SENTINEL by Carl Rackman @CarlRackman #RBRT

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

 
How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, but I'd bought it anyway, as I've very much liked other books by this author.

In A Nutshell: Government conspiracy/sci-fi thriller

This is the sequel to Rackman's Voyager, which I haven't read, but it totally works as a stand-alone; there is enough information about what happened before, without long, tedious explanations.  Could actually be presented as a masterclass in how to do this!

Former pilot Matt Ramprakash is now an aviation expert for M15, and, along with many from other government agencies, etc, awaits assitance from anti-terrorism body Sentinel in taking action on a hijacked plane - but who are the hijackers?  The discovery that his old enemy, the Triumvirate, are involved, leads him to Antarctica, along with Sentinel, his wife - and Mirage, a 'supersoldier' who has been genetically engineered - or has she?

As I was reading this, it occurred to me that Carl Rackman has invented his own genre - seemingly earthbound thrillers that end up being a bit paranormal, without it seeming weird.  Works very well!  The amount of research that has gone into this book is evident; it's highly professional, extremely well-written, and should appeal to anyone who loves an intricate government thriller.  With some alien stuff thrown in.  I read at the end that a third book is planned - I would love to see some of it from the point of view of the Visitors.  The ending was one of the best I have seen for this type of book—the sort that makes you want to open the next instalment immediately.

I felt it could have been edited down a little in places, with less factual detail and fewer conversational exchanges, to tighten up the pace, but that could be just personal preference; it's a smart, intelligent novel of which the author should be most proud.  And I know it's a cliché, but it really would make a fabulous TV series!

 

 

THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've read one of Margaret Atwood's dystopian books before, Oryx and Crake, and liked it, though, like thousands of others, I was inspired to read this after watching the TV series.

In a Nutshell: Dystopian, set in an imaginary former America, in the 1980s

If you're one of the five people in the world who haven't seen the TV series,
much of America has become 'Gilead', ruled by Christian fundamentalists and cut off from the rest of the world; this is the story of one of the 'handmaids', rare fertile girls forced to bear children for high profile couples after sterility has become commonplace.

The story is told in the first person by 'Offred', though in the book we never have her real name confirmed, or that of her child.  It is slow in pace, especially at first, but this does, of course, reflect the pace of her life.  I did wonder, during the first few chapters, if anyone reading the story without having seen the series might take a while to appreciate it or even understand what is going on, as the world in which 'Offred' now lives is revealed to the reader only gradually.  I adored this book, all the way through, and couldn't read it fast enough, though I did feel frustrated by the lack of explanation - but when it comes, half way through, it is all the more shocking to find out how the 'normal' world became Gilead.

Although written in 1984, the story is chillingly prescient; Offred talks of the false flag* operations, designed to create fear within the people, so that they will not complain when their privacy and liberty is taken away ... then there is the lack of paper money, with transactions made only via 'Compubank'; another withdrawal of privacy and removal of a person's ability to stay anonymous.

Even though the people are kept relatively safe, they are fed, and have comfort and adequate medical attention, it is the the removal of liberty and the ability to communicate, and the ever-present, underlying threat should one not comply with all rules, that makes this the worse sort of horror story.

Obviously the TV show has ratings to think about, and so the story develops differently; viewers will want some happiness and resolution for June/Offred, some reconciliation, and a 'personal journey' for her, in which she grows, positively - but this was written in a time before heroines were required to be kick-ass.  The end is left open for almost all the characters... but after it finishes there is a great addition to the book that rounds it off in a different way: a transcript of a lecture given in the year 2195, talking about all that is known about the Gileadean era, much of it from Offred's account.  

Good news for those who, like me, can't get enough of either the book or the telly version - the long-awaited follow-up, The Testaments is out on September 10th.  

*...countries organize attacks on themselves and make the attacks appear to be by enemy nations or terrorists, thus giving the nation that was supposedly attacked a pretext for domestic repression and military aggression.

