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Reviews
Alternative Outcome
“Very well written …”
“Well delineated characters …”
“Subtlety of insight …”
“Enjoyable, multi-layered story …”
“Have you ever read a book you hoped would never end? This was it!”
“A great representation of the quality of work that is sometimes overlooked or ignored by the publishing world.”
“A fast-paced mind-bending intellectual thriller.”
“This book has a little something for everyone.”
Deficit of Diligence
“Another compelling read from the storyteller Peter Rowlands, and although this is the second book in the series it is equally readable as a stand-alone novel ...”
“Peter Rowlands is doing a great job of developing a likable character in writer, Mike Stanhope ...”
“This isn’t your typical mystery book where you get all of the answers at the end. There are a number of mysteries going on at the same time ... It works really well and makes you keep reading ...”
“Exciting from beginning to end ...”
Denial of Credit
“I read the first 63 chapters (there are 90 of them) before I could put the book down; it was just that good ...”
“Personally I feel that this is the best yet. ... The writing is tighter yet more descriptive in this third novel. ... Believable dialogue and well written prose ... The fast pace is well suited to the plot and it also has a thrilling ending, very suitable to the story! ...”
“Well written and fast paced ...”
Alternative Outcome: one reader’s view
The following comments were written by a friend of mine, so you must take them as you will, but I think they give a really helpful insight into the book and what I was aiming for in it. - Peter
“... Much of the success of this remarkable novel lies in the way Peter Rowlands gently and unobtrusively draws the reader into the anti-hero’s mundane going-nowhere existence. Then suddenly you are there with him in the thick of an initially simple mystery which, despite the escalating personal danger, only becomes more puzzling and complex the longer he tries to unravel it. ...”
“... There is a lot of skill here. The plotting is extraordinary. If you can forgive the crush of coincidences ... the solutions to the puzzles are a triumph of imaginative dexterity. It’s not just one set of Russian dolls that we see unpacked, but a whole shelfful of them.”
“... By far the greater part is accessible, crystal-clear uncluttered prose which unobtrusively drives along the action at a relentless jogging pace. Not so fast that it leaves you behind, but pressing enough to keep you wondering where you’re going and surprise you that you have already come so far.
“... The characters are clearly drawn, believable and engaging. Thoughtful underlying themes (art imitating life, the impossibility of personal invisibility in an internet-driven world, and the redemptive qualities of a sense purpose/mild obsession) are there if you want intellectual meat. But they are treated with the same deftness as the action. They rarely surface consciously, and are certainly never a distraction from the jet propulsion of the intertwined stories.”
“... It’s hard to put my finger on what I found more striking: its intricate and interwoven plot and fast-paced story-telling, or the author’s uncluttered, economic narrative style and use of absolutely spot-on dialogue between his characters – all of which keeps you on top of the many layers of intertwining plot lines.”
