Entertaining but......

Found at first hard to get into the book... but got intrigued and persisted. Entertaining yes, kinda liked it but found it more a book for young adults. If a second one is available I will listen to the book and will make up my mind then, I always find it hard to judge a first book, that could potentially become a series, (and that is where the book hinted too) as it always seems introductory then to be continued, at least it had a ending to the story and it could continue.

Find 3 a little low and 4 to high so really the score is 3.5.

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A Perfect Combination!

This was a tangent for me. A new author, a new narrator and as tangents go all I can say is bravo trigonometry! This book is the perfect marriage of an exciting author’s characters and a superb narrator. Simon Jenner introduces us to a modern London suburbia and populates it with a surprising collection of characters each with their own varying degrees of neurotic behavior. Michael Page then breathes life into them with a gloriously crunchy psycho, suitably stressed good guys and my personal favourite, the “Russian”.

This is a very well-paced criminal / spy caper which from the very first sentence jolts you with the sheer awfulness of the villain and then gradually proves that yes he is actually worse than you first thought. Our “hero”, John Smith is a latter day Arthur Dent with real hidden potential and his gorgeous sidekick is suitably flighty and unpredictable. Jenner treats us to multiple character viewpoints, each voiced in real style by Page as he brings to life their mostly darkly sardonic viewpoints of their lives and the situations they have ended up in. He achieves the neat balancing trick of switching between the characters and giving them genuine depth without the narrative ever becoming disjointed. Page in turn reflects the stress levels in them all as they peak towards the climax!

This is one of those books that delivers strong action, tension and no little dark humour in a genuinely pleasing balance. I enjoyed the fact that unlike many thriller series the reader isn’t simply delivered an enigmatic "hero" with a nebulous back story. We see this character emerge warts and all. Truly his origins.

In summary this is an enormously promising start to the series. If, like me, the seemingly melodramatic name “Ethan Justice” had you almost passing it over, don’t be fooled! By the end I promise you, Mr Justice and his name will make you smile.

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7 people found this helpful

Great story and suspense

Best free book I have ever read. Look forward to the rest of the series.

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1 person found this helpful