Review: Redstone Station by Therese Creed

 

Title: Redstone Station

Author: Therese Creed

Published: Allen & Unwin April 2013

Status: Read from April 24 to 25, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

Debut rural fiction author Therese Creed writes from experience. She married a farmer and lives and works on the family’s 17,000 acre cattle station in central Queensland.
In Redstone Station, Sam and Olive Day, struggling with failing health and growing debt, welcome the return of the grand daughter, who was essentially abandoned by her young unwed mother, that they raised. Eighteen year old Alice has finished Ag college and is ready to devote herself to reviving her grandparents farm, desperate to repay their love and faith in her. Willing to work hard, with a natural aptitude for stock handling and farm management, Alice refuses to be distracted from her goals, especially by troublemaker Jeremy O’Donnell.

The strength of Redstone Station definitely lies within its accurate depiction of everyday life on a cattle station. Fencing, mustering and maintenance are all daily chores punctuated by seasonal work such as calving, weaning and branding. It’s hard, physical work that requires both brute force and an intimate knowledge of a farm’s operational needs. The work ethic is something to be admired and I think Creed does an excellent job of creating an authentic setting for her story and characters.

I’m not entirely sure about the plot of Redstone Station as I thought there seemed to be a lack of focus. Alice’s day to day life on the station is the strongest feature along with brief encounters with the challenges farmers face such as drought, feral animal attacks, bushfire, mining threats and the ever present financial strain, but there is no real sense of Alice ever really being in danger of losing Redstone. There is a subplot of sorts regarding her relationship with her biological parents, and her part aboriginal heritage. Though there is a development of a romantic relationship between Alice and Jeremy it is very low key for most of the novel, culminating in a rushed resolution that seems strangely old-fashioned. I just didn’t think any of these ideas provided a strong enough direction or anchor for the story.

I don’t think it helped that I had a hard time relating to Alice as I found her reserved nature to be off putting and awkward in someone so young. There are rare glimpses of a sense of humour, and there is no doubting her passion for the land, but otherwise Alice was far too self contained for me to develop an affinity with.
In contrast, Jeremy is open and ‘out there’. Though I thought perhaps his personality was just a touch too exaggerated, I did enjoy his cheeky irreverence and his lack of ‘filter’ but I felt that in many ways he overwhelmed Alice as the primary protagonist.

Despite having a few issues with plot and character, I did enjoy Redstone Station. It is well written with natural dialogue and a strong Australian identity. Fans of rural fiction should particularly appreciate the genuine portrayal of life on a cattle station and enjoy this new addition to the genre.

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Review: The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

 

Title: The Middlesteins

Author: Jami Attenberg

Published: Serpent’s Tail March 2013

Status: Read from March 12 to 13, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Allen & Unwin}

My Thoughts:

The Middlesteins is the story of a dysfunctional Jewish family in suburban America. While Edith eats her self to death, her daughter drinks, her son and his wife worries and her husband of forty years makes plans to leave her.

In this character driven novel, shifting perspectives gives the reader insight into the issues within the family that both have everything and nothing to do with Edie’s morbid obesity.

When her husband, Richard leaves Edie and files for divorce he is seen as callous and selfish for deserting his wife of forty years in such ill health. But as Richard’s ‘side’ is revealed we learn that the marriage died some time ago and Richard is convinced he has left to save himself;

“Was he a bold individual making a last grab at happiness? Or a coward who could not contend with fighting for his wife’s life? Was he merely soulless?”

Their daughter, Robin, is distracted by her own intimacy issues, content to allow her sister in law to manage most of her mother’s care. She despises Richard for leaving their mother and makes him the target of her anger and grief about her mother’s condition.

While Benny worries silently, losing his hair at a prodigious rate, his wife becomes obsessed with Edie’s weight and diabetes. Rachelle tries to enforce exercise and diet on Edie but when she is only marginally successful she turns the focus to her own family, strictly controlling the food intake of her husband and two children, Josh and Emily. her own fear of aging and mortality unseating her common sense.

As teenagers, Josh and Emily are only vaguely concerned by the family turmoil, especially as they are approaching their B’Nai Mitzvah and busy rehearsing a hip hop routine for their So You Think You Can Dance? themed gala. Emily is a little more sensitive to the problems but at just fourteen is ill equipped to make much sense of them.

