Nuclear Blues by Bradley K. Martin is a tightly written and pulsating political thriller with a captivating setting in North Korea, riddled with espionage, shady activities, and a world where nothing is as it seems. Meet Heck Davis, a journalist who has embraced a new career as a blues musician. But suddenly his friend is shot and everything changes. He goes back to hunt the shooter, but in a world filled with uncertainty, where any passerby could be carrying a bomb, can he stay safe and find answers to the riddle that haunts his mind?
Bradley K. Martin’s Nuclear Blues is cunningly crafted and the action builds up around the growth of the protagonist. Heck Davis evolves in many ways throughout the narrative and readers will be stunned at how the author creates a powerful link between the conflict, the protagonist, and the setting. This could be a story about strong and compelling characters seeking answers, but it is a powerful statement about the socio-political landscapes and the darkness that invades North Korea, a daring story that is as unnerving as it is engrossing.
Bradley K. Martin has the gift of making readers feel a place and fall in love with his characters. The writing is top-notch and the overall writing is deft and balanced, with powerful and emotionally intense scenes, thrilling moments of action, and twists that readers won’t see coming. The “aha” moments are many and the thought that something could happen at any moment invades the reader’s mind. I was so engrossed that I read the whole story through the night. An awesome read. One of the best thrillers I have read so far with an international setting.