Review: Green Valley by Louis Greenberg

Title: Green Valley
Author: Louis Greenberg
Pages: 319
ISBN: 9781789090239
Publisher: Titan Books
Published: 11 June 2019
Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller / Horror
Source: Purchased

When Lucie Sterling's niece is abducted, she knows it won't be easy to find answers. Stanton is no ordinary city: invasive digital technology has been banned, by public vote. No surveillance state, no shadowy companies holding databases of information on private citizens, no phones tracking their every move.

Only one place stays firmly anchored in the bad old ways, in a huge bunker across town: Green Valley, where the inhabitants have retreated into the comfort of full-time virtual reality-personae non gratae to the outside world. And it's inside Green Valley, beyond the ideal virtual world it presents, that Lucie will have to go to find her missing niece.

Vision is more important than truth. Green Valley by Louis Greenberg is a genre-bending novel that’s never quite what you expect it to be. With its amalgamation of science fiction, horror and thriller it morphs and transforms as you turn the pages defying any easy labels. When Lucie Sterling’s niece goes missing she ventures into Green Valley, an enclave where the inhabitants live their lives enmeshed in a permanent virtual reality world. In a world where all your senses can be tricked and manipulated nothing is what it seems…

In her search Lucie uncovers the horrific secret of what hides behind the outward veneer of digital bliss. A secret which will leave you questioning our relationship with technology.

The characters and plot almost become a secondary consideration as the true horror is revealed. The impact of Green Valley lies not in what actually happens in the novel or how things turn out, but in its exploration of the impact technology has on our society and all the questions that it provokes. Through the juxtaposition of the two communities, two very different extremes, Greenberg forces you to dig below the surface to come to grips with an all too possible future. What will we be prepared to sacrifice as technology becomes ever more immersive and integrated into every aspect of our daily lives?

Green Valley is a thought-provoking read which will change the way you look at technology and its place in your life. Through this prescient cautionary tale, Greenberg asks some profound questions which we should all take the time to contemplate. If you enjoy things similar in tone to Black Mirror, you'll love this. Recommended!

The Rating: 7/10 (Very Good!)

Review: The Institute by Stephen King

Title: The Institute
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 482
ISBN: 9781529355406
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 10 September 2019
Genre: Thriller
Source: Review copy from publisher

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Luke Ellis, a super-smart twelve-year-old with an exceptional gift, is the latest in a long line of kids abducted and taken to a secret government facility, hidden deep in the forest in Maine.

Here, kids who can read minds or make objects move are subjected to a series of experiments. There seems to be no hope of escape. Until Luke teams up with an even younger boy whose powers of telepathy are off the scale, and they create a plan.

Meanwhile, far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson has taken a job working for the local sheriff. Tim is just walking the beat. The quiet life. He doesn't know he's about to take on the biggest case of his career...

Stephen King is a master of his craft and his latest novel, The Institute, makes that perfectly clear. Take the horrific treatment of immigrant children by the US, give it that unique Stephen King spin and you end up with an enthralling story bound to send chills down your spine.

King has this wonderful ability to conjure a vibrant and distinct sense of place and character. Within just a single paragraph he manages to convey everything you need to know, bringing characters to life and setting the stage for the story that follows.

“Nicky Wilholm was tall and blue-eyed, with a head of unkempt hair that was blacker than black and cried out for a double dose of shampoo. He was wearing a wrinkled button-up shirt over a pair of wrinkled shorts, his white athletic socks were at half-mast, and his sneakers were dirty.” (p 75).

The main protagonist is Luke Ellis a gifted (in more ways than one) 12-year-old boy who finds himself torn away from his family. Held captive inside the mysterious Institute he must discover what their intentions are and somehow find a way to free himself and the other children held there.

“Luke Ellis was the guy who went out of his way to be social so people wouldn't think he was a weirdo as well as a brainiac. He checked all the correct interaction boxes and then went back to his books. Because there was an abyss, and books contained magical incantations to raise what was hidden there: all the great mysteries.” (p 172)

What Luke experiences is truly harrowing, but it is the compassion and determination from the other children he meets inside the Institute that pulls at your heartstrings. Together they fight to regain hope and freedom. It’s even more poignant when considering the inspiration behind it all.

