A Deadly Trade is the first in E.V. Seymour’s Josh Thane series. A tautly paced tale filled with intrigue and adventure, the story revolves around an anti-hero whose crisis of conscious leads him into hero territory when he unravels a plot that would have apocalyptic repercussions if carried out.

Thane—or Hex to those who hire him to kill—is an engaging character whose split second decision to spare a life in the middle of a botched assassination entangles him in a web of espionage and bioterrorism. His past collides with the present as his history comes back to haunt him, and betrayal lurks close to home.

Seymour’s prose is crisp and seamless, and one of the most outstanding characters of the story is Thane’s counterpart: a brilliant woman who is feminine, tough, ruthless and who also happens to be a spook. This is an intelligent read laced with sly humor and a perfect balance between action and exposition. The settings are vividly rendered, the weaponry and choreography of fights is on point, and the scientific angle is horrifying and chilling.

Thane is a winning combination of hero and anti-hero, and from the moment he steps into the bedroom and finds the woman he’s been sent to kill is already dead, I was hooked. A Deadly Trade is a gripping thriller that weaves together London’s criminal underbelly, international spy games, and global terror in an exciting, edge of your seat read.

Highly recommended for fans of thrillers with a scientific, espionage angle