Today, I’m hosting and reviewing author Thom Collins’ latest release, The Dark Before Dawn, book four in the Basic Instincts series, a m/m romantic suspense.
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Title: The Dark Before Dawn
Series: Basic Instincts, book four
Author: Thom Collins
Genres: Contemporary MM Romance, Mystery/suspense/thriller
Tropes: Friends to lovers, cop, stalker
Tense/POV: Third person
Length: 68,500 words
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Release Date: July 7, 2026
Publisher: Entwined Publishing
A brutal killer. An unwitting witness. A cop caught in the middle of a deadly pursuit.
Blurb: 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 seem only 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 appear so bad after all.
Danyal Nadir has changed a lot since they knew each other. He’s a 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 as 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 his sights. On the run and desperate, there’s no limit to what he’ll do. As their friendship turns to passion, their new beginning could be the end of them.
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, gore and murder, as well as homophobia and racial slurs.
Note: 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.
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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.”
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The author always does a great job blending romance with suspense. When the fourth book came up to read and review, I was all in.
As stated in the blurb, Jude is taking a break from his cruise job. He has a contract waiting for him to come on board once again, but he needs this chance to concentrate on his music. He decides to stay landlocked. This turns out to be a great idea because he meets a former high school buddy.
Danyal isn’t the scrawny kid from high school who is insecure and unsure of himself anymore. Instead, he is a police officer who is determined to make changes to the town of Blyham. This is especially true due to the high rate of crime against the LGBTQ+ community. He is the liaison officer and takes his job very seriously.
Before the two meet, Jude witnesses a murder without even knowing it. Now, the murderer has Jude in his sights.
I wouldn’t call the romance between Jude and Danyal explosive. It is warm, like a nice cup of morning coffee. It is built on mutual respect and a healthy helping of lust. The two simply wish to spend time together, but the murderer makes this hard on them. They are being tested at every turn.
The author does a great job of balancing the romance and the suspense. Each plotline gets ample time on the pages. Both main characters are likeable people who deserve romance, but the bodies are falling all around them. The author handles the budding relationship beautifully during such a horrific time, especially since they lose people close to them.
This novel is a bit darker than most of the author’s other books, and the title is appropriate for what unfolds. It is a great addition to the series. Do yourself a favour and get a copy.
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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.
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Maggie Blackbird 