While I should have read the first book in the Antonia Conti thriller series for better character understanding, book two is still a standalone read. I’m excited to dive into book one and discover the background. David has successfully captured Antonia’s relatable and realistic nature in his writing. The short chapters are great because they keep you hooked, and the fast-paced story is also a plus. I was constantly on edge, anticipating Antonia’s next move.

I really enjoyed the mix of characters and thought the story was fantastic. I can’t wait to dive into more of the Antonia Conti thriller series.

If you’re looking for a remarkable series, give these books a read.

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This weas such a good book. Stealing memories, very unique. I loved the fast pace and suspension. I think there might be a love story brewing too, it had everything!

This is the second story I have read in this series. It is just as good as the first one. If you enjoy mystery and suspense then I know you will enjoy this story.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An irresistible slice of escapism and a joy to read. Compelling, absorbing and highly entertaining. Fast-moving and fun! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well written, fast paced, full~on action with an excellent storyline. Definitely one to read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found out after reading this story that it really needed to be read after the 1st book in the series. I imagine that's why I struggled so much through most of the book trying to figure out what was going on. I really had a hard time getting through this book and the only part I really enjoyed was the end. There was a lot of action, murders, stories and sub-stories all going on at the same time. Even though there was action from the beginning, I really had a hard time reading it and keeping up my interest in the story. This just wasn't one of those books that made me want to stop reading it. Actually it was more the opposite. The characters were ok, not as developed as I would have liked. Maybe that would have been better if I'd read the 1st book in the series before this one. The "bad guys" in this story were too easy to spot and left me waiting for the story to uncover them. It wasn't a bad book, just not really my taste in books.

I received an ARC copy of this book and this is my honest review.

In book two set in this near-future world, journalist Antonia Conti is again investigating the evil corporation GRM. GRM is experimenting on prisoners by trying to alter their memories to remove the ones that led to their criminal acts. However, there are side effects. Antonia asks for help from DI Russell Chapman in her investigation of GRM. An enjoyable, unusual mystery.

I'm sorry to say, but this is a DNF for me. Mainly because I didn't read the first book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

Set in a near future dystopian London where crime is prevalent, a private company GRM running a majority of private prisons is rumoured to be operating an experimental programme to alter prisoners’ memories with the end goal of removing the memories that led to their criminal behaviour. When the poorly executed technology begins to have fatal ramifications, whistle-blowers try to expose GRM’s wrongdoings. When a whistle-blower meets with Antonia Conti who works as an investigative journalist for The Electric Investigator things take a turn for the worst, leaving him dead and Antonia fighting for her life. Antonia and with the help of her long time friend DS Russell Chapman seek to uncover the truth behind the rumours and to bring GRM and their CEO Gustav Reed-Mayhew down for good. However, the more they investigate, the more her friends and colleagues are in danger. This book grapples with the idea of how corrupt self-serving people use their power, wealth and status to get what they desire at the expense of the people they regard as disposable regardless of the deadly consequences.

I would like to start off by saying that I did not read the first book of this series and read this as a stand-alone meaning I lost some historical context which may have impacted my understanding on some parts, but I think this reads well by itself.

The synopsis of this book is what caught my eye and although it took me a few chapters to get immersed in its world, the writing style of this book is what kept me reading to the end. The characters are relatable but adding more details and descriptors about the characters would have been more effective (Again, my lack of understanding the characters through description is probably due to me not reading the first book where their sense of personality and background was probably previously built up). This book is quite heavy on action scenes which I thoroughly enjoyed. I appreciated the way memory manipulation was discussed in a way that readers could understand without us getting confused on the topic. I felt that some aspects in some chapters were redundant and was probably added to fill the word count. The plot is filled with twists and turns that will keep you entertained to the end.

Overall, I found Stolen Memory to be a compelling action thriller and although there is room for improvements, I would be open to reading more books written by David Beckler. I would recommend this book to others who enjoy thriller books full of action.