Edie is only heard from rarely with brief reminiscences of her life at various stages. They reveal an awkward teenager, a lacklustre marriage, poor self esteem and her unhealthy relationship with food, an addiction she feels powerless to control. In the main, Attenberg manages to portray Edie as a woman who is flawed in the ways that any ordinary person is. Her morbid obesity adds complications but is not the defining element of who she is. Edith is a mother, a grandmother, a friend and even a lover even at 350 plus pounds.

The Middlesteins is quite a sombre tale though not without flashes of black humour. I did struggle to connect with parts of the story, partly I think because of the cultural disconnect (with the Jewish population accounting for half a percent of the total Australian population and most concentrated in major cities) I feel sure I am missing an essential frame of reference.

A wry observation of family dysfunction and failure in middle class America, The Middlesteins is modern, literary fiction. It is a fairly quick read but not one I found particularly memorable. That it is endorsed by Jonathan Franzen may be an indicator as to whether you will like it or not.

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Review: The Prey by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Prey {The Hunt #2}

Author: Andrew Fukuda

Published: Simon & Schuster February 2013

Read an Extract

Status: Read on February 06, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Simon & Schuster}

My Thoughts:

Fast paced and exciting, The Hunt was a promising introduction to this young adult series where humans (also known as hepers) have been driven to edge of extinction by creatures that appear to be a hybrid of human,vampire and zombie.
The Prey begins where The Hunt left off as Gene, Sissy and the boys flee the creatures hunting them. Chugging down a nameless river with death lining the the banks and their destination unknown, the group can only trust in the Scientists directions in their bid for The Land of Milk and Honey, Fruit and Sunshine.

With the characters confined to the boat we are able to learn more about Sissy, Ben, Epap, Jacob and David. Born in captivity, each proves surprisingly knowledgeable and capable with skills they attribute to the patient teaching of The Scientist. Gene finds himself slowly warming to the hepers but struggles with having left the relative safety of the only world he has ever known, deserting Ashley June and placing his life in the hands of an absent stranger. Gene is no less conflicted in The Prey than in The Hunt, and when he discovers the identity of the man the others know only as the Scientist his world is turned upside down.

After several close encounters with the ever persistent Hunters the group follows the trail left by the Scientist to The Mission. Believing they have found the promised land the boys delight in their generous reception but Sissy is suspicious and when Gene recovers from a near fatal illness he too grows wary of the community.
For me this part of the story fell somewhere between chilling and absurd. Beneath the veneer of smiling faces and cheerful singing The Mission hides a very twisted secret. With young women happily enslaved to the Elders – a small group of old, balding and overweight men, a captive Dusker and a train that leads straight to hell.

The Prey won’t work as a stand alone. It is very much a continuation of The Hunt and details from that story become relevant to Gene’s journey. Unfortunately I didn’t find it nearly as compelling as it’s predecessor though, with the uneven tension, flawed logic and too many misogynist elements, it all began to fall apart for me.

A fast read with great action scenes but ultimately disappointing, I think I’ll be tempted to pick up the third but it won’t be a priority.

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Read My Review

Review: Losing It by Cora Carmack

Title: Losing It

Author: Cora Carmack

Published: HarperCollins January 2013

Synopsis: Virginity. Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half a brain would ever believe
And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theater professor.
She’d left him naked in her bed about eight hours earlier. . . .

Status: Read from January 19 to 20, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy HarperCollins/Edelweiss}

My Thoughts:
To bridge the gap between young adult and adult fiction, publishers have defined the New Adult genre as one with protagonists aged around 18-25, experiencing the challenges of moving past adolescence and transitioning into adulthood.
Losing It was a self published novel chosen by HarperCollins to essentially launch their New Adult line, surprising everyone when it reached the New York Times bestseller list.

Bliss Edwards is 22 and on the verge of completing her Theater major. While she is still undecided about the direction she wants to take after graduation, she knows she doesn’t want to leave college a virgin and a one night stand seems to be the answer. It’s the handsome stranger reading Shakespeare at the bar that gets her attention, Garrick’s English accent makes her swoon and a few drinks give her the courage to invite him home, and into her bed. In the midst of passion, Bliss panics and flees with the flimsiest of excuses, leaving behind a bemused Garrick. The only balm for Bliss’s embarrassment is the she is unlikely to ever see Garrick again, until he is introduced as the new associate professor in her next class.

