Review of The Clenched Hand

[Blessing Odii]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Clenched Hand" by Harry P Russell.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Clenched Hand (Untold story of foreign interference in Australia Book 2) by Harry P. Russell is in the C/T/M/H genre. The writer shared the story of Oscar. He was an Australian intelligence officer working in ASIO, whose reputation earned him tedious tasks and top-secret missions. This is to the discontent of some of his colleagues, mostly Marshall, his direct superior. Oscar was engaged in the mission of discovering the suspects responsible for the murders of Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler. His team for the mission includes Marshall and some key members of the Police Special Branch. Oscar, with time, noticed the treachery going on in ASIO. Most of his predictions, with time, became real. As an undefeatable opponent, he was meant to be regarding his destiny; he may survive the shocks and pressures of unsolicited events and challenges. But to achieve this, he must fight some battles courageously and face his enemies head-on. A "clenched hand" must fight to conquer or risk being fought and conquered. There's no victory without a fight. The book unravels this.

The "clenched hand" is an English equivalent of the Chinese interpretation of the number "11" in Chaldean numerology, which is used to ascertain or calculate a person's destiny from his name. The number indicates a formidable opponent, one that his adversaries will encounter significant challenges, almost impossible to defeat. According to "Chaldean Numerology," the bearer of a name with this destiny will face "betrayals, hurtful trials, and disguised dangers" but won't go down easily without a fight.

I adore how the author depicted this destiny using the life and features of his main character, Oscar. This made the theme of the book perfectly synchronized with its title. Oscar was a unique and extraordinary security operative. However, he got into the high rungs of the ladder of authority and relevance in ASIO owing to the good records and connections of his father, Harry, whom he took after. Nonetheless, he proved his worth and value. This earned him jealousy and hatred from Marshall, his first hidden adversary.

So this practical connection between the work and its caption speaks so well of the author. I greatly admired his consistency in portraying determination and carefulness as to the keys that opened the doors to the fulfillment of Oscar's destiny. The author gives a balanced narration by also communicating to his audience that carelessness and overconfidence could hinder a destiny. According to the Chaldean numerology, he did this by using two characters who shared similar destinies with Oscar.

I find it quite exquisite. The way he dated the actions in his book made it look like a historical narrative. The author specified the time (dates) and venue (places) of the actions/scenes in his book. This is often found in the opening paragraphs of most chapters and sometimes in the fresh scenes within a chapter. Another incredible effect of this is that it makes the work realistic and plausible, as the times and places mentioned exist in reality. Also, this unique writing style explains or identifies, at a glance, the actions/scenes that are flashbacks and the current ones.

I relished this book so much. I found nothing against this book. The author applied suspense moderately and was able to connect the dots in his work perfectly. The missing dots were carefully revealed with time and at the most appropriate time. There were absolutely no drawbacks found.

This book attracts a rating of 3 out of 4 stars from me because it has many errors. I would have given it four stars, but for some errors. The book was not edited professionally.

The book is suitable for readers who love investigation and security intelligence books. The work contains fight scenes though not too many. So I think that readers of action books/ stories may like it. The book contains hidden or covert operations, spying, infiltration, and undercover missions. So readers of such books may need to read this one.

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The Clenched Hand
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[Okoye Chinonso+]

A real nice book, though It doesn't quite suit my criteria.
Thanks for the review though.

[Christopherio]

The review is descriptive and elaborate, However the book seems complex and is not my kind of book.