Review by Melexa -- Breakers by Barry Litherland

[Melexa]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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In horror, Billy McArdle watches as his friend, Denny, is snatched into his watery grave by an invisible being at sea. Detective Jack Munro detains Billy, while a frantic but futile search for Denny begins. Billy, a fisherman in the day and a drug dealer at night, also secretly smuggles immigrants for extra cash unknown to his drug lord. Due to his detention, Billy cannot embark on his nocturnal voyage to receive the drugs and immigrants from their handlers at sea. This breach infuriates the drug lord who unleashes Murdo Carr, a cold-blooded killer, on Billy and his partners in crime. With a storm brewing and coast guards patrolling the seas, the handlers panic and dump the immigrants into the stormy sea to evade the authorities.

The immigrants perish in the storm, except a young boy named Karif, who miraculously survives the treacherous seas and mysteriously appears on Clive’s doorstep. Clive is a newcomer in town who came to renovate a ghost-haunted croft by the sea, which he inherited from an unknown ancestor. A ghost named Harriet appears to and befriends Clive’s son, Danny. As the mystery surrounding the croft unravels, it becomes clear that events that took place two hundred years ago are reoccurring. What impact could the events of two centuries past possibly have on the present? What unfinished business does Harriet have, and how does it involve Murdo Carr?

Breakers by Barry Litherland is a paranormal crime mystery thriller. The author skillfully weaves the story by slowly piecing together seemingly unrelated fragments of the plot, culminating in a holistic and climactic end. Litherland tells his tale from the perspective of seven different characters. He begins each chapter with a particular character’s name and narrates the story from their perspective. Thus, I experienced first-hand the characters’ feelings and thoughts, while the different perspectives gave me an objective view of the narrative. This book contains themes of mystery, crime, violence, revenge, love, and the supernatural. At first, I felt like Litherland was telling two unrelated tales: one about fishers, drug lords, and crime; the other about mysteries and ghosts. But in the end, the author masterfully blends and knots these themes together – this is what I liked most about this story.

However, what I least liked about this book is the instances of discontinuity in the narration. For example, at the end of chapter eight (page 35), Billy was still in detention. Next, he’s seen at the harbor, bullying Clive (page 69). The author said nothing about his release. Another instance is on page 101, where Detective Jack gets an urgent call from Melanie (Karif’s guardian), and he rushes out of the office. However, when the author tells the story from Karif’s perspective (page 106), Melanie could not reach Jack because he wasn’t at the office, so she speaks to his superior. Next time we see Jack is on page 114 when he is on his way to Glasgow. The discontinuity affected the story’s flow for me; I had to go back and forth to check if I missed something.

I recommend this book to lovers of paranormal, crime-based thrillers. If you do not like reading about ghosts, this book is not for you. Breakers by Barry Litherland is a gripping, suspense-filled, and professionally edited book; I did not notice any errors in it. However, the inconsistent narration detracted from my enjoyment; therefore, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

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Breakers
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[Raluca_Mihaila]

You have picked my interesting with your engaging review. Great job!

[LinaJan]

And here it is! I can see how Litherland's approach differs from the 'Shifting sands' where the first-person narration is always done from the point of view of the protagonist. I like the idea of multiple perspectives! And I always admire any author's ability to tie things together that seemed impossible to unravel! I'll definitely have to check this out, regardless of the shortcomings that you have pointed out.

Thank you for such a thorough and frank review!

[Justine Ocsebio]

This book explores a lot of themes and I like the fact that the author’s use of multiple perspectives appeared effective. Great review!

[Sanju Lali]

Interesting mix of drug mafia and fisherman, along with detective suspense in the story. Thanks for your honest review.

[Ellylion]

A paranormal mystery thriller? Say no more! I love it already! Would check it out even despite some issues you've mentioned Thanks for a great review!

[Melexa]

You have picked my interesting with your engaging review. Great job!

Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy the book as I did.

[Melexa]

And here it is! I can see how Litherland's approach differs from the 'Shifting sands' where the first-person narration is always done from the point of view of the protagonist. I like the idea of multiple perspectives! And I always admire any author's ability to tie things together that seemed impossible to unravel! I'll definitely have to check this out, regardless of the shortcomings that you have pointed out.

Thank you for such a thorough and frank review!

Yes, as promised!
Thanks for stopping by.
I'm sure you would enjoy this one as you did 'Shifting Sands'.

[Melexa]

This book explores a lot of themes and I like the fact that the author’s use of multiple perspectives appeared effective. Great review!

It sure did! Thanks a lot for stopping by.

[Melexa]

Interesting mix of drug mafia and fisherman, along with detective suspense in the story. Thanks for your honest review.

An interesting mix indeed. I bet you will also enjoy it, if you are inclined to read this book.
Thanks for stopping by.

[Melexa]

A paranormal mystery thriller? Say no more! I love it already! Would check it out even despite some issues you've mentioned Thanks for a great review!

I see this book ticks all the boxes for you.
Then, I have no doubts you will enjoy reading it. Thanks for stopping by.

[Sou Hi]

Wow, thanks for your interesting review. This book is really my cup of tea with paranormal, crime, mystery, and thriller elements. Coupled with the skillfully-crafted plot, it would be a perfect book if it's not for the plot holes. What a pity.

[Eutoc]

You finally write a review. yay! It's usually interesting when a book is narrated from different perspectives, it gives the reader a broad vantage point to assert his own judgments. Thanks for the interesting review.

[Melexa]

Wow, thanks for your interesting review. This book is really my cup of tea with paranormal, crime, mystery, and thriller elements. Coupled with the skillfully-crafted plot, it would be a perfect book if it's not for the plot holes. What a pity.

A pity indeed, perhaps the author will do something about the potholes. However, for a lover of paranormal crime mystery thrillers like you, I bet the potholes wouldn't detract from your enjoyment of this book.
Thanks for stopping by.

[Melexa]

You finally write a review. yay! It's usually interesting when a book is narrated from different perspectives, it gives the reader a broad vantage point to assert his own judgments. Thanks for the interesting review.

Your first line made me laugh and also piqued my curiosity. I had no idea someone was waiting for me to write a review (this isn't my first though).
Indeed, a narrative from different perspectives gives the reader objectivity.
Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by.