I have developed an intolerance for writing that's stiff, obvious, lazy, woke, pandering, or self-conscious. It's not difficult for me to find a book I enjoy, but I don't run in to modern fiction that impresses me very often.
I think I've found a new favorite author.
I saw this book sitting on a towering table of books at Costco. At the time, our family was in a belt-tightening mode, and I wasn't going to shell out $25 for a novel, especially considering the state of novels nowadays. But I couldn't get the story line out of my mind, and eventually bought the 9-hour audiobook.
Centered around a blended family, the story unfolds as they bribe a couple of dudes in rural coastal Australia to allow them to spend a brief, under-the-radar visit to the family's small private island a short ferry-ride away. Things take a turn for the worse as the husband, a widower and newlywed with his second wife and two teen kids along for a ride, unintentionally hits and kills a bicyclist on the island, a member of the family that owns the island. The family is accustomed to doing things their own way, and with no police presence and no mobile phone coverage on the island, things get out of hand fast. The husband is stabbed in retaliation by the dead woman's husband. The family, cruelly tied and held hostage until morning, manages to escape. The rest of the book is their terrorizing experience being hunted, shot at, and more at the hands of the extended family, of which there are about 30 people. There are a few surprises for even the most jaded fiction reader, and the end is very satisfying.
The Island is a riveting story, told by an experienced and masterful storyteller. A skillful blend of expert pacing, judicious use of plot twists, and authentic character development make this a book you want to stay up all night to finish.
The characters are compelling and real, which is refreshing. Many modern writers try to make moody, disrespectful teenagers seem cool for being complicated, bungling parents seem humorous for being self-absorbed, and rural people seem pathetic for being unlike a novelist with a liberal arts degree. This writer resists the usual crutches, breathing life into his characters, making them three-dimensional, warts and all.
This was a thriller, not a mystery, but McKinty kept me guessing the entire time, and I love him for that. I have found many other books written by him, and I know I'll read a few more.
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