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AA Abbott

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Up In Smoke: A Sizzling, Twisting Crime Thriller Kindle Edition

by AA Abbott (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 42 ratings

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A sizzling, twisting crime thriller about a deadly business!

Smoking kills – but a bullet is quicker…

Anti-smoking activist Susan Farrell agrees to spy on Big Tobacco. She discovers too late who she can trust – and who she can’t.

Tobacco boss Tony Burton ends up fighting for his company's existence, and his own life, in this fast-paced crime thriller. Will he win or lose?

On a roller coaster ride between London, Birmingham, Paris and Shanghai, this sensational thriller shines a spotlight on the deadliest business of all.

Print length

262 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

June 14, 2013
File size

751 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DF994NW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Perfect City Press; 1st edition (June 14, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 751 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 262 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.0 42 ratings

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AA Abbott

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Who doesn’t love a page-turner packed with mystery, twists and suspense? Those are the books I yearn to read, and I enjoy writing them, too. I’m British thriller writer A.A. Abbott – known to friends as Helen – and I believe a good read is one of life’s greatest pleasures. As a city girl, I've lived and worked in London, Bristol and Birmingham, so it’s no surprise that my books are often set there.

Like 10% of us, many of my family are dyslexic. While I'm not, I want my books to be enjoyed by readers with dyslexia and visual impairment too. That's why I publish my thrillers in a LARGE PRINT dyslexia-friendly edition as well as the standard paperback and ebook versions. Don't forget, when you’re reading an ebook, you can adjust the font on your Kindle to suit your needs. Bright Lies is also available as an audiobook, recorded by amazing voice actor Eilidh Beaton.

I like speaking to book groups, business networks and social circles, and reading my thrillers and short stories at live fiction events and on Zoom. If you're a book blogger, litfest organiser, reviewer or simply adore books, I'd love to hear from you.

I'm a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Bristol Fiction Writers' Group, and Birmingham's New Street Authors.

Find out more about the books I love to read and write, and get free short stories, at https://aaabbott.co.uk

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

42 global ratings

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Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020

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Wow, this was a wonderfully gripping story. There is so much rave about. First of all, I adore the way the story is told from so many perspectives. It allows you to really feel what's going on from all sides and makes the character growth, realism, and issues powerful and tangible. I absolutely loved that the characters are complex, with real lives, emotions and are not cut and dry good or bad. Even the ones I loathed had some qualities that at times gave me empathy for them. The depth carries over in the theme as issues are looked at from all sides of a hot topic issue. Add all of that to the already brilliant plot and fast pace and you have a book that is a page turner. I've enjoyed every book from this author and look forward to reading her again.

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019

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This was a great look inside the tobacco industry. The author makes sure she doesn't stereotype her characters. The people running the tobacco company aren't all big, bad meanies, and the people trying to stop them are not all sweet, charming individuals. There's good and bad on both sides, and people who have their own agendas. I loved the multi-faceted aspect of this story. It's not just the activists against big tobacco. Others are trying to get in on the operation. There's plenty of action to keep your attention and wonder how it will all turn out I know I certainly didn't expect some of the final results. A highly entertaining story.

5 people found this helpful

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Reader

Amazing thriller

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2020

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A.A. Abbott has done it again in this thriller!
I love a good thriller and this author has yet to disappoint me. Like with all of this author's books, this one is packed with action and even has that seductive side to it that makes you want to keep reading.

Susan and Tony's story is one to be read!

Side note: Nice work! I need more!

Helpful

christon duijn

a triller you must read it

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

Good book
nice plot
amazing
you can see the settings in front of you.
read the book with pleasure
up to the next book

4 people found this helpful

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Sherry Vecellio

book

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019

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great

2 people found this helpful

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Darren Ackers

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013

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Great believable plot and thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. Well written and formatted - recommend read. Look forward to the next book..

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Deb

GETS IN YOUR EYES IN THE VERY BEST OF WAYS - SEDUCTIVE THRILLER ON A LIVE ISSUE - BIG TOBACCO

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2014

A.A. Abbott's 'Up in Smoke' lifts the stone on the tobacco business. It is a fast and sexy read that drew me in and held me with its blend of of moral outrage versus hedonism. I don't read a lot of thrillers, but this one got my attention from start to finish because of its subject matter. The story is believable. Big tobacco is still out there. There is still money to be made aplenty. Its markets may have shrunk, but it still makes fat profits, especially in Asia.

