Monday 29 February 2016

SERVICE BEFORE SELF by Tegon Maus

3.5 out of 5 stars

Contemporary drama/humour/thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE


Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Review Team


Toby Grant has a new job.  He's started work at Handy Dandy Services, a firm that sorts out anything from cockroach killing to leaking taps.  On the first day as a 'newbie' he is teamed with the mysterious Ryan, and soon discovers that the job is anything but straightforward—particularly when he becomes involved in Ryan's shady past. 

This book is very amusing in places, and, certainly at first, every job on which Toby is sent is a source of amusement, disgust and disbelief.  I warn you - make sure you're not eating anything when you read the first twenty per cent!  The characterisation and dialogue is very good indeed, sharp and funny (I particularly loved Dottie May and the redneck boyfriend). 

My one recommendation for the author would be to get himself a new proofreader—there are punctuation errors on every page, mostly missing commas that, on occasion, actually make the sentences read wrongly ("You ready to load Lou?" means something entirely different from "You ready to load, Lou?"), but also superfluous commas stuck in at random, and backwards, missing and superfluous apostrophes. 

The book is unusual and entertaining; I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it, but a bit more attention to detail would give it a greater chance at success.

 

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