Star Rating: 3.5/5

This is another winner for David Beckler and his Antonia Conti series. It is dark, suspenseful, action-packed, and fast-paced, and will cause serious heart palpitations! Once I started it I did not want to put it down, especially once I reached the ~60% mark. Things began moving so fast that I couldn't seem to turn pages fast enough. But while this is definitely an action thriller, it is also character-driven. Antonia and her allies work desperately to make their world a better place, despite those who think wealth and power are the ultimate goal.
This is the second book in the Antonia Conti series, and while I really want to see GRM get his just desserts I would love for the series to continue for several more books. Mr. Beckler creates a believable and difficult world in his near future London; one that should give the reader pause because it could easily become our future if we aren't careful. It has almost the same feel as George Orwell's 1984. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to book #3,
I received a review copy from the author via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

How to reduce the crime rate??? Very easily, invent a program that will erase the memories of convicted criminals and reduce the triggers for those urges...
But if you entrust that task to a morally debatable company like GPM, where espionage is every day occurrence and the lack of knowledge just a small inconvenience, then don't be surprised by the deadly outcomes...

No matter how hard you try to silence the rumors, it's impossible. That's exactly what will force our heroine Anthonia to try to investigate what's behind the deal with private prisons and that whole memory erasure program. She embarks on this dangerous game, but will she succeed?

If you are interested in an interesting crime thriller with elements of science fiction, don't miss this one... For a better experience, you can first read the first book in the series...

An intriguing thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end. David Beckler lays out an innovative story where individuals memories are being altered. Journalist Antonia faces danger at every turn trying to get the story. I really enjoyed this book with all the twists in the plot. I look forward to the next book.

Let me start with a warning, if you are starting reading this book as a standalone you will lose much of the history content, go back and read the first installment of the series before you start with this one.
The author has delivered us an extremely fast paced thriller that will hook you from beginning to end. The characters are believable and whether you like them or not they feel real.
There are quite a few twists and turns and a lot of action that make this book a fast read, I can't wait to read the next installment of the series because I really need to know what happens next.

The author has delivered a fast paced and deliciously wicked tale. The characters are well rounded and come across as believable, whether you love them or hate them. This provocative, somewhat dark and twisted story grabs you from the first page and keeps you guessing until the very end! It was so captivating and exciting that I simply couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading future installments in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the very first page. I will admit some areas had me confused as I haven't read the first book in the series and so the backstories were missing from my knowledge of the characters, but nonetheless, it still works fairly well as a stand-alone. I will almost certainly buy the first book as I very much enjoyed the writing style of this one, and the characterisation was realistic and relatable. The story moved at a fast pace, and I like the short chapters which gave the opportunity to take a break. However, often I didn't want to stop reading and just had to go on to discover more of the story. I received the book for free on the promise of an honest review, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it before release, but I became so engrossed that I read from start to finish with nearly 3 weeks to spare. It was disappointing that the ideas that grabbed me on the first few pages (make-up or masks to foil face-recognition software) failed to make an appearance anywhere else in the book, but nonetheless, I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written, fast-paced thriller.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Stolen Memory isn’t like other mysteries and thrillers. A unique twist in this tale of crime, deception and betrayal.

I really liked this book about the intrigue of highly placed "robber barons" who use their money, status and power to influence everything in their lives, even at the expense of the "little people". I won't mention character names as there are so many to remember, but the main character to remember, Antonia, is the driving force of an investigative publication that seeks to report the news, not the sugar-coated pap we have been conditioned to expect. Antonia is a very flawed human with her own set of skeletons in her closets but who is trying to exorcise those demons. What is the stolen memory? No spoiler here, just be prepared to read lots of facts , some of which seemed to be added for the word count for publication. Don't let that stop you from reading this book. The writing is top notch and the characters are so fully developed as to seem to pop off the page as you greet each in every scene written. The story tended to drag a bit but not enough to keep me from finishing and I did expect there to be some mind-boggling surprise that hit me square between the eyes. All added together, you'll enjoy this read!

This time there’s more at stake than just her life—now they want to take her past.

Tell me you didn’t read that and think ooh la la.

The synopsis had me intrigued from the get go. Altering the memories of criminals in attempts to rehabilitate sounded unique but also controversial.

The title of the book is fitting and makes sense once you get settled into the plot. Definitely kept me on my toes, and the red herrings were integrated so well that the reader gets fooled alongside the characters.

