chip may or may not be doing felt carefully paced. However Murrell is teeing up the story for an explosive second half and what promises to be an interesting sequel. Not once as a reader did I feel overawed by the science, or the implications. The author moved the plot along at a rapid pace without befuddling the reader.

The interesting benefit of setting a story around a massive research institute like CSIRO is that you are allowed very intelligent characters.  Leaps of logic that in other books would seem out of place, were cleverly explained by the author. The ‘good guys’ didn’t just have to rely on serendipity and bullets in this novel. Brains were allowed and the mental chess game with the enemy spy made for entertaining reading.

I would recommend Yearn to Fear to anyone looking for a different take on the spy thriller and looking to find a new go-to author.

Ryan chose to read and review a free digital copy of Yearn to Fear. The above review is his own unbiased opinion.

Yearn to Fear by Chas Murrell was published in the UK on 18th November 2020 and is available in paperback and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | Goodreads |

Chas Murrell has been a Police Officer, Senior Fire Commander, Customs Coastwatch surveillance mission co-ordinator, heavy machinery mechanic, emergency medical technician/ instructor, film extra, and General Manager of an event company. He has published academic papers on liquid hydrogen and held a worldwide provisional patent for a nonlinear mathematical calculation. He survived Australia’s largest gas BLEVE in 1987, and has provided operational support to some of Australia’s largest natural disasters in North Queensland.

On a personal level he has suffered from relentless and debilitating migraines all his life, is father to four and pop to two. He and his artistically entrepreneurial wife live in Tasmania, which looks very much like Scotland and they wouldn’t have it any other way. A direct descendant of Robert the Bruce (King of Scots), history runs deep in Chas’s veins, along with a profound knowledge of both World Wars. You may even come across him online playing World of Tanks.

In his Australian spy thriller books you will get to know Chas’s knowledge of technology, intrigue, crime, espionage, weaponry, banter, romance and even whisky… yet above all, there is believability and no loose ends.