Customer Reviews
Atmospheric and Memorable - By: NSW, 04 Nov 2008 
I am not a regular reader & am very choosy, but I read this book within a few days & was so sorry to finish it! The story moved along at a good pace & the characters were well presented. I got a real sense of the beautiful settings & surroundings, & despite guessing the main villain quite early on, was still pretty gripped through to the end. Lots of twists & turns along the way too. My only negative comment would be the lack of passion between the two leading characters - I didn't get a sense of longing between them, which I feel there should have been. They were too busy being too cool! An excellent effort - enough to prompt me to buy John Hart's first novel & any future ones.
I don't understand the hype - By: Mrs. J. James, 14 Oct 2008 
Thank goodness for reviewer LH Healy - my friends & I thought we were the only people who didn't care for this book! It's not badly written but it's let down by implausible actions by the characters, & hints of the twists to come are glaringly obvious. I bought it on the strength of Matthew Lewin's reviewin the Guardian - a mistake I don't intend to make again.
Good and Gripping - By: M. J. Saxton, 15 Sep 2008 
This is one of the those books that creates a world that you keep wanting to return to; you think about it during your working day & can't wait to get back into it.
It is not just the quality of the thriller that does this, but also the complex interplay of the characters & their relationships. There's always some new insight waiting for you every few pages.
Adam Chase makes an interesting hero. His anger & resentment keep surfacing & you understand how his impetuousness leads him into trouble, but comprehend why he does what he does.
The rest of his family is well-drawn, especially the step-brother Jamie & his sister Miriam. The character of Robin is slightly weaker, though not disappointingly so. She is a mature woman who has had to make hurtful decisions & live with the consequences.
The slow build of the story is not tedious, as is often the case with action thrillers. The denouement is not an obvious one, & does the reader's intelligence justicein its motivation & playing out.
There is something very filmic about this novel; it works like a classic American movie, & would make for a good evening at the cinema. This is perhaps what draws you so far into the story.
A great summer read - By: S. Eastwood, 14 Sep 2008 A great read. This is a fast paced drama with unique characters & a plot full of twists to keep you guessing. This book isnt as fast paced as something like the Da Vinci code, & not as meaningful or intelligent as many other books. But if you want a fast paced, atmospheric & clever mystery. I highly recommend this book.
Unimpressive and tedious - By: L. H. Healy, 12 Aug 2008 Often I read reviews on Amazon, where people have generally liked a novel, & there is one where the reviewer writes 'I must be missing something', or words to that effect. Wellin the case of this novel, I must be that person, because I don't understand all the hype about it at all.
I just about forced myself to finish it as I was (just) interested enough to read the end, but only just. I kept thinking there must be some amazing twistsin the plot to come, but they never arrived, & I had already realised what some of the outcomes were going to be earlier onin the book. This isn't a problem if the writing itself is stylish & the tale enthralling enough to keep one reading whether you have worked out the plotin advance or not, butin this case I don't think it is.
The main character, Adam Chase, finally returns to his home town to face the demons of his past, which saw him wrongly accused but fortunately acquitted of the murder of a local young man. The action centres around his family & a small circle of other inhabitants, & gradually unravels how their pasts have actually crossed & reveals hidden secrets that lead to the revelation of the real murderer, but not before a further murder & an assault have occured. Chase rekindles a romance with a local detective on his return & proceeds to antagonise her & the other detectives by going behind their backs to conduct his own investigations.
The relationships could have been built more believably, which would have evoked more empathy with the characters, or at least an understanding. It all just seems a bit sketchy.
If you want a very easy, undemanding read, which admittedly many readers doin the summertime, then maybe give this a try. Evidently many others have enjoyed it more. But I think there are other thrillers out there just as enjoyable but with more style to the writing & more depth to the characters than this one, with more pace & excitement. For me, it simply isn'tin the same league as the brilliant 'A Quiet Beliefin Angels' by R.J.Ellory, for example. I think I just like my tales a bit more meaty & substantial really.