“No regret. Zero empathy. Nothing. Luke realised he wasn’t a child to her at all. She had made some crucial separation in her mind.” (p 143)

The pacing of The Institute is flawless, the story pulls you along and the ending is heart-wrenching in so many ways. Stephen King definitely has yet another winner on his hands! Constant readers will fall in love with his work all over again and for those new to his work this would be a great starting point.

The Verdict:
Stephen King has yet another winner on his hands. The Institute is a fast-paced read which takes real-world events, gives it that unique Stephen King spin and converts it into a captivating and heartbreaking story of stolen childhood. While it might not offer any surprises it's still a great read exploring the cost of what is done in the name of the greater good. If you are new to Stephen King and a fan of Stranger Things this would be a great starting point. Highly recommended!

The Rating: 8 (Great!)

Thanks to Charlene from Jonathan Ball Publishers for the review copy.

Review: The Ward

Title: The Ward
Author: S.L. Grey
Pages: 294
ISBN: 9780857895868
Series: Downside #2
Publisher: Corvus
Published: 2012
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Source: Purchased

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Lisa is a plastic surgery addict with severe self-esteem issues. The only hospital that will let her go under the knife is New Hope: a grimy, grey-walled facility dubbed 'No Hope' by its patients.

Farrell is a celebrity photographer. His last memory is a fight with his fashion-model girlfriend and now he's woken up in No Hope, alone. Needle marks criss-cross his arms. A sinister nurse keeps tampering with his drip. And he's woken up blind...

Panicked and disorientated, Farrell persuades Lisa to help him escape, but the hospital's dimly lit corridors only take them deeper underground - into a twisted mirror world staffed by dead-eyed nurses and doped-up orderlies. Down here, in the Modification Ward, Lisa can finally have the face she wants...but at a price that will haunt them both forever.

S.L. Grey’s The Ward preys on our innate fear of infirmity, of being helpless, vulnerable and mortal. What could be worse than waking up in a hospital with no idea how you got there or why you are even there? From the start you get the feeling that something is off about the state of things in New Hope, the hospital where our two main characters, Farrell and Lisa, find themselves and it’s not just because they are in a public hospital with all the overcrowding, lack of resources and apathetic, overworked staff that entails. Someone or something sinister is roaming the halls at night tampering with patients. It soon becomes clear that the hospital isn’t safe. When the unlikely duo try to escape from New Hope they find themselves trapped in the Wards of Downside, a twisted reflection of our own world where horrific experiences are the norm and everything has a price...

At its heart The Ward is a very human-driven horror. The most horrific thing is not the machinations of Downside, but how far the characters are willing to go in order to satisfy their own desires. The ending provides for some gleeful satisfaction as one of the characters get exactly what they deserve. A primo read indeed!

The Verdict:
The Ward is a creepy, unsettling take on the health system and our own obsession with vanity. While it never quite scared me, I found the narrative unsettling and thought-provoking in equal measure. The real impact of the novel is what the twisted world of Downside says about our own. One thing is certain – I’ll never look at hospitals in quite the same way. This is a primo read with some uniquely South African touches thrown in. Definitely recommended!

The Rating: 7.5/10 (Very good)

Review: Legion

Title: Legion
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Pages: 69
ISBN: 9781473212633
Series: Legion #1
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 2015 (first published in 2012)
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Source: Review copy from publisher

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The Book Depository
Takealot.com

Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion', is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialised skills.

As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith.

As clichéd as it may sound dynamite does come in small packages and Legion, Brandon Sanderson’s novella, packs a potent punch. In just 68 pages Sanderson manages to weave a captivating, full-fledged crime thriller with a science fiction twist.

Legion starts off with one of the best opening lines ever: “My name is Stephen Leeds, and I’m perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad.” With an opening like that I was sucked in completely and only stopped reading until I reached the very last page – the acknowledgements. Yes, I even read the acknowledgements in an effort to prolong the story.