THE HAPPY CHIP by Dennis Meredith

3.5 out of 5 stars 

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie Amber's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

Genre: SciF, Thriller

Freelance writer Brad Davis has been employed at no small cost by scientific genius Marty Fallon to write his autobiography.  Fallon is the inventor of 'the Happy Chip', a device injected into the body that works alongside an app to determine which products, sensations, sights and just about everything else give the individual the most pleasure; it's the ultimate in the pursuit of happiness.  In order to qualify for his big pay day, Brad must have the chip inserted himself.  However, Brad is unaware that he has been given a new prototype that contains a GPS tracker, with more control afforded to NeoHappy, the company that produces the chip.

The idea of this story is most original, and also feasible; I imagine that if the Happy Chip hasn't already been invented, it soon will be - and yes, I should think that if/when it is, millions will flock to use it, never suspecting that such a development can be used to control the mindset of the population.  It is so very sinister because it is plausible.

Brad is 50% a-bit-naïve-ordinary-guy and 50% sceptical investigative journalist.  After only a couple of days, he suspects he is not being given the full story, which bothers him not least of all because he is anxious to produce a credible biograpy.  He discovers that (surprise, surprise), the pleasure ratings of some products are tampered with to favour large corporations.

I was up and down about this book all the way through.  It's a great premise, the plot is fairly well thought out, the pace is good, and the science/techno side is interesting and clearly well-researched, though I did feel it could do with a tighter edit.  There were a bit too many happy coincidences (like Brad just happening to have interviewed a magician who showed him how to escape when one's adversary has bound one's wrists with plastic zip ties).  Most characters talk in much the same way (for instance, every character prefaces sentences with 'Jesus' to denote emphasis or shock), aside from Lundgren, who is such a text book villian he practically twirls his moustache and laughs in a sinister fashion before delivering his body blows, and the cartoon-like Russian, Gregor Kalinsky.  But... Brad is likable and much of it is highly readable.  And I kept coming back to one thing ~ the basic story is right up my street, so I wanted to carry on reading to see what happened.

I think this would work well as a 24-type thriller series or a film, for which the viewer knows there will need to be a certain amount of belief-suspension; it didn't quite tick my personal reading boxes, but I am sure it will be enjoyed by those who love plot-centred thrillers of this type.

JONAH by Carl Rackman @CarlRackman

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book:  I read the author's debut novel, Irex, after chatting to him on Twitter, and thought it was very good indeed, hence the purchase of this one!

Genre: WW2 Naval Thriller 

This book is stunningly good.  I finished it in the early hours of this morning when my eyes were tired and I wanted to go to sleep, because I had to know what happened. 

The blurb (extract):

The North Atlantic, 1940. A British destroyer pounces on a seemingly abandoned U-boat, leading to a spine-chilling encounter.  Five years later, the US Navy destroyer Brownlee grimly prepares to battle a swarm of Japanese kamikazes at Okinawa.

Mitch “Lucky” Kirkham, a young gunner on the Brownlee, wakes up miraculously unscathed after his crewmates are killed in a fearsome kamikaze strike.

Bullied and resented amid accusations of cowardice and worse, Mitch re-boards his patched-up ship for the long voyage back to San Francisco. All he wants is to go home.

But far out in the boundless emptiness of the Pacific, a strange madness begins to seize the sailors on the Brownlee. Terror, hysteria and suicide torment the men amid sightings of ghosts and a terrifying monster that stalks the ship by night.

Jonah ticks every single box.  It's exceptionally well written, interspersed with tales from members of the crew from before the war, relevant to the plot (love little flashbacks like this!).  It's meticulously researched, completely convincing, but Rackman hasn't fallen into the amateur's trap of explaining naval terms to the layman; it is assumed that the reader will gather what they mean, sooner or later, and I did.  There's a glossary at the back, if you need it.

The story is utterly gripping and unpredictable, the sense of menace builds up at just the right pace, and even by the last chapter I had no idea of the outcome (and, indeed, thought it would go another way).  The characterisation is well defined, the dialogue spot on, and it's edited, proofread and formatted to the best of traditional publishing standards.