I’m a torn with this novel but at (not quite) twice the protagonist’s age (eek),  much of it is probably a generational discord. I’m not really comfortable with the casual approach to one night stands and hook ups and it bothers me that virginity is portrayed as a burden. In my view, sex is an expression of intimacy rather than a form of recreation and while I have no objections to sex outside of marriage or anything, I do think it should be reserved for a relationship. I realise this will probably seem horribly old fashioned, but for someone’s first time especially, trust, love and commitment makes the experience so much better.

In Losing It, it all turns out okay for Bliss though lust turns into true love a little quicker that is believable.
I did find the characters likeable. Bliss is painfully awkward at times and a little less mature than I would expect for her stage of life but I could sympathise with her insecurities.
Despite Bliss’s last minute panic, Garrick is understanding and patient, and likes Bliss enough to not only wait til she is ready but pursue her without the promise that he will ever ‘get some’. Now that is a guy I can admire.
The main conflict – Garrick is Bliss’s teacher and liaisons between staff and students are frowned upon – is a little soft. There isn’t really any sense of tension because of it surrounding the relationship and not a great deal of concern from either character about the possible consequences either.

I can see why Losing It appeals to it’s demographic (there are hundreds of gushing reviews on Goodreads from YA bloggers), Cormack writes frankly about first love, sex and gives her protagonists a fairytale ending. I just found it a little empty and I still think Judy Blume’s Forever is the quintessential novel of those that explore first relationships in fiction.

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New Adult Genre

Review: Two Evils by P.J. Tracy

 

Title: Two Evils (Monkeewrench #6}

Author: P.J. Tracy

Published: Michael Joseph Penguin Australia January 2013

Synopsis: When a missing teenage girl is found dead in a parking lot, her throat slashed, it’s only the beginning. Their discovery leads police directly to the bodies of two young immigrants killed in their run down apartment. The next morning three more men are found dead in the street nearby.  Welcome to summer in the city. None of it makes any sense. But as Minneapolis Police Department homicide detectives Magozzi and Rolseath struggle to establish what’s happened, they realise that the deaths may not be as random as they first appear. Nor, it seems, were they simply an isolated, freak twenty-four hours of violence in the Twin Cities.  As the killings continue, Magozzi and Rolseath turn to maverick computer analyst Grace McBride for help. But Grace’s contribution to the investigation depends on her staying alive long enough to provide it. And as the evidence mounts, piece by piece, it reveals terrifying intent. Ultimately, it forces the two detectives to make a dreadful choice: down which path does the lesser of two evils lie . .

Status: Read on January 20, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Penguin Australia}

My Thoughts:

Two Evils, (also known as Off the Grid – a title that makes much more sense) is the sixth installment of mother and daughter writing team,  P.J. Tracy’s ‘Monkeewrench’ series featuring Grace McBride and her team of eccentric computer software developers who regularly find themselves embroiled in murder and mayhem, assisting the Minneapolis PD.

Homicide Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are baffled by a spate of murders in an area of Minneapolis known as Little Mogadishu. At first glance the cases seem unrelated except for a single piece of evidence found at each crime scene, a date, October 31st, circled in red. In the midst of the busy investigation Grace McBride appears after a three month absence asking Magozzi for a favour, one that eventually exposes a shocking plan of nation-wide violence.

Two Evils combines police procedural with action, mystery and a touch of romance. Though the plot is fairly predictable, seemingly separate cases merge in a clever manner to reveal a complex network of terrorists, vigilantes and law enforcement. Tension swirls around the main plot but really comes into its own in the climax, though I thought the ending a bit abrupt, even if the epilogue provides a nice little twist. There were moments I felt the plot was marred by the inexplicable behaviours of some of its characters – for example an experienced retired FBI agent who runs into a forest filled with enemy snipers targeting him.

It was quickly obvious that I was missing a great deal of background that would have connected me to the characters in this story. Grace has a complicated personal background, she and Magozzi have some sort of history and the Monkeewrench team are computer geeks but with a handy cache of weapons available at short notice. Unfamiliar with the finer nuances of personality and relationships, I wasn’t very invested in their story which detracted from my interest overall.

