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gulshanbatra's review
4.0
A fantastic page turner, reminded me of the earliest Reacher novels, only a little less dry.
I picked this up on the basis of a single recommendation from a trusted source, and was happily surprised when it actually surpassed my rather tame bar. Arthur is a market researcher, who has his life upturned one fine day, and he himself almost dies. Almost, but not quite.
When he regains consciousness, he decides to take revenge. There's just one problem - he doesn't know who's behind the attack, and he doesn't know where to begin. Coupled with the fact that he is physically almost an invalid doesn't deter him but certainly makes everything much more difficult.
The writing is quite matter-of-fact, and while it veers clear of any deep characterizations, the author does manage to put in enough character interaction, and some levity in those interactions now-and-then, that it makes for interesting read. There are certainly some quite unbelievable situations and plot elements, but by and large the novel is an entertainer.
I made a comparison with the Reacher books, and I'd like to point out - this is not about deep and convoluted plotting of the sorts Mr. Child is famous for, nor is Arthur a force of nature. But the writing is as eminently readable, and the fact that it is a bit of a flaky read in parts makes for light entertainment. The banter between Arthur and his later-on-partner are amusing, once you overcome the initial bewilderment of them getting together in the first place (!).
After reading this, I found out it's the first of a trilogy, and I will certainly be looking to read the other two novels very soon.
I picked this up on the basis of a single recommendation from a trusted source, and was happily surprised when it actually surpassed my rather tame bar. Arthur is a market researcher, who has his life upturned one fine day, and he himself almost dies. Almost, but not quite.
When he regains consciousness, he decides to take revenge. There's just one problem - he doesn't know who's behind the attack, and he doesn't know where to begin. Coupled with the fact that he is physically almost an invalid doesn't deter him but certainly makes everything much more difficult.
The writing is quite matter-of-fact, and while it veers clear of any deep characterizations, the author does manage to put in enough character interaction, and some levity in those interactions now-and-then, that it makes for interesting read. There are certainly some quite unbelievable situations and plot elements, but by and large the novel is an entertainer.
I made a comparison with the Reacher books, and I'd like to point out - this is not about deep and convoluted plotting of the sorts Mr. Child is famous for, nor is Arthur a force of nature. But the writing is as eminently readable, and the fact that it is a bit of a flaky read in parts makes for light entertainment. The banter between Arthur and his later-on-partner are amusing, once you overcome the initial bewilderment of them getting together in the first place (!).
After reading this, I found out it's the first of a trilogy, and I will certainly be looking to read the other two novels very soon.
lirael's review
2.0
Sounded promising, but not well executed...storytelling was "this happened, then this happened" in a straightforwardly boring way. Main character not really a character. Writing OK. Wanted to like this much more than I did!
jan603dd's review
2.0
This is the literary equivalent of, when asked in an interview "what is your greatest weakness?", answering "well, I guess I'm just too much of a perfectionist".
rsurban's review
4.0
Upfront warning: this book is not a stand-alone novel, but the first in a trilogy. This is one of the reasons I can't give it 5 stars, as compelling and fascinating as it is. I have an aversion to books that can't tell their whole story in one book...and why does everything have to be a trilogy (although, I guess George R. R. Martin would be the cautionary tale on that score)? Nevertheless, this is a great, stripped-down story of a man who is shot, along with his wife, by an unknown assailant. His wife dies, and he fakes his death in order to uncover the reasons for their attack. This book is all in the details, which sometimes fly by so quickly that you have to re-read passages to figure out what just went down. There are also times where the details behind a financial or computer scam are just not that accessible to the average reader, so you must take them on faith, or be prepared to do some additional research to understand what is going on. Nevertheless, this is an exciting, fresh take on the revenge novel, and I look forward to its continuance in Cries of the Lost.
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