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The BookViral Review:
A briskly involving British crime novel, fans of gritty, era-defining police dramas are going to love Retrospective with author Huw Evans reminding us the genre still has enough juice to take readers for a thrilling ride.
A down-and-dirty read that fields several decent plot twists, Evans’ uniquely structured narrative takes us from the humdrum of Graeme James’ present-day job in London’s IT consulting field to an ever increasingly bizarre and disturbing 1980s setting where he’s a detective inspector with some serious chops.
Refreshingly more than a laundry list of clichés, which far too many novels in the genre seem to be, Retrospective has a certain integrity and creates an interesting atmosphere, largely thanks to Evans’ eye for period detail. A real treat for those readers who prefer their cop thrillers pre-meta.
Complimented by whiplash smart dialogue Evans crafts his characters competently, from the upper-crust Emily Braithwaite to the hardened persona of George Donaldson and this compliments his well-rounded plot. Of particular note is how much time Evans finds for small touches of realistic detail and emotion. The conversations between Graeme and Emily feel as though they’re taking place between real people and the banter is first-class.
Maintaining fluidity as events evolve, Evans sets each scene with competency, as he draws his readers into the footsteps of his protagonist, where his continued fascination with his “1980 dream world” holds the reader in a suspension of dread. And when the action comes it’s frenzied but comprehensible, brutal but not wantonly violent as Evans gets the balance just right. Graeme might think his newfound existence is a dream, but a bullet in the shoulder reminds him that it’s all too real!
Generating the kind of edge-of-your-seat intrigue that keeps one glued to the words and the pages turning. Retrospective proves an enjoyable read and a strong start to the Graeme James series!
Edgy with whiplash smart dialogue at first glance Stone Angel might seem like a romance but actually, it’s a study of two lifestyles: of a glamorous film star whose fame and fortune have kept her in the media limelight, and of a professional bodyguard who makes his living by protecting celebrities form high-level threats against them.
It would be hard to imagine any novel about a nightclub not containing drugs, depravity, and all-around bad behaviour and The Reprobates certainly doesn’t disappoint in a rip ragingly provocative read that takes its readers from outrageous highs to rock bottom in the blink of an eye.
At their best, they stun you with their visions of ultimate endings both small and catastrophic with hauntingly bleak futures.
We are constantly and enduringly fascinated with fictional accounts of parallel existence, alternative realities and genetic engineering. Films such as ‘The Fountain’ present immortality as attainable, whilst books such as ‘The Book Thief’ (Markus Zusak) explore the nature of death, in this case by death himself acting as narrator.
An enduring memory of my teenage self sneaking into my mother’s bedroom in search of Mills and Boon still brings a slight blush to my cheeks.
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