Hider/Seeker by Tom Claver
| Hider/Seeker by Tom Claver | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: An ex-policeman who makes his living helping people disappear now finds his position reversed. If he can't find his most recent client, he won't see many new sunrises. Twisting plot, South American locations and a healthy dose of wry humour make for a thoroughly entertaining read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 251 | Date: April 2015 |
| Publisher: Troubador | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: B00WG9GGLA | |
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Harry Bridger is an ex-policeman who now makes his living helping people disappear. His clients aren't always whiter than white, but when a wealthy woman fleeing domestic violence asks him to help, his chivalrous instincts override the doubts that lurk in the back of his mind. A few things about Angela Linehan don't chime right but she's been vouched for by an old friend and Harry's basic decency won't allow him to leave a woman and her child in danger. And there's another advantage to helping Angela. It brings Harry back into the orbit of his ex-wife Bethany. And Harry would do almost anything to redeem himself in her eyes.
But things quickly begin to unravel. Bethany's new husband - and Harry's old friend - is murdered and Harry is the prime suspect. Unless he can locate Angela and her son in South America, where he had helped them to flee, his future looks bleak - dead in a ditch or, at best, in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Still worse, the dark forces at play are threatening Bethany, too. With the love of his life in terrible danger, Harry is about to embark on a very dangerous journey...
I rather enjoyed this twisting, turning thriller. The plot fills the pages extremely well and while it's easy enough to keep up with, it's complex enough to keep you guessing. It's a whirlwind of a journey across the globe and into the murky world of organised crime and money-laundering. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I didn't see the final few pages coming at all. The best plot twist is kept until last and the signals for it are subtle. Always a sign of success in a thriller!
I liked Harry Bridger as a central character. He's flawed alright, but there's a basic decency about him that the reader can get behind and root for. And he shows a bit of vulnerability in his love for Bethany, which makes him relatable and it's this vulnerability that makes him take risks that his head is telling him not to - always a dangerous thing when you're in Harry's line of work. The supporting cast is good too - particularly Angela Linehan, who occupies an antagonist role really, but who is, in the end, just trying to save herself, as we all would.
The style is straightforward and accessible, never dropping into too much description or exposition. Chapter length expands and contracts in harmony with the urgency of the plot stage, which makes for a satisfying read and one you could equally go at with gusto in one sitting, or pick and up put down over the course of a couple of days.
Hider/Seeker will appeal to fans of noirish fiction but those who like plenty of action in the mix. Readers of crime or thrillers will both enjoy it, I think. And, without wishing to gender stereotype you, dear Bookbaggers, there's more than enough action for the men and more than enough of the personal for the women.
I don't know if we'll be seeing Harry Bridger again, but I, for one, would be happy to.
You might also enjoy The Argentine Kidnapping by Bill Sheehy and The Stone Gallows by C David Ingram.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Hider/Seeker by Tom Claver at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Hider/Seeker by Tom Claver at Amazon.com.
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