Review by aschweitzer -- Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
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aschweitzer
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Review by aschweitzer -- Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
[Following is a volunteer review of "Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)" by Barry Litherland.]
This was a book that I consider following the tradition of Raymond Chandler: crime and mystery, good guys versus bad guys, all spiced up with good humor and great action pace. Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland follows two different storylines that eventually come together for an exciting resolution, leaving the reader with the sensation that there is still hope in the world, despite all the inequalities and all the injustice.
We follow the voice of a young narrator, who is just as surprised by the stream of events as we are, as readers. He is the friend of the main character, Wayne, and I felt intrigued from the beginning about their relationship, as it was described as follows: “I wonder why Wayne and I are friends. I’m always wondering that. It’s not as if we have much in common except a long history and a death, though I suppose a death is a strong sort of bond when you think about it, especially a death like that”.
The group of characters is almost the same in both storylines. Protagonists are followed at different moments in time: in childhood and in young adulthood. All is happening against a deadline that is set quite early in the story, creating the premise for intense action.I liked that the tension is built with craft in parallel in both stories and that in the end, one story supports the other, and the characters manage to integrate their traumatic early experiences and become stronger persons. If we compare who the characters are at the beginning of the book, and who they are in the end, we see a transformation. This is not a psychological thriller; don’t get me wrong! I appreciated that Litherland is honest in his approach: he promises an action mystery, and he sticks with it, but he makes time to help us understand the resorts of the main characters, the one we care about, as readers. The thing that what I enjoyed most was the humor used in all sort of situations: to describe the characters (“He doesn’t look like a man much troubled by philosophical thought. If voting required more than a cross, he wouldn’t bother”) or to use it as a coping mechanism when in danger or when afraid to confront the villain (“I’m not Poirot now. I’m Philip Marlowe, private detective, and I’m going to go and visit the good-looking dame, and there’ll be a showdown”).
The only thing that I did not like too much was that the villain’s internal resorts were not at all presented. So, that character is a bit simplistic, and it is more like a prompt used to enlighten the rest of the characters. Yet, I did not consider this too much an inconvenience, since this is not Dostoyevsky.
Therefore I rated this book 4 out of 4 stars, and I have to emphasize that it was a pleasant surprise: my rating is based on the fact that the book follows the expectations of the genre while keeping its originality and leaving a lasting impression on the reader.
I would recommend this book to persons who what to read good quality crime fiction, to those that are not scared by a few profanities (after all, we are dealing with villains and mobsters among other characters) and to those who appreciate a story about friendship and overcoming limitations and obstacles that life serves them with. It is a hopeful and interesting story, well-edited, and I felt that the author really cared for his readers.
******
Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This was a book that I consider following the tradition of Raymond Chandler: crime and mystery, good guys versus bad guys, all spiced up with good humor and great action pace. Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland follows two different storylines that eventually come together for an exciting resolution, leaving the reader with the sensation that there is still hope in the world, despite all the inequalities and all the injustice.
We follow the voice of a young narrator, who is just as surprised by the stream of events as we are, as readers. He is the friend of the main character, Wayne, and I felt intrigued from the beginning about their relationship, as it was described as follows: “I wonder why Wayne and I are friends. I’m always wondering that. It’s not as if we have much in common except a long history and a death, though I suppose a death is a strong sort of bond when you think about it, especially a death like that”.
The group of characters is almost the same in both storylines. Protagonists are followed at different moments in time: in childhood and in young adulthood. All is happening against a deadline that is set quite early in the story, creating the premise for intense action.I liked that the tension is built with craft in parallel in both stories and that in the end, one story supports the other, and the characters manage to integrate their traumatic early experiences and become stronger persons. If we compare who the characters are at the beginning of the book, and who they are in the end, we see a transformation. This is not a psychological thriller; don’t get me wrong! I appreciated that Litherland is honest in his approach: he promises an action mystery, and he sticks with it, but he makes time to help us understand the resorts of the main characters, the one we care about, as readers. The thing that what I enjoyed most was the humor used in all sort of situations: to describe the characters (“He doesn’t look like a man much troubled by philosophical thought. If voting required more than a cross, he wouldn’t bother”) or to use it as a coping mechanism when in danger or when afraid to confront the villain (“I’m not Poirot now. I’m Philip Marlowe, private detective, and I’m going to go and visit the good-looking dame, and there’ll be a showdown”).
The only thing that I did not like too much was that the villain’s internal resorts were not at all presented. So, that character is a bit simplistic, and it is more like a prompt used to enlighten the rest of the characters. Yet, I did not consider this too much an inconvenience, since this is not Dostoyevsky.
Therefore I rated this book 4 out of 4 stars, and I have to emphasize that it was a pleasant surprise: my rating is based on the fact that the book follows the expectations of the genre while keeping its originality and leaving a lasting impression on the reader.
I would recommend this book to persons who what to read good quality crime fiction, to those that are not scared by a few profanities (after all, we are dealing with villains and mobsters among other characters) and to those who appreciate a story about friendship and overcoming limitations and obstacles that life serves them with. It is a hopeful and interesting story, well-edited, and I felt that the author really cared for his readers.
******
Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature by Chet Shupe
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Rupali Mishra
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This book sounds like it would be intriguing.
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