Review by RobinBennet -- Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
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- Latest Review: Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
Review by RobinBennet -- Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
[Following is a volunteer review of "Shifting Sands" by Barry Litherland.]
Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland is a mystery thriller guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat. The story revolves around Philip Tyler: a journalist for the Evening Post newspaper when his friend Winston tells him a story about a naked man he encountered covered in gel and electrodes and calling for someone named Bunny. At first, Philip doesn’t give this story a lot of thought but, as he continues his research, he and his friends will discover that something far more sinister is going on, and their lives will be in jeopardy. Will they be able to uncover the truth and live to tell the tale?
The story is written from the first point of view, narrated by our protagonist. From the start, we are following Philip in his quest for the truth. This makes our relationship with the character more intimate, and we end up rooting for him and wanting him to succeed in his journey.
Shifting Sands is a mystery thriller, but what makes it different from all the others is the comedy factor that plays a major role in the story. The basic tone of the book is light and funny, all the while managing to keep the suspense and the thrill running.
To most people, humor may seem like an easy element to incorporate in a story. But in reality, it’s rather difficult to balance the suspense of a mystery with light comedy without getting off track with the story. Barry Litherland did an amazing job with his writing.
The plot of the book never got boring. Right from the beginning, I was engrossed in the story and could barely keep the book down. It is an action-packed adventure that kept me at the end of my seat till the very end.
To be honest, I usually know where a story is heading, but with Shifting Sands, right when I thought that I had figured out everything, Barry Litherland pulled a twist that I just can’t get out of my head and is still giving me goosebumps when I think about it.
The only thing I didn’t like, but that is just my personal taste, is the portrayal of our main character as a wimp, a guy that wants a quiet life with no danger or excitement in it, but that kind of personality doesn’t match with the Philip that goes to the ends of the earth, despite the threats and danger to uncover the truth.
Besides Philip, I really liked the unique characters I got to meet. Each and every one of them had its own perfectly developed personality. The only one that didn’t make a lot of sense was Philip’s source Winston, he just didn’t seem like a real person, but I actually really enjoyed his character.
The title of the book puzzled me at first. I couldn’t connect it with the story whatsoever. But when I finished the book and looked at the cover again, everything came into focus like a fog was clearing out of my thoughts, and I liked what I saw.
To my extended knowledge, I didn’t come across any major typos or grammatical errors, so I would say that the book was exceptionally edited. There was one love scene in the book, but with no explicit details. There was merely a hint that the characters slept together. On the other hand, there were many instances of profanity, but they were limited to specific characters speaking. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend this book to young readers.
Overall I am going to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed it very much, and every mystery lover will too. This book would also be a good read for anyone just starting with this particular genre and wants something light to begin with.
******
Shifting Sands
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland is a mystery thriller guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat. The story revolves around Philip Tyler: a journalist for the Evening Post newspaper when his friend Winston tells him a story about a naked man he encountered covered in gel and electrodes and calling for someone named Bunny. At first, Philip doesn’t give this story a lot of thought but, as he continues his research, he and his friends will discover that something far more sinister is going on, and their lives will be in jeopardy. Will they be able to uncover the truth and live to tell the tale?
The story is written from the first point of view, narrated by our protagonist. From the start, we are following Philip in his quest for the truth. This makes our relationship with the character more intimate, and we end up rooting for him and wanting him to succeed in his journey.
Shifting Sands is a mystery thriller, but what makes it different from all the others is the comedy factor that plays a major role in the story. The basic tone of the book is light and funny, all the while managing to keep the suspense and the thrill running.
To most people, humor may seem like an easy element to incorporate in a story. But in reality, it’s rather difficult to balance the suspense of a mystery with light comedy without getting off track with the story. Barry Litherland did an amazing job with his writing.
The plot of the book never got boring. Right from the beginning, I was engrossed in the story and could barely keep the book down. It is an action-packed adventure that kept me at the end of my seat till the very end.
To be honest, I usually know where a story is heading, but with Shifting Sands, right when I thought that I had figured out everything, Barry Litherland pulled a twist that I just can’t get out of my head and is still giving me goosebumps when I think about it.
The only thing I didn’t like, but that is just my personal taste, is the portrayal of our main character as a wimp, a guy that wants a quiet life with no danger or excitement in it, but that kind of personality doesn’t match with the Philip that goes to the ends of the earth, despite the threats and danger to uncover the truth.
Besides Philip, I really liked the unique characters I got to meet. Each and every one of them had its own perfectly developed personality. The only one that didn’t make a lot of sense was Philip’s source Winston, he just didn’t seem like a real person, but I actually really enjoyed his character.
The title of the book puzzled me at first. I couldn’t connect it with the story whatsoever. But when I finished the book and looked at the cover again, everything came into focus like a fog was clearing out of my thoughts, and I liked what I saw.
To my extended knowledge, I didn’t come across any major typos or grammatical errors, so I would say that the book was exceptionally edited. There was one love scene in the book, but with no explicit details. There was merely a hint that the characters slept together. On the other hand, there were many instances of profanity, but they were limited to specific characters speaking. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend this book to young readers.
Overall I am going to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed it very much, and every mystery lover will too. This book would also be a good read for anyone just starting with this particular genre and wants something light to begin with.
******
Shifting Sands
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
