Undercover Metropolitan Police officer DC Louis Tomlinson has worked his way up the ranks of a prominent London crime family without raising suspicion, but when he finds himself pitted against a rising crime boss with a police background and a favoured employee by the name of Harry Styles, everything starts to unravel. Finding himself in the middle of an escalating war between two bosses whose bad blood runs deep into a violent past, Louis has to be even more careful where he steps in case his big secret catches up to him – and if it does, he knows he won't survive it.
Not to mention he's falling for someone he can't have – whose earnestness and honesty is a bright spot in a dark world – he can't sleep because his nightmares haunt him and he's in way over his head, but it's just a game, always just a game, and if Louis plays his cards right he might just make it out alive.
Author - hazmesentir Tumblr - pigandbruce
Chaptered - 10/10 , 109,406 words
Review - 10 out of 10 Larry Thumbs!!
I typically devour fics - a 100k fic will take me two-ish days, I’ll write a review, and move on to the next one. I’ve lived in this fic for over a week now, and it’s so bittersweet that I’ve finished it. I couldn’t let it go, couldn’t walk away from the characters and the intrigue.
I L O V E this fic. I LOVE IT!!
“The King of Spades” is a gritty crime novel that just happens to have Louis and Harry as its stars. It’s raw and all the characters lie about everything. You never really know who the bad guys are, and maybe that’s because everyone’s a baddie.
Louis is a tangle of lies, personalities, and confusion for most of the fic. He has a job to do, but he’s in too deep to see out the other side. Harry seems like a minor player at first, but Louis quickly realizes that probably isn’t the case. Their interactions and conversations sizzle in such a real way. Neither are allowed to want anything from the other, but neither can stay away.
You feel this story - the writing paints the scenes so well you shiver when Louis gets cold, and gasp when the unexpected jumps out at you. It’s so wonderfully written I found myself rereading paragraphs to soak up the language.
You’ll need an Ao3 account to read this, but please, if you don’t have an account, make one, borrow one, somehow get access and read this fic.