Stephen Leeds, the main protagonist is a brilliant man with a unique mental condition that allows him to conjure up different aspects. These aspects manifest themselves as fully independent hallucinatory characters, each with a specialized skill set of their own. Think along the lines of a schizophrenic Pretender and you’ll get the idea.

Leeds gets hired to track down the inventor of a camera with an astounding property, an ability that could alter humanity’s understanding of history and the very fabric of society if it got into the wrong hands. His search for the camera tackles complex issues like religions, the implications of time travel, privacy and the impact of technology on society.

“At the heart of science is accepting only that truth which can be proven. At the heart of faith is to define Truth, at its core, as being unprovable.” (p 31)

Leeds is a fascinating, engaging character (as is all his aspects) with just enough information given about his mysterious mental condition and his enigmatic past to hook you. The fact that you don’t get all the answers or a full back-story is what makes this such an absorbing read. You keep reading just to discover more pieces of his past, tantalizing titbits which are casually worked in to the story. The relationship between Leeds and all his different aspects is where Legion really shines. They feel like entire characters on their own and the endearing, often hilarious interplay between them will have you laughing like a mad man or, at the very least, put a huge grin on your face.

“... he had the eyes of a killer. Or so he claimed. Perhaps he kept them in his pocket.” (p 2)

“I’m not going more mad,” I said. “I’ve stabilized. I’m practically normal. Even my non-hallucinatory psychiatrist acknowledges that.”

“You keep walking through the middle of J.C.,” I said. “It’s very disturbing for him; he hates being reminded he’s a hallucination.” “I’m not a hallucination,” J.C. snapped. “I have state-of-the-art stealthing equipment.”

The ending resolves the story in a satisfying way, but you are left craving more. Leeds is such a fascinating character that you want to know far more about him than a single novella can provide. And that’s a good thing.

The Verdict:
Legion is a fast, utterly captivating read filled with fascinating characters and hilarious moments that will leave you craving for more. For a novella it packs one heck of a punch, the only downside is that it is so short. I’d gladly devour a thousand page epic filled with Leeds and his adventures. Highly recommended!

The Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks to Charlene from Jonathan Ball Publishers for the review copy.

Review: Under Ground

Title: Under Ground
Author: S.L. Grey
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781447266488
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2015
Genre: Thriller
Source: Review copy from publisher

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The Sanctum is a luxurious, self-sustaining survival condominium situated underground in rural Maine. It's a plush bolt-hole for the rich and paranoid - a place where they can wait out the apocalypse in style. When a devastating super-flu virus hits the States, several families race to reach it. All have their own motivations for entering The Sanctum. All are hiding secrets.

But when the door locks and a death occurs, they realize the greatest threat to their survival may not be above ground - it may already be inside . . .

What could be more terrifying than a deadly pandemic? For the inhabitants of The Sanctum, a luxurious underground condominium it’s the realisation that they are trapped with a murderer on the prowl.

Under Ground is superb psychological thriller written by the writing duo of Louis Greenberg and Sarah Lotz and centers around a disparate group of characters as they take refuge inside The Sanctum. It soon becomes apparent that The Sanctum is hardly the haven the brochures promised. Their doomsday hideaway turns into a living nightmare when a body is discovered. Not only does it mean that there’s a killer on the loose, but the residents are trapped inside the bunker with no way out.

As the situation spirals out of control everyone becomes a suspect. The claustrophobic environment, constant fear and uncertainty take their toll on the characters. When the veneer of civilization falls apart desperation can lead people to do terrible things. There are no monsters here, only men, but as we all know mankind is the most ruthless monster of them all.

The large cast of characters are captivating, a microcosm of our society crammed into the confines of The Sanctum, each offering their own secrets and motivations to discover. While some characters ran the danger of becoming stereotypes (the religious zealot hillbillies, the Asian gamer) they were still engaging and perhaps, on a deeper level, a very deliberate commentary on our current society. The first person narrative helps to get the reader into the mind of each character and with very little exposition allows the world and events to unfold in a seamless way.

