Hardcover, 240 pages
Expected publication: April 1st 2015 by Severn House Publishers
This gripping Irish thriller is an intriguing new departure for comic noir writer Declan Burke."
A dying man, if he is any kind of man, will live beyond the law. The elderly German, Karl Uxkull, was senile or desperate for attention. Why else would he concoct a tale of Nazi atrocity on the remote island of Delphi, off the coast of Donegal? And why now, 60 years after the event, just when Irish-American billionaire Shay Govern has tendered for a prospecting licence for gold in Lough Swilly?
Journalist Tom Noone doesn t want to know. With his young daughter Emily to provide for, and a ghost-writing commission on Shay Govern s autobiography to deliver, the timing is all wrong. Besides, can it be mere coincidence that Karl Uxkull s tale bears a strong resemblance to the first thriller published by legendary spy novelist Sebastian Devereaux, the reclusive English author who has spent the past 50 years holed up on Delphi?
But when a body is discovered drowned, Tom and Emily find themselves running for their lives, in pursuit of the truth that is their only hope of survival.
My thoughts: For a book that is billed as a thriller, this one just did not do it for me. That's almost strange because I love books set in Ireland and I love conspiracy theories. Nazi characters involvement in a story fascinate me for some bizarre reason. So, all told, this should have been right up my alley. Wrong!
I found the pace excruciatingly slow, the characters not well developed and the thriller bits were somewhat MIA. My attention kept wandering. This type of book should have had me spellbound and riveted to the pages. Sadly, that did not happen.
I hate to write a negative review but honesty is my primary goal This is just MY experience with the book, you however might love it. Sorry, but this one garners the "meh" 2** rating from me.
Declan Burke is a Goodreads author and can be found on his page here
A dying man, if he is any kind of man, will live beyond the law. The elderly German, Karl Uxkull, was senile or desperate for attention. Why else would he concoct a tale of Nazi atrocity on the remote island of Delphi, off the coast of Donegal? And why now, 60 years after the event, just when Irish-American billionaire Shay Govern has tendered for a prospecting licence for gold in Lough Swilly?
Journalist Tom Noone doesn t want to know. With his young daughter Emily to provide for, and a ghost-writing commission on Shay Govern s autobiography to deliver, the timing is all wrong. Besides, can it be mere coincidence that Karl Uxkull s tale bears a strong resemblance to the first thriller published by legendary spy novelist Sebastian Devereaux, the reclusive English author who has spent the past 50 years holed up on Delphi?
But when a body is discovered drowned, Tom and Emily find themselves running for their lives, in pursuit of the truth that is their only hope of survival.
My thoughts: For a book that is billed as a thriller, this one just did not do it for me. That's almost strange because I love books set in Ireland and I love conspiracy theories. Nazi characters involvement in a story fascinate me for some bizarre reason. So, all told, this should have been right up my alley. Wrong!
I found the pace excruciatingly slow, the characters not well developed and the thriller bits were somewhat MIA. My attention kept wandering. This type of book should have had me spellbound and riveted to the pages. Sadly, that did not happen.
I hate to write a negative review but honesty is my primary goal This is just MY experience with the book, you however might love it. Sorry, but this one garners the "meh" 2** rating from me.
Declan Burke is a Goodreads author and can be found on his page here
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Severn House Publishers/Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Too bad that it didn't work for you. The plot sounded promising, and that cover is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI liked the cover as well though for me the plot was a bit far fetched
ReplyDelete