I think the cover could have been more enticing and gripping but it’s a suitable fit given the story is based in good old Britain – in particular areas of London.

I do like the cloudy atmosphere and the way the title fades away; very clever given the plot of memories being potentially replaced and removed.

GRM is a morally questionably company that runs private prisons. Due to the betrayal and leakage of sensitive information, GRM are able to run a programme where they modify prisoners’ memories. The end goal is to remove the memories that lead to their criminal behaviours but as they lack the full training and knowledge, collateral damage occurs and people begin using it for ulterior motives,

This is when journalist Antonia steps up and starts investigating when rumours after the deathly side effects occur.

This isn’t the first time Antonia has had to look into GRM’s corruption, and as their attempts to silence whistle blowers results in multiple deaths, she becomes more and more certain she is getting closer to the harsh truth.

Along the way, she recruits DI Chapman and makes some new alliances. A battle against time, a threat against life and doubts against the reliability of memories are all obstacles to be tackled.

In the end, we are left reeling to find out if GRM are brought to justice or if Antonia’s teams efforts where in vain.

GRM is a morally questionably company that runs private prisons. Due to the betrayal and leakage of sensitive information, GRM are able to run a programme where they modify prisoners’ memories. The end goal is to remove the memories that lead to their criminal behaviours but as they lack the full training and knowledge, collateral damage occurs and people begin using it for ulterior motives,

This is when journalist Antonia steps up and starts investigating when rumours after the deathly side effects occur.

This isn’t the first time Antonia has had to look into GRM’s corruption, and as their attempts to silence whistle blowers results in multiple deaths, she becomes more and more certain she is getting closer to the harsh truth.

Along the way, she recruits DI Chapman and makes some new alliances. A battle against time, a threat against life and doubts against the reliability of memories are all obstacles to be tackled.

In the end, we are left reeling to find out if GRM are brought to justice or if Antonia’s teams efforts were in vain.

The plot was well crafted. Reading it, you could tell a lot of thought and planning went into the novel.

Everything flowed naturally and no stone was left unturned. The complexity of how the memory altering processed worked was well written and referenced throughout without making the reader feel lost or confused.

Red herrings weren’t cliche and made the reader empathise with the characters. I felt betrayed too!

I always think a good mystery book is able to keep you guessing until the end and fool you at every twist! Especially when no slithers of doubt occur!

It was an easy read and the dialogue felt natural. There was enough description to allow me to imagine what was unravelling whilst maintaining the realistic element to it. The action scenes were *chef’s kiss* brilliant. I was able to visualise it all and root for everyone and wince in agony too.

Character personas’ were well done and their traits aligned with what they said and did.

Honestly, I have no complaints! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan on reading the first novel of the series. I will also be eagerly waiting for the next book because I NEED to know the aftermath.

If I were to be picky, it would have been interesting to see the traitorous lawyer attempt to reverse his wrongdoings and deal with the top dogs he’d have to cross. It was the first time we see him fearful so it would have been lovely to see him all vulnerable after everything he’d put others through…

I think there is a good story in here. However, I could only give it a mediocre review. It's the second one in a series, and it seemed to assume the reader was familiar with the first book. Although there are some pieces of the backstory dribbled throughout the book, descriptions of characters and their relationships are not established early on. Simple things like what color hair someone has, how tall they are, their age, or body type are often not provided for main characters as they are introduced. More than once I found myself well into the book revising my mental image of various people. How old is Chapman? Is his concern for Antonia due to a romantic interest or is it more fatherly? He thinks Adam is too old for her, but aren't they about the same age? I'm not sure. All of that is disturbing and makes it more difficult to sit back and enjoy the book. I do understand giving backstory is a difficult tight wire act between repeating a past book and leaving gaps. However, it was lacking in this book. In addition, I found the cast of characters rather difficult to keep straight. People who were barely mentioned suddenly reappear with only a first or last name, and I have to try to recall who they were and how they fit in. What could I have done to make this more enjoyable for myself? 1) Read the first book. 2) Keep a list of all characters. 3) Reread this book now that I have a better understanding. I may do the first. I did not do the second. I doubt I will do the third.