A friend lent me this South African-set thriller. I'd read another book by the author earlier and also enjoyed it. I definitely enjoyed this one as well, even though thrillers aren't something I would usually select for myself.
Paramedics Nick Kenyon and his partner respond to the report of a car accident in stormy weather in Johannesburg. The passenger is severely injured and the driver nowhere to be found. Nick feels like something is wrong and breaks the rules when the girl pleads with him to take her cell phone and contact a friend of her's.
This minor violation ends Nick up in far more trouble than he expected when he makes contact with the girl's friends and finds himself face-to-face with the nightmares of his own past. Suspicions run high when Nick is forced to fight for his life and that of a woman he cares for.
I had prepared a sheet of paper for notes before I started reading, but I didn't get any made. The book sucked me in and I was too busy following the story and turning pages to scribble anything down in prep for this review.
The characters are fascinating and well-written. Everything they do fits the people we come to know while we read. Although totally unfamiliar with South African culture, I have no problems submersing myself in the book's setting and can easily picture it all but without feeling drowned in unnecessary detail.
I haven't read many thrillers, but I suspect the book has plenty of violence to satisfy the genre's usual readers, but it isn't overwhelming to me. There is no violence that is only there for its own sake--everything is essential to the story and very believable. Nothing seems exaggerated or overdone, which is something I often feel with action movies.
I have tried really hard to find flaws or faults in this book. The closest I can come is the title. This book deserves a better and more original title than it has. While I can see how this one somewhat fits the book, it just doesn't do justice to the book's quality.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers or is just looking for a dose of adrenalin to spice up his own life!
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