Being a murder mystery, S.L. Grey manages to deftly weave an ocean’s worth of red herrings into the narrative. Just when you think you’ve finally figured out who the killer is something happens to disabuse you of that notion. It’s only at the very end, when the identity of the murderer is finally revealed, that you discover it’s the very last person you’d ever suspect.

Where Under Ground truly shines is in the unexpected open-ended finale. I was completely blown away by the ending. While some people might not find it very satisfying I loved the fact that it can be interpreted in so many different ways. A second life indeed!

The Verdict:
Under Ground is a fast-paced psychological thriller that will keep you trapped in its claustrophobic grip from the very first page of the spine-chilling prologue until the stunning, open-ended finale. If you are looking for a murder mystery with a post-apocalyptic twist, then look no further. Highly recommended!

The Rating: 7/10 (Very Good)

Thanks to Eileen from Pan Macmillan S.A. for providing the review copy.

Review: Broken Monsters

Title: Broken Monsters
Author: Lauren Beukes
Pages: 436
ISBN: 9781415202005
Publisher: Umuzi
Published: 2014
Genre: Thriller / Genre-bending
Source: Copy won in competition

Buy it from:
The Book Depository (US edition)
The Book Depository (UK edition)
Kalahari.com (SA edition)

IN A BROKEN CITY, A DISTURBED KILLER IS TRYING TO REMAKE THE WORLD IN HIS IMAGE.

Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies. But this one is unique even by Detroit’s standards: half-boy, half-deer, somehow fused together. And it’s only the first.

As winter closes in on Detroit, strange and disturbing corpses start turning up in unusual places, pulling several lives into the killer’s orbit.

Gabi has to juggle the most harrowing case of her career with being a single mom to her troubled teen daughter Layla.

Layla, egged on by her best friend Cas, is playing a dangerous game with an online predator.

Broken Monsters is a dark and gripping thriller about the death of the American Dream, online fame, creativity, compromise and the undercurrents of the world we live in right now.

I finished reading Broken Monsters at a quarter to midnight and it resulted in my first ever book induced insomnia. I tossed and turned till 3am before I finally managed to fall asleep. Although Broken Monsters has enough macabre visuals to creep anyone out (especially those with vivid imaginations) it wasn’t due to nightmares. I just couldn’t let the story go. What does it mean? Why? How? There were so many things to dissect, to contemplate and to try to comprehend. Broken Monsters broke my brain in the best possible way.

I dreamed about a boy with springs for feet so he could jump high. 
So high I couldn't catch him.

But I did catch him. But then he wouldn't get up again.

I tried so hard. I got him new feet. I made him something beautiful.

More beautiful than you could imagine.

But he wouldn't get up. And the door wouldn't open.

In its most basic form Broken Monsters can be seen as a supernatural thriller with a dash of horror and a dollop of police procedural thrown in. It’s a captivating read that draws you into the manhunt for a serial killer with a penchant for mutilating and publicly exhibiting his victims. A perfectly enjoyable, if seemingly unremarkable read. But Broken Monsters offers so much more if you delve beyond the surface layers to expose the complexity within. The pages are filled with metaphors, and deals with a myriad of issues like creativity, originality, the pervasive and persistent nature of social media, the search for fame, cyber bullying, sexual abuse... Issues we all face in our daily lives in one form or another.

Unlike The Shining Girls, Broken Monsters plays out in modern times. The Internet and social media play an integral role in the story. Pop culture references, YouTube comments, Tweets and Reddit threads are used to great effect in helping the story unfold in a realistic way. Beukes’ observations on life in the Internet age are extremely apt. I found myself nodding in agreement more often than not.

“Everyone lives three versions of themselves, a public life, a private life and a secret life.” (page 130)

“Shakespeare would have it wrong these days. It’s not the world that’s the stage – it’s social media, where you’re trying to put on a show. The rest of your life is rehearsals, prepping in the wings for the fabulous online” (page 181)

“On the internet humiliation lives forever” (page 263)

The cast of characters are engaging and well-crafted, each broken in their own unique way. The story revolves around the cynical Detective Gabi Versado and her teenage daughter Layla, but there’s also TK, a homeless man trying to atone for his past; Jonno, a journalist who is desperate to make a name for himself and the Detroit Monster, a killer unlike any other. You can't help but empathise with the characters; even the killer is deserving of pity, if not compassion.  Initially it’s difficult to see how these disparate storylines would come together, but Beukes manages to deftly weave them into a breathtaking, surreal finale that both satisfies and dumbfounds.