I don’t think Two Evils is the book to start with if you haven’t read any of the previous installments. This series seems to require an investment in the characters to complement the plot and without it unfortunately falls fairly flat.

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Review: Rescue Heat by Nina Hamilton

 

 

Title: Rescue Heat

Author: Nina Hamilton

Published: Escape Publishing January 2013

Synopsis: Hanging, strapped together, ten metres above a sea platform forces a quick intimacy between workmates. For Dr Brigid Adair, dangling from a helicopter wire is an everyday occurrence in her job working for the helicopter rescue crew in North Queensland, Australia.
For Former US Army medic Matt Roberts, Australia means a new future; a place to escape from the war zones of his past. Despite his significant wealth, he’s taken a job as an elite helicopter paramedic, wanting to make a positive contribution to his new community.
Matt Roberst knows very well the destruction that romance can reap on a unit, so when he first arrives and sees the gorgeous single doctor, Brigid assigned to his rescue crew, he’s nervous. Very nervous.
Dr Brigid Adair is going to need more than just her medical training to lead Matt back from his self-imposed isolation. High-pressure situations hovering over some of Australia’s deadliest land and sea and the ignition of a passionate flame might just do the trick

Status: Read on January 12, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Escape Publishing}

My Thoughts:

Rescue Heat is an enjoyable Australian romance set in the north of Queensland. Dr Brigid Adair is a doctor with the Cairns helicopter rescue service, a job she loves for the unique professional challenges it presents every day. When Matt Roberts, an ex US Army medic, joins the crew, Brigid is suddenly faced with a very personal challenge – denying her attraction to her new wealthy, sexy and handsome partner.

Rescue Heat starts strongly as Brigid is lowered to treat an ill diver on a deep sea platform and I enjoyed learning a little about the varied role of rescue helicopter teams who deal with urgent life and death situations every day, from searches at sea to assisting with major car accidents. It seemed a shame though that the author didn’t really take advantage of the dangers inherent in her protagonists professions to inject more action into the story. I was hoping for a little more edge that would exploit the unique setting and the potential for drama.

I really liked the way in which Brigid is portrayed as a confident and competent woman and doctor, she is a strong and likeable character. Matt is the more vulnerable of the two protagonists, still hurt by his ex girlfriend’s recent betrayal and adjusting to civilian life after years serving in war zones. Hamilton develops the chemistry between the pair nicely and the intimate scenes are (ok, I am never sure exactly how to describe these scenes) arousing(?), well written anyway.

Rescue Heat is a pleasant, quick read that should satisfy fans of contemporary romance set in an exotic locale.

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Review: Daddy Love by Joyce Carol Oates

 

Title: Daddy Love

Author: Joyce Carol Oates

Published: Grove/Atlantic  January 2013

Synopsis: Dinah Whitcomb has everything: a loving husband and a smart young son named Robbie. Then one day their world is shattered when Robbie is abducted from a parking lot and Dinah is run over by the kidnapper’s van, mangling her body nearly beyond repair. The kidnapper, a reverend named Chester Cash, aka Daddy Love, has for years abducted, tortured, and raped young boys. Daddy Love renames Robbie as ‘Gideon,’ brainwashing him into believing that he is Daddy Love’s real son, and any time the boy resists or rebels he is met with punishment beyond his wildest nightmares.  As Robbie grows older he becomes more aware of just how monstrous Daddy Love truly is. Once terrified of what would happen if he disobeyed Daddy Love, he begins to realize that the longer he is locked in the shackles of this demon, the greater chance he’ll end up like Daddy Love’s other ‘sons’ who were never heard from again. Somewhere within this tortured boy lies a spark of rebellion . . . and soon he will see just what lengths he must go to in order to have any chance at survival.

Status: Read from January 06 to 07, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Grove/Atlantic/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

I have had an awkward track record with work by Joyce Carol Oates, despite the acclaim she has received, and primarily I requested this novel in yet another effort to connect with her writing. Oates has published more than 50 books, many of which probe sensitive, dark subjects. In Daddy Love, Oates explores the shocking abduction and abuse of five year old Robbie Whitcomb by a sadistic pederast who keeps him captive for six years.

