The Quiet Way | a Thriller by North Cyprus Based Robin Melhuish

The Quiet Way | a Thriller by North Cyprus Based Robin MelhuishThe Quiet Way – a Thriller by North Cyprus Based Robin Melhuish

You don’t think there’ll ever be a terror attack to match the Twin Towers?

You don’t think it could happen in central London anyway, even if it was possible?

You are not suffering from any cold, or flu symptoms are you? Runny nose? Chesty cough? No?

Well everything’s just fine then, isn’t it.

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I had the privilege to be sent a draft copy of Melhuish’s new book. A first for me this book and I believe only a second for the author. I say first, because it’s not genre that I easily associate with. The very mention of thriller makes my hackles rise at the thought of another glib, poorly thought out, contrived, contrite plot with hollow characters and with the exception of a few titillating scenes (maybe, although never compulsory) has no real meat to it. Here I had to revise my estimate dramatically.

You don’t think there’ll ever be a terror attack to match the Twin Towers?

A first in as much that in spite of the word thriller, the teaser had me hooked. Britain facing disaster, nothing new in that. A practically daily occurrence; no, the threat of a virus pandemic let loose on society by a crowd of ‘Animal nutters’ somehow didn’t do it for me either. However the combination of a massive terrorist bomb in the centre of London on the one hand and a rogue virus in the midst of the annual flu epidemic sparked interest. In retrospect, I’m glad it did. The author conjures a cynical view of our society and our values, whilst at the same time absorbing us in a web of scientific fact that left me wondering how much of this is possible. The main Character is so believable that you lived the book through him, even though the technique of ‘point of view’ excludes him from vast chunks of the story, you still feel he’s there; fighting for justice. The book highlights, for me the dilemma faced by police forces or security forces which are tied down by political correctness and petty rules not to mention cash constraints in the battle to protect an apathetic society. Not to mention the tolerance of practices inside that society which trample on the rights of women and the rights of ordinary citizens with impunity because of limp legislation and week kneed politics. A snipe at the idiocy of political correctness driven to the state of absurdity, an extension of the ‘white board, black board fiasco’ taken into real life followed through the whole of the story. If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny. A book which made me laugh at the idiosyncrasies, the author’s black British humour in times of crisis and rage at the injustices. You won’t read it and not be affected.

 

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