Review by NyxWolf -- Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland

[NyxWolf]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Shifting Sands" by Barry Litherland.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If everything you thought you knew turned out to be a lie, would you keep digging?

Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland follows a journalist who, after hearing a very strange story from a friend, gets pulled into the mystery of what the owners of Westleigh hall, Logrum Research, are really up to. It's a story of childhood heartbreak, betrayal, manipulation, greed, friendship, and love which blurs the lines between good and evil at every turn.

Phil, a journalist who accidentally uncovers a big secret has to make a choice to either leave it be, or continue to dig, putting everything he has ever known at risk, as well as his growing attraction to Wendy, a girl wrapped up in the depth of the mystery. He has to stick to his gut, while others are only telling him lies, questioning his own version of events as he goes along. I myself had to rethink my own perception of the story at every turn, just as I thought I knew where the book was going, it would quite suddenly change direction and I would be rethinking everything I thought I knew. Each new twist was very unexpected, but worked so well I often wondered why I didn’t see it coming earlier.

What I liked most about the book was the way it managed to change my view on the narrative, and the story as a whole, at each turn. The mystery kept me guessing, without being boring and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. It has no shortage of suspense. The storyline is fast paced, with a raw sense of unknowing, paired with a carefreeness from some characters keeping the story from becoming overly heavy, while still building the story. The plot was well organized and well thought out. The only thing I disliked about it was the mystery often took away from the humor, as the serious setting often made the humor feel slightly out of place.

Overall I give it 4 out of 4 stars . The story flows well and appears as if it was edited professionally. There were a few mild curse words as well as nudity, so I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger readers. I also appreciate the more open ending, leaving the reader to imagine what happened to Phil next, where he went in life and what else he experienced. If you like mysterious books that make you question everything, this is the book for you.

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Shifting Sands
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