What makes Broken Monsters unique is how the supernatural seeps into the world of the real. How the empty, abandoned spaces of Detroit play host to something otherworldy that crosses the boundaries of the real and unreal. A dream made flesh crafting flesh into dreams. It’s difficult to explain without going into spoilers. I might have said too much already... You’ll just have to experience this one for yourself.

The Verdict:
Broken Monsters is a dark, insomnia inducing thriller that will have you dwelling on its meaning for days afterward. Interwoven in the narrative is a complex and thought-provoking look at life in the internet age and how social media impacts our humanity. All of this is portrayed in Beukes’ distinctive genre-defying style. This is set to become one of those divisive novels; some people will love it, others will loathe it.

I loved it and I’m still dazed by the entire experience. Highly recommended!

The Rating: 8 (Great!)

It also gets 1000 bonus points for including:

And for those who've already read it:
What is up with the thing with the chairs? That still boggles my mind.

Infection is the answer to the chair conundrum! Only took a month to figure out, but a single line of dialogue later in the novel held the key.

Review: The Shining Girls

Title: The Shining Girls
Author: Lauren Beukes
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781415203972
Publisher: Umuzi
(Random House Struik)
Published: April 2013
Genre: Thriller
Source: Purchased

Buy it from:
Kalahari.com (Standard edition)
Kobo.com (eBook)
The Book Depository (UK Edition)
The Book Depository (US Edition)

The girl who wouldn’t die. Hunting a killer who shouldn’t exist.

Chicago 1931. Violent drifter Harper Curtis stumbles upon a house that hides a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature: it opens onto other times. Harper uses it to stalk his ‘shining girls’ across decades – and cut the fire out of them. He’s the perfect killer. Unstoppable. Untraceable. Until one of his victims survives and turns the hunt around.

Chicago, 1992. Kirby Mazrachi’s determination to find the man who tried to kill her has taken over her life. The cops no longer return her calls. Her mother copes by writing morbid children’s books. Her only ally is Dan, the burnt-out ex-homicide reporter who covered her case. As Kirby closes in on her would-be killer, what she finds is ... impossible. Murders scattered across the decades along with evidence that makes no sense. Meanwhile, Harper is closing in on her too

It’s not often that I come across a book that I just can’t put down, clichéd as it might sound The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes is one of those novels that demands to be read in one sitting. It’s a fantastically creepy story with a compelling narrative that binds you as the story unfolds in twist and turns that mess with your mind and leaves you slightly baffled, craving to make sense of what’s happening and revelling in elation as, by the end, everything just slots into place.

Set in Chicago the story is told from the perspectives of different characters. You get to experience the world through the eyes of the serial killer, Harper Curtis, through his victims as he visits them in childhood and returns years later to take their life and finally from the perspective of the lone survivor, Kirby, as she tries to bring him to justice. Told in a nonlinear way the jumps through time can be jarring at first, but as you become more familiar with the mechanics at work it soon becomes a natural extension of the story. Beukes deftly handles these time shifts and manages to capture the essence of each time period, incorporating some historic titbits that really brings the world to life and adds authenticity.

I loved the character of Kirby. She comes across as an outsider, set apart by the horrendous ordeal she suffered at the hands of Harper and the scars, both emotional and physical, he inflicted on her. Even as a little girl she has this stoic bravery which carries through to her adulthood.

"Kirby throws back the sheet. 'I'm going to go see, okay?' she tells the pony, because the thought of waiting for the monster to come to her is unbearable." (p 17)

Instead of being broken by the horrible experience she emerges stronger devoting her life to pursuing her attacker even when everyone else has given up hope of ever finding him. Through sheer determination she uncovers the shocking truth that might finally give her the closure she so desperately needs.

