Review: A really good thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2010
4 1/2 StarsI bought the Abigail Affair on the recommendation of a friend. She knows I'm a yachtsman and Tim Frost's book is set on the water. I'm happy to say that it was a good recommendation - a really fun read.Plot - No spoilers from me. The plot hung together well and unfolded in a realistic fashion. Every time our hero looked like he was going to get out of trouble he managed with clumsy aplomb to dump himself right back into it. The best bit of this was you knew he was going to dump himself back into trouble. The author also knows his boats and because of that tied in realistic elements all the way through.Characters - Toby is great. So much so that I have to go and buy the next book to find out how much more he's developed. He's believable, and that's what I like in the characters I read. He does stupid things, makes bad choices and occasionally good ones but his heart is always in the right place. He's no super-hero, by his own acknowledgment and that's what makes him a hero. He does things despite knowing they'll get him in trouble because it's the right thing to do - even when it's wrong. The South African first mate is also good, Frost has the accent down, and thank goodness doesn't overburden us with it - the occasional word to remind us - I grew up in SA so I can tell you the accent is spot on. Without giving anything away he also made me feel sorry for one of the villains in the end.Writing - I read the book in a few hours it flowed beautifully. Short sharp paragraphs and nice easy language use without being simple.The only reason it wasn't 5 stars was because in a couple of places the solution to something seemed a bit too far fetched - but hey that's why they call it fiction right...Right that's enough from me I'm off to buy Tim's other book...