Yes, there is something for everyone in A.A. Abbott's story. Up in Smoke starts in a big way by setting up a group of activist against Albion, a tobacco giant. A part of me was definitely rooting for the activists. I wanted Albion to go down. I wanted its business to fold and I wanted all those working for it to lose their jobs. But, but, but .. And this is where, A.A. Abbott's book is very clever, I got to like some of the players at Albion. They were very human, doing very human things in their personal lives. The sorts of things people do everywhere. They were no different from the rest of us in many ways. I almost forgot what they were responsible for actually producing.

This trip was enhanced by the excitement and skullduggery of a takeover battle and a lot of lavish expense-account living in the fast lane, where skirts are high and necklines low. Up in Smoke is definitely all about seduction. One flash of Joe, the marketing director's baby blues, provides an excellent couple of twists to the story. There is more than just smoke in the air. Lives are at stake. I actually grew to like Tony, Albion's alpha male boss. Yes, he is a first class rascal however you view him. Was it the way he lived life without a care?

"..Tony put a cigar to his lips. Lighting it at last, he drew comfort and courage from its perfumed smoke."

By contrast, the activists pitted against him seem mean-spirited and violent. The lengths they are prepared to go to taint them. But, of course, they can wrap the flag of greater moral good around themselves. They know that their aims are right. They know they are right in the long run and that they have to do what others cannot or don't have the courage to do. Big Tobacco must be stopped at all costs. And I agree with them. Tony and those like him in the walking around world are directly, directly, responsible for the deaths of 5 million people a year. Now how great a biz is that to be in guys? But..

There is also great wit in Up in Smoke. The evil candyman marketing director who will not sell to African children - far too poor to buy ciggies. And the drugs dealer whose body is a temple. And "Not my orchids," shouts one villain. "You can redecorate when I'm dead," quips one of the tobacco industry's victims.

Yes, I recommend Up in Smoke. It's been carefully rolled to curl from the page and up into your eyes in the most pleasing of ways imaginable. And it is all believable.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

C A Mathews

Gripping

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2015

This gripping tale of industrial espionage is underpinned by a moral core, focusing on smoking: its supporters and detractors. As in all good stories, things are not quite as straightforward as the characters believe them to be. Neither are the people themselves all they seem. As ever, A A Abbott writes with such authenticity, one can only wonder where in the world she hasn't been or what profession she hasn't practised! Highly recommended.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

r j askew

gets in your eyes in the very best of ways .. seductive, contemporary thriller on a live issue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

A.A. Abbott's Up in Smoke lifts the stone on the tobacco business. It is a fast and sexy read that drew me in and held me with its clever blend of of moral outrage versus hedonism.

I don't read a lot of thrillers, but this one certainly bossed my eyes from start to finish because of its subject matter.

The story is believable. Big tobacco is still out there. There is still money to be made aplenty. Its markets may have shrunk in the West, but it is a clever and cunning business. And there are fat profits to be made, especially in Asia.

Yes, there is something for everyone in A.A. Abbott's story.

Some 5 million people die each year because of smoking. My father was one of them some years ago. Kids still smoke. It's cool to too many. Sickening, literally.

Up in Smoke ticks this box in a big way by setting up a group of activist against Albion, a tobacco giant.

A part of me was definitely rooting for the activists. I wanted Albion to go down. I wanted its business to fold and I wanted all those working for it to lose their jobs.

But, but, but .. And this is where, A.A. Abbott's book is very clever, I got to like some of the players at Albion. They were very human, doing very human things in their personal lives. The sorts of things people do everywhere. They were no different from the rest of us in many ways.

I almost forgot what they were responsible for actually producing.

This trip was enhanced by the excitement and skullduggery of a takeover battle and a lot of lavish expense-account living in the fast lane, where skirts are high and necklines low and Charlie is not the name of your doddery old uncle. Nod nod.

Oh yes, Up in Smoke is definitely all about seduction. One flash of Joe, the marketing director's baby blues, provides an excellent couple of twists to the story. There is more than just smoke in the air. Lives are at stake.

I actually grew to like Tony, Albion's alpha male boss. Yes, he is a first class rascal however you view him. But.. Was it the way he lived life without a care?

"..Tony put a cigar to his lips. Lighting it at last, he drew comfort and courage from its perfumed smoke."

By contrast, the activists pitted against him seem mean-spirited and violent. The lengths they are prepared to go to taint them. But, of course, they can wrap the flag of greater moral good around themselves. They know that their aims are right. They know they are right in the long run and that they have to do what others cannot or don't have the courage to do. Big Tobacco must be stopped at all costs. And I agree with them.

