We're on the south coast of England in the middle of a hot summer in a very upmarket enclave, not dissimilar to Sandbanks, along the coast a bit. The locals are going about their business, about their daily lives and Bale obligingly introduces them to us one by one and also gives us an idea of their respective backgrounds, their family members and even some of the house designs ... each home had a private jetty for example.. New money is also apparent along with ostentatious taste. What's also apparent is that trouble's afoot. Big time.
| Terror's Reach by Tom Bale | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Louise Laurie
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| Summary: Take an exclusive piece of real estate with a handful of residents and a enviable way of life - what could possibly go wrong? Plenty - when greed, revenge and lots more, play their bloody (literally) part. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 368 | Date: February 2011 |
| Publisher: Arrow Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1848090767 | |
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And it's not just an opportunistic robbery (which would, in any case, be pretty useless with all the sophisticated security systems around this area), no, it's a carefully planned team effort. It also includes a cast of undesirables. And they are ruthless to get what they want. Bale has chosen the area's name well - Terror's Reach. And within this thriller-type read there's plenty of characters who are larger than life, with axes to grind etc. For example, there's a Russian multi-millionaire and his meek, little wife, a rich father and a very disturbed son, a man called Joe (well, that's his current name) and so on. It all makes for a good read.
Bale has a very effective line in suspense. Time and time again he'll end a chapter or section just as it was getting to the good bit, to the crunch ... then he'll switch to another character. He'll have his readers in a stew which is great. You could almost call this a book of two halves. The first sets up the plan engineered by this motley bunch of individuals as they infiltrate Terror's Reach' by degrees. But in such a smart and exclusive location anything or anyone out of the ordinary, will not go unnoticed. Will the plan work? Is there a plan B? Bale is happy to give his readers all the meticulous details of this master plan. I found that the second part of the book was all about action, action and more action. Hold on to your armchairs for this bit. Lots of frenzied dialogue with half a dozen people trying to speak all at once. It can, at times, be a little too frenetic. A lot of names get bandied about on a regular basis. That's not a criticism but merely a comment on my part. I had no issues and no problem keeping up with the action-packed story.
I also found Bale's characterisations to be excellent. He mixes up with apparent ease, the rich, the criminal, the underdog, the disaffected ... to very good effect indeed. I also found myself being drawn to some, more than others. Oliver, for example. He is one compelling character and I wanted even more of him. He could easily star in his own novel, in my opinion. For readers of thrillers, this book should tick most of the boxes. A thoroughly good read. Recommended.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
If this book appeals then you might enjoy The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill.
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