It's really, really, really good.  You should download it.  Immediately.  Definitely one of the best five books I've read this year.  

THE NORTH WATER by Ian McGuire

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

How I discovered this book: I read a review of it on Evie Gaughan's blog.  Arctic wastes, hardship on a sea voyage, history, murder ~ I had to have it!  Longlisted for the Booker prize.

The North Water starts out as shocking, stark and not-for-the-faint-of-heart as it continues, with the introduction of psychopath Henry Drax in mid 19th Century Hull, waiting to board a whaling boat bound for Greenland.  Once on board, we soon become aware that Captain Brownlee and first mate Cavendish have more in mind than the usual expedition; the whaling industry is in decline, and they are looking for other ways to make money.  Enter the main character: opium addicted ship surgeon Sumner, who has fallen on hard times.

There is no doubt that the author has researched every aspect of 19th century whaling, and this book was fascinating in its detail and disturbingly real in its atmosphere.  The characters become three dimensional as soon as they open their mouths, and the underlying suspense made this novel one I would have read all in one go if I'd been able to.  A cabin boy is abused, murders take place, ill fate befalls the mariners, and many are left stranded... the plot is terrific.

Although I adored most of this book, I was slightly let down by the last 10%, which, although a well written and a suitable ending, was not as suspense-filled as the rest, and I felt a couple of elements went unanswered.  My only other complaint is that, whereas I do like gritty, gory realism, I could have done with a few less depictions of bodily odours/excretions.  But I still loved it, and would still recommend it most fervently, as long as you're not put off by graphic descriptions as mentioned in the previous sentence.


  

SILENT TRAUMA by Judith Barrow

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

'The story is fictional, the drug was real'

Judith Barrow wrote this book to bring attention to the trauma sufferered by the victims of the drug Diethylstilboestrol (DES), given to women between the years 1949 and 1971.  It was prescribed to prevent miscarriage, but had a devastating effect on the daughters - and possibly the granddaughters - of the women who took it, meaning that they had miscarriages, too, cancers of the reproductive organs usually associated with older women, and other problems to do with that part of the body.  Unlike with Thalidomide there has been very little publicity about it, and the women who campaigned for what they had been through and why to be recognised, faced many brick walls.

I think writing a novel about it is such a good way of letting people know about the ongoing tragedy; I would not read an article about it, but I read this.  Silent Trauma follows the lives of four women affected by the drug, and the friendship that forms between them: Meg, whose daughter Lisa took her own life; Rachel, whose husband left her because of the change in their marriage due to her depression caused by several miscarriages; Avril, a recluse whose life was shattered by cancer in her teens; and Jackie, caught in a difficult and violent relationship with a woman, herself a product of a difficult upbringing.  

Aside from the main purpose of the book, I enjoyed reading about the four women very much; it's a well written, well planned story.  The characterisation is terrific, and the situations so real.  I've read Judith Barrow's nostalgia orientated, warts and all family sagas set in the north of England during the 40s, 50s and 60s, but actually liked this more.  I read it in one sitting.  Speaking as one who has never had the urge to have children I cannot imagine how it must feel to want them so badly that you feel like less than a woman if you can't reproduce, but all the emotions were painted so vividly that I felt everything the characters went through, and the situations were met with great understanding and sensitivity.

Jolly well done :)

SMOKESCREEN by Khaled Talib

4 out of 5 stars

Political assassination conspiracy

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

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

Smokescreen is a fast moving, all action, international thriller about an assassination conspiracy, involving movers and shakers at the highest levels—think '24', James Bond, The Bourne trilogy, etc. 

Magazine journalist and superficial Singapore socialite Jethro Westropp (Jet West) is to be set up as 'the next Lee Harvey Oswald' - only he knows nothing about it, and has no hint that anything is wrong until he meets up with the beautiful and ill-fated Niki.  'He finds himself at the centre of a political plot so diabolical and sweeping in its world implications that he is stunned to discover tomorrow’s news headlines today': that comes from the blurb, one of the lines that made me want to read the book! 

