Review by pageturner19 -- Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)

pageturner19 · Post by **pageturner19** » 19 Mar 2021, 14:32

[Following is a volunteer review of "Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)" by Barry Litherland.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Money makes the world go round. It is said that most of the issues and challenges people face in life are caused by money in some way or another. The rest are divided between people and just plain, simple everyday living. The saying ''life happens'' springs to mind in this case. The somewhat cowardly, freelance journalist, Philip Tyler, working for the local paper in his small seaside town, knows that money is often at the heart of the biggest scandals, ugliest murders, and most heartbreaking tragedies. How does Philip know this? Well, possibly because he's caught up in a disastrous, life-threatening mess made up of scandals, murders, and tragedies.

Who can Phil thank for getting him caught up in this mess? His childhood best friend, ''I laugh in the face of danger'' Wayne, might be a good start, followed closely by Wayne's older brother the ''I'm going to kill you'' tyrannical Tyrone, and several other foul menaces. Phil clearly remembers the effect Tyrone had on both his and Wayne's childhoods, the terrible loss they suffered because of his uncontrollable violence, his love of inflicting pain on anything weaker than himself. Now, after being out of the picture for twenty years, Tyrone has come back. Not long after he returns, Mr Oldfield, the father of Tina, another of Phil and Wayne's childhood friends - and a long time crush of Wayne's - is viciously attacked inside his home during a robbery. Meanwhile, a suspicious file labelled JAYDEE, which contains some interesting information concerning a handful of supposedly upstanding leaders of the community, disappears. Various people feel threatened and are desperate to get their hands on that file. Now, poor Phil finds himself at the centre of a raging hornet's nest, and for some reason - he can't quite work out why - it seems to be him who's tasked with retrieving this mysterious paperwork. Unfortunately, the men who have tasked Phil with finding this file have also given him a deadline, which carries with it the promise of pain and girlie sounding screams, should he fail to deliver. Is this just plain bad luck? Or is it time to choose a new best friend? Phil's not quite sure. Scared or not, he wants to do the right thing.

I could rave about this book for hours; I enjoyed it so much! Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland is a spectacular crime fiction gem. I love his clever use of humour and sarcasm, superbly woven into the story from beginning to end, coupled with his unique blend of characters, the personalities of which shine through, thanks to Barry's creative talent as a writer. The element I love most about this book is how well Barry constructs a believable story that keeps you engaged from the get-go. The fact that the whole story is told by Phil personally makes it far more intimate and easier to relate to as a reader.

I would like to clearly state there was not a single thing I dislike about this book. It was everything that I look for in a novel and more. If anything, my one complaint would be that three-hundred and thirty-four pages were not enough. I was deeply saddened to have reached the end. This book does appear to have been edited by a professional editor. Although I did find a tiny handful of errors here and there, they were so few and far between and so minor that they had little to no effect on my reading experience.

The genre of this written work is found under the category C/T/M/H. I would recommend this book to readers who are keen on anything crime, action, or mystery related with a good sense of humour. For example, fans of David Baldacci books will probably enjoy this tale. I would not recommend this book to any readers who find repeated profanity offensive. Personally, I found that the profanity added to the overall realism of the story, but there might be some who find the language a bit too strong in places.

I am thrilled to give this book a full rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It takes a lot for a novel to impress me as much as this one did, so well done Barry for creating such fantastic writing! I can't wait to read your next book and get lost in another one of your exciting mysteries.

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Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
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Valerie Garske · Post by **Valerie Garske** » 23 Mar 2021, 13:51

I also liked this book. I think it is so skillfully written. One of the best I have read and reviewed so far.

Bigwig1973 · Post by **Bigwig1973** » 05 Aug 2021, 13:13

I've read this book and I enjoyed it immensely. I like your description of Phil; perhaps he wouldn't seem so cowardly had he not been placed next to so many other less-cowardly characters!? Nice review on this amazing book!

pageturner19 · Post by **pageturner19** » 07 Sep 2021, 13:26

Bigwig1973 wrote: ↑05 Aug 2021, 13:13 I've read this book and I enjoyed it immensely. I like your description of Phil; perhaps he wouldn't seem so cowardly had he not been placed next to so many other less-cowardly characters!? Nice review on this amazing book!

It's a brilliant book! Definitely one of my favourites. I agree with you about Phil's character looking more cowardly because he was surrounded by the braver characters, but he found his courage in the end, so good for him! Thank you for your reply and your kind words!