|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Nick Heller is an ex-Special Forces operative now working as a security consultant. His estranged brother, Roger, vanishes after a night out with his wife, Lauren, who is brutally attacked and knocked unconscious. The police don't seem to be making any progress with the investigation, so Lauren turns to Nick who, motivated more by love of Roger's stepson than by any closer family ties, agrees to help. Nick soon finds himself under pressure in a variety of ways, some of them more unexpected than others, and he has to call on his own skills, as well of those of various colleagues, to help him on the trail of his brother's abductors. He also starts to come into conflict with his own boss and, to make matters worse, is forced into contact with the father he has not seen for many years, now in jail as a result of his multi-million dollar white-collar crimes. The more Nick delves into his brother's disappearance, the more murky the waters get. I was initially prepared to dismiss Nick Heller as yet another slightly shady ex-Special Forces guy with the usual stock of secrets buried in his own past, but in fact he turned into a reasonably engaging narrator. One thing that did strike me, however, is that I am finding that the recent trend towards books alternating rapidly between first-person and third person points of view is starting to get old very quickly, leaving me wondering if authors are simply too afraid of picking one character and sticking with them in case this proves too confining for the story they want to tell. But in many cases the books, including this one to an extent, simply end up feeling rather disjointed, bouncing the reader around the narrative like a rubber ball on a squash court. This feeling is also enhanced by the fact that very short chapters now also appear to be fashionable as well. However, those complaints aside, the book was an enjoyable read, reasonably fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to prevent me working out too much too far in advance, so that the reveal, when it came, was satisfying enough to make me feel that I hadn't been wasting my time on yet another ex-soldier turned security consultant. § Linda Wilson is a writer, and retired solicitor, with an interest in archaeology and cave art, who now divides her time between England and France.
Reviewed by Linda Wilson, August 2010
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