As much as I liked Kirby I must admit that Harper Curtis completely steals the show. He is a chilling psychopath who kills without remorse and enjoys every moment of agony he inflicts on his victims.

“Then he sets the lighter against her eye socket and digs the hard edge in against her broken cheekbone. Black spots bloom in her head, pain arching through her jaw, down her spine.

He pulls up her T-Shirt, exposing her skin, winter-pale. He drags his hand across her stomach, his fingertips digging into her skin, clutching, greedy, leaving bruises. Then he punches the knife into her abdominal wall and twists and pulls it across in a jagged cut, following the trajectory of his hand. She bucks up against him, screaming into the ball.
He laughs. ‘ Easy there.’ (p 132)

It’s eerie how well Beukes manages to portray the mind of a serial killer, how he escalates in violence and how his killing ritual develops. You almost feel tainted each time you experience things from his perspective – a sure sign of brilliantly engaging writing.

The ending is worthy of anything Stephen King can come up with. It’s satisfying, gives closure but also brings things full circle in the most unexpected way. Throughout the story you are never spoon-fed any answers. How did the time travelling work? What made the girls shine? You are left to draw your own conclusions and I found myself haunted by the implications for days afterward.

The Verdict:
The Shining Girls is difficult to shove into any specific genre box. It’s a brilliant mix between thriller and horror with a dash of time travel thrown in. It’s a fantastically creepy, mind-bending read that grabs you and just doesn’t let go until the very last page. Even then the story will haunt you for days afterward. Lauren Beukes is at the top of her game; even if you didn’t like any of her previous work this is most definitely worth the effort. Highly recommended!

The Rating: 8 (Great!)

And in case you missed it. Here's the creeptastic trailer for the book.

Review: Bad Blood

Title: Bad Blood
Author: Amanda Coetzee
Pages: 199
ISBN: 9781770101012
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Source: Received from publisher

Buy it at Kalahari.net

An eight-year-old boy is abandoned by his mother at a fairground and raised by a clan of Irish Travellers as one of their own. Given the name 'Harry' (as in any Tom, Dick or Harry) he carves out a reputation as a young, bare knuckle boxer who never backs down, and earns himself the clan name 'Badger'.

Eight years on, Harry severs all ties with his clan and in a final act of rebellion joins the London Metropolitan Police Force. Just as Harry believes he has left his clan roots and 'Badger' behind him, he is sent by his superiors to establish a connection with a clan living on an informal land settlement in Bedford. A Traveller child named Mikey has been abducted and the clan is refusing to cooperate with the investigation.

Harry pairs up with Emily, an idealistic social services liaison officer, to investigate the case. Together they uncover a string of gruesome child murders and abductions dating back to 1985. Badger finds himself drawn deeper into clan life and he is ultimately forced to confront the truth about his own conflicted childhood if he is to save Mikey from becoming another victim of a twisted serial killer.

After reading nothing but science fiction for the last three weeks I needed a change of pace. As luck would have it a review copy of Bad Blood arrived just as I was contemplating what to tackle next. Perfect timing!

I started reading the first few pages and was completely hooked before I had even reached the end of the first chapter. I simply couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting (grumbling at the people who dared to interfere with my reading time).

Bad Blood is the debut novel of South African author Amanda Coetzee. While she lives in South Africa the novel is set in Bedford, England where she grew up. This came as somewhat of a surprise since I expected it to be set locally.

The novel kicks off with a child being abandoned in the prologue and follows that scene with the kidnapping and murder of a young boy. In both cases the author manages to perfectly portray the emotions involved - the desperation of the mother abandoning her child, the fear of the kidnapped child and the evil menace of the killer.

Her writing style is easy to read and sets a frenetic pace. The dialogue stands out and is very well done. I particularly liked the Irish accents used by the Travellers (gypsies). The characters are well written and engaging and, as mentioned earlier, she has a knack for showing their emotions making them even more believable.

