Review & Excerpt: The Dark Before Dawn (Basic Instincts #4) by Thom Collins
- Debbie
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Book Details:
Book Title: The Dark Before Dawn
Author: Thom Collins
Publisher: Entwined Publishing
Cover Artist: Kelly Martin
Release Date: July 7, 2026
Tense/POV: Third person
Genres: Contemporary MM Romance, Mystery/suspense/thriller
Tropes: Friends to lovers, cop, stalker
Length: 68 500 words
Heat Rating: 4 flames
It is a standalone story that is part of a wider series (book four in the Basic Instincts series) and does not end on a cliffhanger.
@gaybookpromotions @debbiereadsbooks
@thomcollinsauthor @gaybookpromotions @debbiereadsbook
A brutal killer. An unwitting witness. A cop caught in the middle of a deadly pursuit.
Jude Kalvert is glad to be back in his home city and playing gigs around his favourite bars. Blyham is a dangerous place, and things only seem to have got worse in the time he’s been away. It’s not safe to be out alone at night, but when Jude runs into an old school friend after one of his shows, things don’t so seem bad after all.
Danyal Nadir has changed a lot since they knew each other. He’s cop for one thing, newly appointed to act as liaison between the police and the LGBTQ+ community. And he’s come a long way from the shy, bullied kid Jude remembers from school. The adult Danyal is strong, confident and very attractive. Both men jump at the chance to get reacquainted.
But that first night is not a safe as it appears. Jude discovers that he’s one of the last people to have seen a murder victim alive. Soon the killer has Jude and Danyal in their sights. On the run and desperate, there’s no limit as to what he’ll do. As their friendship turns to passion, their new beginning could be the end of them.
Bookshop.org | StoryGraph | Goodreads | Smashbomb | BookBub
The police officer was incredibly good looking. He appeared mixed race, maybe of South Asian heritage with a strong, stubbled jaw and cleft chin. The body beneath the dark uniform was finely shaped. He could almost be a stripper in a cop costume rather than the real thing.
But Jude knew better than to be distracted by a hot guy and maintained his guard.
The cops’ eyes narrowed as he came nearer.
“Jude?” he asked. “Jude Kalvert?” His accent was a blend of light Scottish with a strong inflection of North East England. “Jude Kalvert? It is you, right?”
There was something familiar that Jude couldn't quite place. Maybe they had met on a cruise sometime. He saw hundreds of new faces each week, and it wasn't always easy to remember them.
“Yes,” he said. The man seemed friendly enough, but he was still wary of the uniform.
The serious cop face was transformed by a beautiful smile. “I thought I recognised you. It's Danyal Nadir. I don't know if you remember me. We were at school together.”
Jude had hated school. As the only openly gay kid in his year, the school years had been a misery of bullying, slurs and abuse. He hadn't kept in touch with a single pupil from those days. Whenever anyone reached out to him on social media, he rejected the friend request. Twelve years since he last sat in a classroom, the trauma was still too raw.
Danyal Nadir. That name did ring a bell though.
He dug into his memory. Yes. A skinny kid who had transferred into his class when he had been around ten years old. They had never been friends but had bonded in a strange way because they were tormented by many of the same bullies. Jude for his odd looks, interest in theatre and later for his open sexuality. Danyal, for his mixed heritage- his mother was white-Scottish and his father Indian- and what was considered a strange accent.
Jesus, that school was a fucking cesspit. He prickled at the memory.
“Oh my God,” Jude said. He had to work hard to see anything of that timid kid in this strapping policeman. And yet it was there. In his eyes. And in the rare time he'd seen Danyal smile at school – the smile was the same. “You've changed so much.”
And you’re gorgeous.
A shy chuckle and Danyal’s eyes looked Jude over too, taking him all in. “So have you, but somehow I recognised you. When I saw you get out of the car, I was almost certain it was you.”
Jude felt a warmth spread over his face. Danyal was making him nervous. Not in the intimidating cop way he'd initially expected, but in the hot and bothered want-to-get-into-his-pants way. But no chance. This was Danyal Nadir. The wee kid from Blyham High.
“I didn't know you became a police officer.” Stupid comment. There was no reason he would. They hadn't seen each other in years.
“It's been a decade now. How about you? What are you up to?”
“I'm a singer. Just finished a gig tonight. I'm about to get some food before heading home.” Old acquaintance or not, he was not about to admit to his plan of visiting The Viaduct.
Danyal checked his watch. “Mind if I join you for ten minutes? I'm due a break and I'm parched.”
It was Jude's turn to smile widely. “I'd love it. I'm just heading around the corner.”
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book 4 in the Basic Instincts series, and it can be read as a standalone. I do, however, personally recommend that you do read them in order. It will give you a better picture of Blyham and what has happened and what is still happening there.
Jude has returned home after years on the cruise ships. Danyal is an old school friend, and the attraction between them still lingers. Then Jude witnesses a murder, Danyal's police colleague is murdered, and the killer is playing games.
What I loved about this book was that, although the Blyham Strangler was mentioned, the recent spate of attacks on the gay community was by someone else. Someone who we get to hear from, and I love LOVE hearing from the bad guys! But they have no connection to the strangler. They are twisted and deadly, especially after what happens to Danyal's colleague.
The book is dark and deadly, with on-page violence that is absolutely needed. It's emotional and heart-wrenching. Both Danyal and Jude suffer losses here in the most horrific way, and you feel for them. It brings them closer, though, and I loved that neither felt the need to push the other away.
I didn't think it was as steamy as the other books. This one concentrates more on the emotional connection, I find, than the smex. There is smex, sure, but it's a second to the crime and the bad guy and what happens there.
Will there be more? I'm not sure Blyham can handle another bad guy, to be honest! But if there is, I'll read it!
5 dark and deadly stars.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
July 7 (Release Day)
Gay Book Promotions
@onceandbooks
Archaeolibrarian - REVIEW
Bayou Book Junkie
Ellie Thomas Romance
Ilovebooksandstuffblog
Mx. Phoebe’s Viewpoint - REVIEW
Never Hollowed By The Stare
OMGReads - REVIEW
Paper phoenix ink
Readers Roost
Shari Sakurai
July 8
Lily G Blunt
Love Bytes Reviews
July 9
@buttonsmom2003 - REVIEW
@wintermorning72 - REVIEW
Maggie Blackbird - REVIEW
July 10
Eric Huffbind
Lily G Blogger
July 11
Love is Love Books and Promotion
July 12
LGBT Book Promotions
July 13
A Wonderful World of Words
LGBT Books To Read
July 14
The Faerie Review
July 15
Drops of Ink
Emotion in Motion - REVIEW
Love Shack Romance - REVIEW
July 16
Gay Book Promotions Blog
TTC Books and more - REVIEW
Thom Collins is the author of the Jagged Shores series and the Anthem Trilogy as well as numerous standalone novels and novellas.
His latest series Basic Instincts launched in spring 2025 with the novel Now Comes the Dark.
Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook The Night.
Social Media Links
Tour hosted by: Gay Book Promotions
Comments