The story of Daddy Love was no more than what I expected, confronting, disturbing and thought provoking. It is difficult to read of Diane’s despair at the loss of her son, her misplaced feelings of guilt and shame. It is horrendous to read of Daddy Love’s justifications for his deviant behaviour, his remorseless manipulation and abuse of young children and to know that such monsters walk amongst us undetected. It is utterly heartbreaking to imagine the fear, pain and sense of utter helplessness experienced by Robbie whose innocence is destroyed and will never be the same.

And yet somehow Oates fails to move me, my reactions are dictated by the subject matter rather than the way in which she tells the story. I find her style spare and distant, even dry at times. Perhaps that is necessary in writing about such an emotive issue to reduce the risk that the reader will be overwhelmed by the sheer, shuddering horror of the situation but for me the result was a disconnect I am hard pressed to articulate.

Even though Daddy Love left me with a painful ache in my chest, and desperate to keep my children a little closer to my side for a little longer, I think I will have to admit I am defeated by Joyce Carol Oates.

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Review: Bedpan Blues by Sandy Thorne

Title: Bedpan Blues

Author: Sandy Thorne

Published: ST Publishing 2012

Synopsis: Sandy’s hilarious account of her two-month stay in a Sydney public hospital – far from the “back country” where she lives – will really kickstart your funnybone! With one leg out of action, getting ON a bedpan is one thing …. the you have to get off the bloody thing… Almost as big a challenge as trying to get some sleep (“Wake up! Heres’ your Panadol..”)

Status: Read on November 25, 2012

My Thoughts:

This caught my eye on the “new” shelf at the library so I scooped it up hoping for a quick read that would make me laugh, and that it exactly what I got. Bedpan Blues details the two months Sandy Thorne, a bushie from Lightning Ridge, spent laid up in a Sydney city public hospital after a repair to an ankle injury went awry.

Behind Sandy’s mild mannered facade (she is unfailingly polite to the staff and helpful to her less capable ward mates) lurks a bold, brash and wildly opinionated woman who compares the hospital food to cat spew and longs to twist the nuts off of television ad executives. She describes her politics as “a little to the right of Hitler”, and her views on many issues are decidedly not politically correct however she calls them as she seems them and her lack of self censorship is quite refreshing.

As ward mates, and their visitors, come and go, Sandy has to cope with a thief, a diva, a snorer and a dreamer. All she wants is a view out of the window and a little bit of peace and quiet – something the nurses don’t seem inclined to give her. It seems the orthopedic ward is a busy place and it’s no surprise Sandy can’t wait to escape.

Bedpan Blues is a quick, amusing read which will have you laughing and cringing in almost equal measure.

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Review: Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose

 

 

Title: Sad Desk Salad

Author: Jessica Grose

Published: William Morrow October 2012

Synopsis: As a writer for Chick Habit, an increasingly popular women’s website, Alex Lyons gets paid to be a bitch. She’s churning out several posts a day, and she saves her juiciest ones for blog prime time, when working women eat their sad desk salads in their offices. Alex tells herself she’s fulfilling her dream of being a professional writer; so what if it means being glued to her couch and her laptop from six a.m. to six p.m., scouring the web in search of the next big celebrity scandal? Since Chick Habit’s parent company keeps close tabs on page views, Alex knows her job is always at risk. So when an anonymous tipster sends her the year’s most salacious story—a politico’s squeaky-clean Ivy League daughter caught in a very R-rated activity—it’s a no-brainer. But is Alex really willing to ruin the girl’s life by igniting the next Internet feeding frenzy? And what she doesn’t yet realize is how this big scoop is about to send her own life spiraling out of control.

Status: Read from October 04 to 05, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy William Morrow/Edelweiss}

My Thoughts:

Taking us behind the scenes of the world in which author Jessica Grose has forged her career, Sad Desk Salad gives a lighthearted insight into modern day tabloid journalism.

Alex Lyons is a blogger for Chick Habit, an online zine site focusing on celebrity gossip, fashion, pithy social commentary and controversial opinion. Responsible for publishing a dozen or more posts a day, Alex obsessively browses through Twitter, Facebook, her RSS feeds and news sites for inspiration from her couch, churning out pieces designed to attract the attention of Chick Habit’s readers. Sad Desk Salad traces a frenetic week in which Alex’s desperate desire to meet her quota (1 million hits a month), creates a conflict between her real and virtual life.

