Saturday 13 February 2016

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!

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