Anthony Masters is a good writer, and has received much praise both as an adult and a children's writer. He is also known as a non-fiction writer, and has been praised by Graham Greene and Patricia Highsmith in that category. Although not quite as good as his previous novel, I Want Him Dead, the pace is perfectly pitched and the dialogue never falters. This is a character led crime novel. There is no hint of formula, but the sparse prose gets a grip of you during the opening pages and doesn't let go until you've got to the end.
Masters has almost no minor characters.
Anyone introduced to the action is gradually unfolded to reveal a living, breathing, human being. We may not like him or her, but we have no doubts that there is someone, somewhere, who is just like this. Anthony Masters is one of the best kept secrets in British publishing. Any Original Material Author All rights reserved.