Review: A Mystery Thriller with Heart
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 19, 2013
For some reason, Richard Houston's debut novel, `A View to Die For' reminds me of Mark Haddon's bestselling book, `The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night Time' perhaps because the leading characters are ordinary people who are just trying to find out the truth to save their loved ones. But Houston's book is, of course, different and in some ways "better": it's a gripping mystery, yes, but it also resonates with you emotionally. You emerge from reading the book with a deep sense of satisfaction and your faith in the normal order of the universe renewed.What I find most endearing about this book is the fact that Jacob Martin is aided by his best-friend and most loyal companion, the Golden Retriever named Fred. I happen to be a huge dog lover: I own six Labs right now (yes, six), and I love them to death. That's why reading how Jacob painstakingly goes through the motions of solving the mystery about his sister's case is a lot more enjoyable to read because of Fred.Houston knows how to reel in his readers into his created world: the suspense is slowly but surely built up--Houston takes time to build up the characters in order to make the mounting sense of anticipation more powerful. There's also the strong sense of family, and you feel some sense of ownership to Jacob's desire to help out his sister no matter what, regardless of how much the odds are stacked against his sister. Despite that, even at the get-go, I couldn't peel myself off reading the book and turning page after page: the language is such that Houston is like dropping just the right amount of crumbs on the floor, seducing me to keep on following.Overall, this is an immensely entertaining book from a new writer with much potential. I highly recommend `A View to Die For' for those looking for an easy, yet riveting read for a weekend. Five stars, of course.