I don´t remember right now to have read any other crime thriller author from New Zealand but Paul Cleave. The Quiet People was a very pleasant surprise that stayed with me for a long time after reading, both in terms of plot and writing construction. His latest, The Pain Tourist, it only gets better...and better.
James Garrett was only 11 when he assisted to the murdering of his parents. Severly injured during the incident, he slept in a coma for 9 years, dreaming his own life. When he woke up from this long sleep, at 20, there is a life he left behind but his re-birth is about to be cut shortly as the criminal seems to be targeting him, as the other survivor of the tragedy, alongside his sister Hazel. Detective Rebecca Kent took over the case that have not been solved by the now retired detective Theodor Tate. Meanwhile, Kent is caught in another investigation of crimes that may or may not lead to the other crime she investigates.
Cleave controls perfectly the plot, playing funnily with our hungry minds for clarity. I don´t know how many times I naively believed in what it looks like the shortcut to a solution, when I was eons far away from the final verdict. The journey through the comatose world of Garrett is a trip through the brain and adds more depth to the story, a dreamworld layer.
The story is fast-paced, installed through short-chapters. The reader is took to a ride with unexpected end, seasoned with sarcasm and humour. I couldn´t resist to stop reading until the very end, but I wish this book is turned into a movie too, so I can also visualise everything I´ve read breathless at least one more time.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
Thanks for the blog tour support x
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
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