Deadrise by Robert Blake Whitehill
I'm on a reading streak lately, if you haven't noticed. My newest finish is Deadrise by Robert Blake Whitehill. I'm not generally a reader of a thriller like this, but I'm glad I finished it.
Besides some unsavory language and sexual content, the characters in this book were well-rounded. They were believable - you could believe in a person like Ben Blackshaw and Maynard Chalk (even as disgusting as he is). Whitehill really developed each character in this book so they weren't so out there (even though some of the personalities were out there) that you couldn't believe in them. I appreciate the thought that went in to each person, major and minor.
The writing is great in this book except for a few excerpts, mostly the ones about Maynard Chalk and his business relationship with a senator. Those really were ones that I skimmed over because I didn't feel they were really important to the ongoing plot, and yet you couldn't have left them out because then Chalk's actions in the book would have made little sense. Regardless, Whitehill has a definite development of voice in his characters and writing. You could distinctly tell when the narrators switched between mostly Chalk and Blackshaw.
Usually I would not have finished such a book with unsavory characters, but they were so believable that I found myself flying through this book (not at my usual rate but faster than I would normally with a thriller book). I really appreciate the Smith Islanders (where Blackshaw lives) as described by their history and present lives. It was just interesting to read about such people, pirates I suppose you could call them in the past, living in such hard conditions today. I'm not sure if this is a real place but it very well could be for as much as you can see it as you read about it in Deadrise.
I recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers or can appreciate well-written material.
Disclaimer: I received this book in order to write an honest review. Others may or may not have the same experience(s) that I've had with the book and/or publisher.
The writing is great in this book except for a few excerpts, mostly the ones about Maynard Chalk and his business relationship with a senator. Those really were ones that I skimmed over because I didn't feel they were really important to the ongoing plot, and yet you couldn't have left them out because then Chalk's actions in the book would have made little sense. Regardless, Whitehill has a definite development of voice in his characters and writing. You could distinctly tell when the narrators switched between mostly Chalk and Blackshaw.
Usually I would not have finished such a book with unsavory characters, but they were so believable that I found myself flying through this book (not at my usual rate but faster than I would normally with a thriller book). I really appreciate the Smith Islanders (where Blackshaw lives) as described by their history and present lives. It was just interesting to read about such people, pirates I suppose you could call them in the past, living in such hard conditions today. I'm not sure if this is a real place but it very well could be for as much as you can see it as you read about it in Deadrise.
I recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers or can appreciate well-written material.
Disclaimer: I received this book in order to write an honest review. Others may or may not have the same experience(s) that I've had with the book and/or publisher.
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