|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
The prolific Adrian Magson has come up with his fourth novel in three years. NO TEARS FOR THE LOST is a slick and easy read, but it never quite takes off. This time out investigative journalist Riley Gavin and PI Frank Palmer find their paths crossing – but from widely differing directions. Frank has been employed as a bodyguard to former diplomat Sir Kenneth Myburghe, while Riley is nosing around trying to find out who has been sending her emails tipping her off about Myburghe's iffy past. They end up working together, though, with the usual assistance from the enigmatic John Mitcheson, when Myburghe's posting in South America returns to haunt him and he receives a gruesome parcel through the post relating to his estranged son. Magson's definitely in the tradition of the hack writer, who can turn out good yarns at a fast rate. There's no depth to them, though. Don't go expecting anything as sophisticated as a sub-plot. And the characterisation is beyond superficial characterisation – we know no more about Riley and Palmer than we did at the start of the series. There are also some technical wobbles in NO TEARS FOR THE LOST, as Magson occasionally loses control of point of view, jumping between Riley and Palmer on the same page. NO TEARS FOR THE LOST is an engaging enough read if you have a spare afternoon, but it's oddly flat. It requires the reader to suspend a fair bit of disbelief when it comes to relations between a journalist and the police. And Riley suddenly seems to be superwoman when the action kicks in near the end. Magson can obviously turn these books out at speed with his eyes closed, but there's more to good genre writing than telling a slick tale. Maybe he should slow down and give them some more depth.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, October 2007
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