Caught up in her world of virtual drama, which includes being targeted by an anonymous ‘hater’ who sets up a blog “Breaking the Chick Habit” Alex fails to recognise the changes in her self that are putting a strain on her relationship with her boyfriend and friends.
Her perspective warped by her immersion in a arena that rewards controversy, gossip and scandal mongering, it isn’t until Alex posts a damning video that could do irreparable harm to the reputation of a young woman who is only a ‘celebrity’ by association with her politically ambitious mother that she is hit by a crisis of conscience and begins to reconsider what is important to her.

Grose keeps things light in Sad Desk Salad, it is often funny and sharp but unfortunately the novel lacked the insight I had hoped for. The author’s examination of the eroding boundaries between ‘public’ and ‘private’ arenas is superficial at best. Not exactly a surprise really considering the author’s own background as a writer and editor at sites just like the fictional Chick Habit, but disappointing that the potential of such a relevant social issue was left unexplored.

What Grose does do well is highlight society’s growing obsession with virtual connections. Alex doesn’t shower for days in the fear of missing an important text or email, her iPhone is her constant companion and her obsession with the virtual world overshadows her interactions with real people. Sadly Alex reminds me of at least a couple of women I know whose obsessive checking of Facebook and Twitter has stalled many a conversation.

Sad Desk Salad (so titled in reference to the meal women most often consume as they browse the internet during lunch at their desks) is a quick contemporary read. Largely amusing and socially relevant (especially if you are a blogger) it’s light entertainment for the igeneration.

 

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Review: They Disappeared by Rick Mofina

 

Title: They Disappeared

Author: Rick Mofina

Published: MIRA September 2012

Synopsis: A loving family,fracturing under pressure…. Jeff Griffin, a mechanic, and his wife, Sarah, travel from Montana to Manhattan to give their nine-year-old son, Cole, his dream vacation as they secretly face the heart-wrenching turmoil that has them teetering on divorce. In the wake of their heartbreak, a mother and son disappear…. While sightseeing near Times Square, Jeff steps into a store to buy batteries for their camera—but upon returning to the street he finds that Sarah and Cole have vanished. A frantic father searches for clues as time ticks down…. Battling his anguish and police suspicions, Jeff fights to rescue Sarah and Cole. He knows now that the love he and Sarah have is worth saving. But he could lose the chance to tell her amid growing fears that they have become entangled in an unfolding plot that could have global consequences

Status: Read from September 27 to 28, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy Harlequin/NetGalley}

My Thoughts:

They Disappeared caught my attention in the way most thriller novels do but particularly as another title by this author, Vengeance Road, has been on my wishlist for a while.
When Jeff Griffin’s wife, Sarah and nine year old son Cole, disappear from Times Square during a family holiday, the police are dismissive, suspecting a domestic quarrel. Frustrated by the investigators, Jeff takes matters into his own hands and frantically searches New York for his missing family, unwittingly blundering into the midst of a terrorist plan to disrupt the current UN meetings in the city.

While the tension that stems from Jeff’s frantic search for Sarah and Cole and the developing threat to the UN conference taking place in New York, is high, unfortunately the plot of They Disappeared is simplistic and predictable. I was disappointed by the formulaic storyline which relies on a string of convenient critical events that conspire to keep Jeff from saving his family. Jeff falls and smashes his phone, a courier is hit by a truck, Cole escapes but runs straight into the arms of his kidnapper, these are all somewhat plausible but unconvincing moments of contrivance.

As a small town mechanic, albeit with some experience as a volunteer fire fighter, Jeff proves remarkably resourceful, eluding the police and the terrorists and able to stay one step ahead of them both in his fight to rescue his family. It’s not that I didn’t like his character, as I did and I was especially sympathetic to his family’s heartbreaking history, but I didn’t find his motivation to exclude the police and take on armed terrorists alone as credible.

In contrast, the terrorist, a professional soldier who has been planning his attack for a year, makes amateurish mistakes, starting with the abduction of Sarah and Cole in an instance where the missing item could have been retrieved with a simple phone call.

This novel is not a bad read, for me it’s just lacking the sophistication I prefer in order to fully immerse myself in the action. They Disappeared is a lightweight, uncomplicated thriller and the fast pace will likely keep you turning the pages even if the plot fails to capture your imagination.

 

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