It's well written and I can tell it's well researched; Talib obviously understands the dark side of politics in the international arena.  The characters are brilliantly over the top stereotypes—that's not a criticism as I think these sort of books and films rely on certain characters.  Jet is perfect as the amusing and unsuspecting hero, but I enjoyed the dialogue between the older spies, agents and ne'er-do-wells best; X and the unscrupulous Chan and Yung, for instance.  There are some good, witty lines! 

There's a case for saying that these sort of stories work better in films than in books, but this is very convincing, it's a jolly good plot and I think anyone who loves this sort of book will thoroughly enjoy it.  There's certainly never a dull moment.

 

HERE WE STAND 2: DIVIDED by Frank Tayell (Surviving the Evacuation Series)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Zombie Apocalypse series, US

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

I was really looking forward to this as soon as I'd read book one, so leapt on this when it came out.  I read it in one day, it's really good!

The first half of the book tells of Tom and Helena's struggles through the newly zombie infected landscape of Pennsylvania and surrounding states, and they meet up with some other travellers, all of them heading to Maine, where Tom's hideaway cottage by the sea is situated.  But then the dastardly Powell catches up with him..... added to the zombies, Tom also has to battle against his deadly enemies, and then the after effects of a nuclear attack.  I won't say anymore because it'll give the plot away, but it's pretty gripping, and I couldn't put it down!  

I wasn't so interested in the conspiracy underlying Powell and co's plan to grab power, perhaps because it became irrelevant once America was on its knees, but there were hints that all is not over on that front, and I expect all to be explained later in the STE series set in England, of which I have only read four books.  This is more than just a fighting-the-zombies-blood-and-gore type of book, as Tom has other quests of his own.  At his most desperate and lonely, the atmosphere and his feelings about the end of the world and life itself are so well written.

This series is always unpredictable and never boring, well thought out, and I recommend it highly if you're into the post apocalypse genre.

The prequel to this book and links to all other reviews of Frank Tayell books, including Amazon buy links, can be found HERE

 

HERE WE STAND 1: Infected by Frank Tayell (Surviving the Evacuation Series)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Zombie Apocalypse, US

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

When your immediate reaction on finishing part one in a series is to download part 2 and start reading straight away, you've got to give the book at least 4.5 stars, haven't you?  Shame it's not out yet!

I've read most of Frank Tayell's version of this story set in England, and in this sub-series we meet again the character of Sholto, alias Tom Clemens (alias various other names), with whom Bill Wright from England made contact in Book 1 of Surviving the Evacuation.

Tom's life is in tatters following the partial uncovering of a conspiracy against - well, the whole world, really, and he's a wanted man.  Then the virus is unleashed, and all around is mayhem.  He escapes New York with a woman called Helena, and together they flee north, avoiding zombies and various people who want to kill them as they go.  They're not as expert at dealing with their new situation as I would have expected; don't these people watch The Walking Dead??!  But they're learning....

I wasn't sure about the book at first, as it seemed a little rushed and in need of tidying up, but it gets better and better as it goes along, and by the last third I was completely engrossed and eagerly await more.  Highly recommended, if you like well-written zombie apocalypse series that have more behind them than just some unexplained virus, and are not too heavy on the goo and gore.

Reviews for other books in the Surviving the Evacuation series HERE 

THE ART OF STAYING DEAD by Joel Hames

5 GOLD stars

Action thriller/conspiracy set in London and Africa

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

Bravo, Joel Hames!  Riveting book, I loved it.  So well written, I was gripped all the way through and read it over a period of 24 hours.

Sam Williams is a failing human rights lawyer who had made as much of a mess out of his career as it's possible to do, despite his one huge advantage that's landed him in more hot water than good fortune ~ a photographic memory.  This dubious gift brings involvement in the sinister affairs of a little known, war torn province in West Africa; before long, Sam finds himself on the run from the press, his gangster-esque landlord, the British police and some faceless, nameless foes who promise to be the most dangerous adversaries of them all.