Tony and those like him in the walking around world are directly, directly, responsible for the deaths of 5 million people a year.

Now how great a biz is that to be in guys?

But..

There is also great wit in Up in Smoke, some of it arch. The evil candyman marketing director who will not sell to African children - far too poor to buy ciggies. And the drugs dealer whose body is a temple. And "Not my orchids," shouts one villain during a ruck. And "You can redecorate when I'm dead," quips one of the tobacco industry's victims.

Yes, I can recommend Up in Smoke. It's been carefully rolled to curl from the page and up into your eyes in the most pleasing of ways imaginable. And it is all eminently believable.

5 people found this helpful

Trudie Collins

A book worth reading

Reviewed in Australia on April 25, 2020

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This book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. It went in surprisingly different directions. Initially I thought that there were too many threads, that the author had had a number of good ideas and had tried to put too many into one book, but she does a great job of masterfully bringing them all together. The plot is interesting and brings the characters to life.

One of the things I like about this book is that most of the chapters are short as I hate stopping mid-chapter. If you are the sort of person who can only read in short bursts, this book is ideal for you. Having said that, if you prefer to read in longer stints, it will also work well for you as well as, though you can stop at the end of each chapter, you’re not going to want to.

Simon Fairbanks

Like Cigarettes: An Addictive Guilty Pleasure

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2016

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Up In Smoke is the debut novel from thriller author AA Abbott.

Having read her later two novels, After The Interview and The Bride's Trail, I enjoyed returning to her original work to see where it all began. It tells the story of Susan, one of the few good characters, who seeks revenge on a major tobacco company after her husband dies from lung cancer.

By now, I knew what to expect from Abbott and I was not disappointed. Up In Smoke contains all of her trademark authorial motifs: shady corporate deals, the use of Birmingham and London as backdrops to the action, and a vast international cast with varying moral codes.

The characters are always a great reason to pick up an Abbott novel. Most of them are so unsympathetic and unlikeable that they capture your interest, which is why people are so addicted to shows like Game of Thrones and House of Cards. Up In Smoke is like an entire novel of Lannisters and Underwoods!

The ever-present symbol of cigarettes is appropriate because these characters are filthy and rotten, like the cancer-sticks which they aggressively smoke.

Abbott writes from a kaleidoscope of perspectives, quickly switching between chauvinists, adulterers, addicts, smugglers, murderers and corporate spies. This mixture of anti-heroes and outright villains makes for compulsive reading because readers will never be sure who to root for, so you can just sit back and let the corruption unfold.

Abbott is generous with her ideas and does not miss an opportunity for debauchery, whether it be smuggling, seduction, sexual harassment, sabotage, strip clubs, vandalism, exploding packages, psychotic ex-wives or just plenty of sex and violence. You will never be bored.

Up In Smoke is like a pack of cigarettes: an addictive guilty pleasure.

4 people found this helpful

Debbie

Pacy thriller set in the cut-throat tobacco industry

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2016

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I wanted to read this after hearing the author speak at a recent bookshop event, in which her passion for her writing and her energy shone through. I could see that her business background, managing financial matters for big name companies, would provide heaps of inspiration and ideas.

After hearing her talk, I wasn't surprised to find out that this book is a pacy and energetic thriller set in the tobacco industry, doing for the cigarette business what the TV series "Dallas" did for the oil industry: exposes its cut-throat and ruthless nature against the backdrop of a breathtakingly extravagant lifestyle.

It's a fast romp with a huge cast, and as such can't delve into huge character development, but that's fine - there's enough here to differentiate the characters and explain their motivations, without slowing the pace. Also, the author cleverly avoids heaping all the blame on the tobacco execs - the morals ad ethics of some of the characters in her anti-tobacco lobby are at times equally dubious!

While tobacco is an obvious "villain" to portray, I'm sure there are lots of other industries which operate in similar ways. It certainly made me glad I no longer work in the business world!

A fun read that's both escapist and thought-provoking, great for on the beach or to convince any office worker that they haven't had such a bad day after all!

2 people found this helpful

Mig Bardsley

Not my kind of book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was interested in the idea of someone spying on a tobacco company but the first couple of chapters totally failed to hold my interest so I'm afraid I didn't read any more.

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Up In Smoke: A Sizzling, Twisting Crime Thriller Kindle Edition

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