I found the portrayal of the lifestyle of the Traveller community very interesting. They have a communal approach to life which causes them to be ostracized and discriminated against, yet what sets them apart is also what gives them their strength. Having grown up as a Traveller the main character, Detective Inspector Harry O’ Connor, has to act as a bridge between them and the authorities. In the process he has to face his own past and reconcile with the people he turned his back on.

Ultimately the novel revolves around Harry and his search for self. Since his abandonment as a child he has had to cope with a sense of rejection. Not knowing who his parents were has left him scarred. As a result he feels that he doesn’t belong anywhere and sabotages his relationships with other people in order to keep them from getting too close. In the end he realises that you can’t outrun your past and that there’s far more to you than just the blood that runs through your veins.

The Verdict:
I really enjoyed reading this. The race against time to save Mikey, the Traveller boy, made for gripping reading and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. My only criticism would be that I felt the identity of the killer and his connection to Harry was too predictable and revealed too quickly. That limited the impact of the plot twist somewhat, but also added a deeper dimension to the final confrontation between him and the killer.

If you like the Criminal Minds television show or authors like Ian Rankin and Micheal Connelly, then you will love this. Amanda Coetzee is definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Read my interview with Amanda Coetzee

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Point

Author: Thomas Blackthorne (John Meaney)
Pages: 432 
ISBN: 978 0 85766 078 7
Review based on ARC provided by publisher
Buy it from The Book Depository

What else is there when life has no point? In a Britain on the edge of collapse, the lost teens have formed Cutter Circles, a terrible cult based on mutual suicide. For ex-Special Forces soldier Josh Cumberland, this is just the start of another descent into the very heart of darkness. Savage satire and incredible near-future thrills from the author of "Edge".

I must confess that I have never heard of Thomas Blackthorne before so I didn’t quite know what to expect.  It turns out that Thomas Blackthorne is actually a pseudonym for acclaimed science fiction writer John Meaney.  I’ve been meaning to try some of his work so this would be as good a place to start as any.

I had a few minutes to kill while taking a break from a project and started in on the first few pages.  Before I knew it my quick break had turned into ten minutes of intense reading and by the end of the first chapter I was completely hooked. 

Point is set in Britain sometime in the near future.  It’s a bleak future indeed.  America has degenerated into a rogue state after their fanatical president used nuclear weapons on his own country.  The world is in the grip of winter due to the nuclear induced dust cloud and televised knife fighting has become the nation’s idea of entertainment. 

The novel revolves around two main characters, Josh Cumberland and Dr Suzanne Duchesne.  Josh is an ex-member of an elite Special Forces team, The Ghost Force, which specializes in cyberwarfare and Suzanne is a neuropshych therapist – basically a therapist who makes Jedi mind tricks look tame.

Josh is contracted to find a missing scientist, while Suzanne is recruited by MI5 to investigate the Cutting circle blight that has caused the deaths of hundreds of teenagers.  It soon becomes apparent that there is a connection between the two cases and they have to put a stop to the people responsible, while fighting for their lives.

Point is the sequel to Blackthorne’s previous novel Edge.  Since I haven’t read Edge I was pleased to see that Point does very well as a standalone novel.  At times you do get the vague impression that you are missing out on some of the history between the characters, but it doesn’t detract much from the novel at all.  I’m definitely going to be checking out Edge to see how things started.

The Verdict:
I was thoroughly impressed.  Point is an action packed thriller set in a plausible future world and has it all – lots of fast-paced action, gadgets that would make James Bond green with envy and a main character who can give Jason Bourne a serious run for his money.  Best of all there are ample Star Wars references in the banter between characters – a nice touch for us geeky readers!

The plot keeps you guessing and tearing through the pages at a ferocious pace to find out what happens next.  The action sequences are well thought out and sometimes breathtaking in their brutality.  Josh Cumberland doesn’t take prisoners.  The twist at the end really elevated the novel to another level.

The best way to describe Point is as Tom Clancy’s Net force on steroids with a dash of Jonathan Kellerman’s psychological intrigue thrown in for good measure.  All of which gets combined into a package that makes for a bloody good read!

Click below to read sample chapter:



Rating: 8/10