I read Joel Hames' previous book, Bankers Town (reviewed HERE) and was less keen because of the subject matter, but the standard of writing made me sure I'd like to read something else by him.  I don't read many action thrillers but this stands up amongst the best I've read.  The suspense is perfectly timed and believable, the atmosphere and characterisation spot on, including incidental scenes and characters, which is something I always value greatly.  Very funny and acutely observed, too.

Sam's increasing awareness that his life is spiralling out of his control and there is no-one he can trust is particularly well done, and I also loved the parts in the impoverished African land.  Hames has managed to avoid many of the cliches of this genre and has created in Sam a guy you'd like to know, even though he's made a dodgy decision or several ~ he's real, not a super-hero, but not too self-effacing, either; the balance is just right.

Highly, highly recommended, and I hope Mr Hames is hard at work on the next book, because I'm already in a hurry to read it!

A COMPANY OF ROSES by Megan Goodenough

3 out of 5 stars

Conspiracy thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

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

A mystery-thriller with a historical twist—wealthy young artist Lacey disappears after a boozy night out, and leaves friend Cas with cryptic clues to find both her and an Elizabethan treasure that holds the key to a dark conspiracy.  Cas soon finds out, though, that she is not the only person looking for Lacey; enter Reuben, attractive undercover government agent who pretends to be an insurance investigator, accompanying Cas as she races around the country.

This novel started promisingly, with a nice bit of Tudor intrigue followed by the girls' night out on which Lacey goes missing, as observed by Reuben.  Cas is a most engaging character throughout, and I think she would appeal very much to other twenty-something girls just out of university and embarking on life in the working world, while partying hard—I liked her, she was very well drawn, and Reuben appealed to me straight away, too; I could see why Cas was so taken by him.

The book is very current, with some nice observations, like the description of girls shopping for engagement rings with their boyfriends as 'sharp toothed trophy hunting demons' (I loved that!), and Grandma's advice that 'it's not people's right to know things about you, even if they think it's their right to ask'—so true!  People familiar with the cities in the book will like reading about them, and the plot is a great idea, too.

Alas, despite all its good points, it didn't quite work for me, though.

Many thrilling government conspiracy stories are perhaps a little far-fetched (though, indeed, who knows?), but even in fantasy the activities of characters need to be feasible within that fiction, and Cas's almost immediate sussing out of the beyond cryptic clues and dashing around the country followed by Reuben was, on many occasions, too unlikely to allow me to suspend my disbelief.  Then there were instances like her buying a single ticket to York instead of a return, even though they were the same price and she needed to get back - this was explained as a hangover from her wacky student travelling days when she never knew where life might take her, though a ticket from Brighton to York must cost something in the region of £100, and Cas was just an ordinary girl with a shop job.  Or Reuben leaping across a bridge to stop a fight in a neighbouring carriage, then charging back in time catch their own train, even though it was moving off as he was running up the stairs - um, impossible, the doors would be closed!  If these sort of things don't bother you, though, you'll enjoy it.

I think a good, professional edit would iron out the daft/unlikely, and the few errors (things like something being 'five foot away' - it's 'feet', 'foot' is the singular), and also it's a bit messy, with some oddly or clumsily phrased sentences and narrative that needs tidying up.  I believe this is Ms Goodenough's debut novel; she clearly has a good imagination and storytelling skill, and this is a fair start.  I wish her all the best with her writing career.

RISE OF THE ENEMY by Rob Sinclair

4 out of 5 stars

Espionage thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

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

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this at first, as espionage thrillers are not a usual reading choice for me, but I liked the cover!  I didn't realise it was a sequel when I first began to read it, but the necessary backstory is provided artfully, in an unobtrusive way, and it works fine as a stand alone.

Carl Logan is an agent working for the JIA, the Joint Intelligence Agency, which employs both US and UK agents.  Rise of The Enemy is based around his capture and escape from the Russians and his realisation that he cannot trust his own people, either.

