Dark Heart, Heavy Soul

The Konstantin Novellas

by Keith Nixon

An adversary from the past asks Konstantin Boryakov for a favour – break into a facility designed to protect £200 million in cash and steal an item far more valuable. Theft, murder, mayhem and a sprinkling of deception await him…

All Konstantin Boryakov wants is a quiet life. In Margate. But someone is looking for him, someone who’ll do whatever they can to get the ex-KGB agent’s attention. Enter Violet, a woman with a penchant for throwing people who upset her out of windows. And Campari.

Reluctantly, Konstantin finds himself building a team to pull off a heist – breaking into a high security cash deposit facility with a hot line to the police. But he’s not to take money, what he’s after is a case, containing something apparently even more precious than the £200 million in notes that’s held behind razor wire defences.

The first member of Konstantin’s team is testosterone loaded prison officer David Lockwood, a man with debts to pay, and not to society. The pair break Sticky Mickey, a data mining expert, out of prison. With the arrival of strong man Lawson the team is seemingly complete, but when Lawson winds up dead, the result of an inconvenient accident, Konstantin is wary, even more so when Lawson’s void is filled by the volatile Violet.

Getting into the facility was the easy step and Lawson just the first to die. Everyone connected with the heist, it seems, is a target and Konstantin must go back to the beginning to find out who’s behind it all before he winds up with a bullet in the heart.

Konstantin Boryakov is done with the past, but seemingly, it’s not done with him…

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2016

About the author

Bestselling author Keith Nixon lives in Cheshire, England and works in a high tech industry. Novels include the Solomon Gray, Konstantin, Harry Vaughan and Caradoc series.

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He can be found on Twitter (@knntom) and Facebook or his website www.keithnixon.co.uk.

Praise for Keith Nixon’s Work
‘A stunning book and a new series that has become a must read. ’
-M.W. Craven, author of the Washington Poe series

‘Keith Nixon does for Margate what Peter James did for Brighton … As dark and brooding as the wind-lashed shores of the North Sea, and with its disturbing echoes of the Elm Guest House scandal and suggestions of deep-seated institutional corruption, Dig Two Graves is a superb addition to the rich Brit Crime scene. ’
Tim Baker, CWA shortlisted author of Fever City and City Without Stars

‘Deeply emotional, a dark rollercoaster ride. ’
Ed James, author of bestselling DI Fenchurch series

‘A compelling murder mystery with a multilayered and engaging new hero. Great read. ’
Mason Cross, author of the Carter Blake thriller series

‘A damaged detective, haunted by a tragic past, a young son missing or dead, a man on a quest for redemption. Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray is a fine creation and Dig Two Graves an intriguing, nourish mystery. Keith Nixon is a sparkling crime fiction talent. ’
Howard Linskey, author of the David Blake crime series

‘A dark, uncompromising tale of loss, murder, and revenge. Glorious noir, which takes the police procedural elements and gives them new life. I can't wait to read the next step in Solomon Gray's journey for answers ... ’
Luca Veste, author of the Murphy and Rossi series

‘One hell of a writer.’
Ken Bruen, Author of The Jack Taylor series

‘Nixon writes hard-hitting fiction, with a dash of humour, a cast of great characters, and a dollop of violence. Konstantin is a fantastic creation.’
Luca Veste, author of The Murphy and Rossi series and The Bonekeeper

‘Reads like the UK’s answer to Carl Hiassen. Criminally underrated.’
MW Craven, author of The Washington Poe series

‘Lean, mean and gritty, with writing as sharp as a razor cut. Keith Nixon serves up a ‘Konstantin Kocktail’, with equal parts Vodka to Vodka, that'll hit you just where it's needed.’
Matt Hilton, Author of the Joe Hunter thrillers

‘I have to liken reading this novel to being a smoker - it leaves a dirty taste in your mouth but you JUST CAN'T STOP.’ Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me, Tell Me No Lies, The Party

‘If you told me that Konstantin put the K in KGB, I wouldn't even argue. This character is a badass of the highest calibre.’
Gerard Brennan, author of Undercover

‘Feels like Snatch meets a steampunk Sherlock Holmes. Nixon continues the story of Russian-born Konstantin, anti-hero for the modern age. Like Marlowe before him, Konstantin has a penchant for finding trouble and an unflinching sense of morality to get him out of it.’
Joe Clifford, author of The Jay Porter series

‘Hardboiled action and sharp, gritty humour. Highly recommended.’
Paul D. Brazill, author of Guns Of Brixton and A Case Of Noir

‘Gritty and glorious, dirty and dynamic, fast and furious. My kind of book.’
Col’s Criminal Library
‘A superior action-thriller, layered with flashbacks, intriguing characters and tendon-snapping sequences of graphic violence.’
Murder, Mayhem and More

‘A fast-paced and witty tale.’
Big Al’s Books and Pals

‘With his unique style of writing, the author grabs the reader’s attention and makes for an entertaining read.’
By The Letter Book Reviews

‘Tight, punchy with a distinct voice.’
Crimesquad

‘The ability to get his readers onside, rooting for his messed-up characters as they battle against the

Reviews

[Rowena Hoseason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Konstantin is a killer. Ex-KGB, ex-FSB, now skulking in the shadows. He dresses like a tramp, bears a bitter grudge from his past life, always checks over his shoulder and rarely fights fair. He’s an excellent operations planner and is known in the worst kind of way to the British security services... who make one of those offers he can’t refuse to do a job he’d rather not.

Konstantin is allocated a team; a killer woman with a skill-set to match his own, a bent corrections officer with a penchant for unwise violence, and an autistic jailbird who first has to be broken out of custody. Then the mismatched, distrustful gang are given their assignment – a Mission Impossible to break into one of the most secure cash-counting facilities in the country and steal something even more important than the millions of pounds on the premises…

I've read several ‘rogue agent’ rapid-fire romps recently, but this one does something innovative and daring within the constraints of the genre. Author Keith Nixon writes with panache and poise, in stylish stripped-down prose which evokes the atmosphere of a scuzzy pub in a few savage sentences. He keeps the reader guessing throughout; Konstantin himself doesn’t quite know what’s going on, we never know what he’s planning, and every chapter contains a new twist, a sudden setback or a breath-taking action set-piece. The language is littered with throwaway wit and snappy one-liners, while the WTF? aspects of the plot keeps the pages turning non-stop.

This is a superior action-thriller, layered with flashbacks, intriguing characters and tendon-snapping sequences of graphic violence. Konstantin is a bad man, and his mythology draws on the best that the genre can provide including a secret hideaway and savage guard dog; a convenient fixer who comes up with guns, cars and a safe house when required, and a semi-friendly copper who can provide intel or turn a blind eye. But Nixon makes these familiar figures feel fresh and intriguingly unreliable; his writing has a real edge to it which imbues every exchange with the genuine potential for dangerous betrayal. A writer with considerable control of his craft, this one.

I am absolutely yomped through Dark Heart and at the end was beset by only one concern: go back to the start of the series or look at what else Nixon has written?
9/10

[David Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

So today I’m reviewing book 4 in Keith Nixon’s Konstantin series. If you follow my reviews you’ll know I’ve read and enjoyed Keith’s work before and this certainly didn’t let me down.

Konstantin is a brilliant character, with snip bits of information about his past being dropped throughout the book.. This made him a very intriguing character and likeable. His inner monologue had me smiling, he’s got this great sense of humour which I loved and as a reader I felt privileged to read his inner thoughts.

The author describes Konstantin as an enigma.. which I totally agree with. I can really see this series having the legs for further tales as Keith builds on the story.....it just leaves me wondering what can happen next and what else about Konstantin we will learn

Very enjoyable read, and once the action starts its pace is pretty fast. I loved the plot line but probably would have liked the break-in scene drawn out a little more.. that’s personal preference though I must admit

There was another character I particularly enjoyed.. Mr Lamb.. like Konstantin (or indeed any other character in the book) you don’t get to know too much about them.. the suspense this brings was great.. wondering what each characters motives truly were.

My honest opinion of this book is that while the plot is good what really gave this book the extra wow factor was the characters and the mystery behind them. You are given tit bits to keep you happy but just enough so you want to read the next instalments without giving too much away in one go

At just over 200 pages it’s not an epic read either and the story flows easily so for me it was another excellent and fascinating book from Keith. I can’t rate his storytelling enough if I’m honest. Good plots, great characters and exciting plots that develop throughout

[Shervin Jamali · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Fast paced, cleverly plotted and intriguing. If you, like me, have not read the first three books in the series, fear not, as this one works just fine as a stand-alone. Nixon's writing style is abrupt and matter-of-fact. Since the narration is essentially the protagonist's inner monologue, this works very well. Konstantin is a likable anti-hero, an enigma shrouded in mystery; I would have liked more chapters on his past, but Nixon knew what he was doing there too, giving just enough, forcing me to read more of his books. Action, snappy dialogue, twists and turns. Highly recommended.

[Paul Brazill · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Dark Heart, Heavy Soul, the former KGB anti-hero is reluctantly dragged into taking part in a heist which soon spirals out of his control.

Keith Nixon’s Dark Heart, Heavy Soul is the best Konstantin Boryakov novel yet. Nixon smoothly blends high-octane thrills with gritty crime fiction. Dark Heart, Heavy Soul is packed full of tension, action, humour, great characters, sharp dialogue and a hell of a lot of warmth too.

An absolute belter!

[Darren Sant · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this latest offering from Keith Nixon we get some interesting insights into the Konstantin's past. As always Nixon weaves an intricate story filled with blood, violence, dark humour and a satisfyingly engrossing read. Highly recommended.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enigma

Konstatin is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, inside a conundrum,and that is the key to following his intriguing saga.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Keith Nixon’s fourth book featuring ex-KGB agent Konstantin Boryakov. While Konstantin is doing his best to lay low, trouble has a way of finding him. When it does then he’ll do what needs to be done, whatever that may be. All of the Konstantin books have been intense, edge-of-the-seat reads. I’ve found the character of Konstantin interesting in that in many ways he seems amoral, yet when you look deep, it’s apparent how untrue that impression is.

What set Dark Heart, Heavy Soul apart from the prior books in the series for me was that I was never sure it was going to turn out okay. Normally when you’re reading a book like this that is part of a series, while things may get tense, in the back of your mind you expect the protagonist to come out on top in the end. That he or she will survive is never really in question. But as this story unfolded, with its various twists and turns, I found myself seriously wondering whether Konstantin had finally gotten into a situation he couldn’t get out of in one piece.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Dark Heart, Heavy Soul is the fourth novel in the Konstantin series and there are a few characters from previous books, I do actually think it works well as a stand alone.

Having read other books in the series, I feel like I know a little bit more about Konstatntin but nowhere near as much as I would like to. I don't think I have ever come across a character like him. He is surrounded in an aura of mystery and suspense and I am really dying to know more about his whole background and to the person he is today.

I loved Violet and in some ways she is like the female version of Konstantin, though I don't think he would be to happy with me thinking that. Things are certainly never dull with her around.

The book is made up of short chapters which makes the story feel quite fast paced and had me flying through it in no time. It is jammed packed full of action and there is quite a lot going on through out the story which left me feeling slightly exhausted by the end as I wanted to keep up with it all and not miss anything.

Dark Heart, Heavy Soul is another good read in the series. Full of mystery with twists and turns, it certainly keeps the readers on their toes.

My thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Acaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrator, Konstantin Boryakov, started life as a bit player in ‘The Fix’ but this well-developed ex-KGB character has been elevated to a deserved series of his own – most of which I’ve not read. That is not a problem here as ‘Dark Heart, Heavy Soul’ reads well as a stand-alone novel.

At first the staccato delivery of the first-person narration takes some getting used to as it acts as a barrier to shield the man from the reader just as he uses it to shield himself from life. But the rhythm soon begins to pulse through the blood, and the depth of his character, his emotional back-story, and his moral compass, all rise to the surface to add perspective to the tale.

He’s being set up; he thinks he knows who by; he doesn’t know why. Don’t waste time on the body count. Enjoy the ride.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild, suspenseful adventure with a cast of complicated and yet (worryingly) relatable characters, this is great fiction.

Konstantin is living a (relatively) peaceful existence when a woman with a penchant for fights and an adversary from the past lead him into an impossible dilemma: break into a secure cash facility to steal an unknown item ... or die. And that's just the beginning.

Pacy, sharp, and witty, this is a relentless ride into the recesses of, well, dark hearts. The characters were very well drawn, with depth and multiple shades of decency depending on the situation. Realistic and absorbing, this is a great read. Highly recommended.

*I received a free copy from the author. This is my honest review.

[Mark Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nixon continues his most prominent character's story in this stand-alone instalment. The punchy, economical writing structure which has become the character's signature narrative style is present, as is the acerbic wit regular readers have come to expect. Another solid novel to add to Nixon's bulging portfolio.

[Ryan Bracha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keith Nixon builds yet more bricks onto the solid foundation of his most famous creation.

He's perfected the short, sharp prose and snappy dialogue that comes with this series by now, and it's all the stronger for it. My favourite of his Konstantin books, after his flawless debut, The Fix. Five easy stars.

[Purity Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable romp with the mysterious Russian, Konstantin.

[Pauline Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want more Konstantin!