I wasn't grabbed by the story until it got to the 'three months later' bit of Chapter 4, when, for me, it went up by about ten notches and I became totally absorbed, looking forward to getting back to it when I had to put it down.  The structure of the part in Siberia in which Carl Logan escapes from his Russian captors is one I like: chapters alternating between the present, and flashbacks of an ongoing story that leads up to that present.  I loved reading about Siberia, too; it's clearly been well researched.

The book is very professionally presented, which is always a big plus for me; I don't think I found one proofreading or editing error, which is practically unheard of in a Kindle book, even for the traditionally published.   I read in the Q & A with Rob Sinclair in the back that he loves spy thriller books, films and TV series, and it shows; he's obviously very au fait with the genre, and thus there are a few clichés to be found in this story, but not too many.  

My only problem with this book is that, despite it being extremely well written as a drama, it stopped being so thrilling at around 60%, after which the suspense only made me think 'hmm' instead of 'oh my God, WHAT is going to happen NEXT?'  You know those bits in programmes like 24, when Jack Bauer overcomes four enemies against all odds, in a seemingly hopeless situation?  Carl Logan does this sort of thing, too, but it's all a bit laboured.  Sinclair has painstakingly described every action, down to which hand he jerked into which arm, in such a way that it's just an account, a sequence of events, and not action packed.  Some bits that should have been in-your-face thrilling were actually quite boring; if I had not been reading the book to review I would have skipped them, and just gone to the end of the section to find out who was still alive.  The beginning of the book is written in a very dramatic way.  A suspenseful way.  With short sentences.  To add impact and drama.  And it works, but doesn't carry on throughout the book.  My interest in the plot tailed off towards the end.

To sum up:  A bit less detail, a bit less repetition, a bit more punch, and this book would be excellent.  If this is your favourite genre, I'd definitely recommend it because it's intelligently written, feasible and well thought out.  I suspect, too, that Rob Sinclair's writing will develop positively the more he writes; the talent is obviously there.

CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds

4.5 out of 5 stars

Financial thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's book review team 

When I was about 20% of the way through this novel I described it to someone else as 'immaculate', which is an odd way to describe a book, but it seemed fitting, and still does.  Concealment is flawlessly presented, so well structured, formatted and edited; not so much as a spare half sentence, anywhere!  As someone who hates wading through waffle, I so appreciated that.

Now, I have no knowledge of or interest in high finance, so please note my high star rating and understand that, therefore, it must be extremely good!  It is.  In the first 7% there is a fair bit of explanation about tax shenanigans, and I feared that, despite the fact that it's so sharp and well written, I might not enjoy it so much, simply because I would have to concentrate very hard to understand it.  But if you're a financial dum-dum like me, please don't be put off - it still begins at a cracking pace and soon delves further into the action, the people, the motivations.

This is a murder whodunnit, and protagonist Amy Robinson is determined to find out the answers.  Along the way, though, she has to deal with the repercussions of her psychologically damaging childhood, and a complex tangle of conspiracy amongst colleagues, clients and people she thought she could trust.  It seems that everyone is against her, and worse, but is she just being paranoid?  I loved the way the suspense was built up - nothing like reading that someone will be dead in a few days to keep you reading!

I thought the relationships throughout the book were expertly, and often amusingly, painted.  The characters are all well defined and clear and the writing style made me connect with Amy immediately and root for her throughout, especially as the other characters were all so delightfully unlikeable - some wonderful baddies!  Rose Edmunds has portrayed the slimy boss Ed Smithies, the self-serving best friend Lisa (I hated her!), the two-faced ex-husband Greg and troubled, chauvinistic Ryan so well.  Amy's own descent into psychological hell is fabulously well done, and I found the parts that looked back into her childhood absolutely fascinating. 

If you are particularly fond of financial thrillers you will LOVE this, and if, like me, you don't know your share options from your allocations of divisional overheads (I haven't got a clue what any of that means), you will still enjoy it very much—I read it over a period of two days because (cliché alert!).... I couldn't put it down!

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE