One man. An oil company. A decision that could cost his life.
Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company’s oil-processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend, die. As the country descends into civil war and village children start dying, Clay finds himself caught up in a ruthless struggle between opposing armies, controllers of the country’s oil wealth, Yemen’s shadowy secret service, and rival terrorist factions. As Clay scrambles to keep his friend alive, he meets Rania, a troubled journalist. Together, they try to uncover the truth about Al Urush. But nothing in this ancient, unforgiving place is as it seems. Accused of a murder he did not commit, put on the CIA’s most-wanted list, Clay must come to terms with his past and confront the powerful forces that want him dead. A stunning debut eco-thriller, The Abrupt Physics of Dying will not only open your eyes, but keep them glued to the page until the final, stunning denouement is reached.
The Abrupt Physics of Dying isn't the sort of book I'd be drawn to if I saw it in a bookshop so when I received my copy from new publishers Orenda Books it took me a little while to start reading it. However, when I finally did pick it up I was reminded yet again not to judge a book by its cover!
There is no gradual building of tension in this story, the reader is immediately thrust into a nail biting thriller as the main protagonist, a South African former soldier called Claymore Straker has been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists along with his driver, Abdulkader in Yemen. Straker now works as an engineer for an oil company who unsurprisingly have some dodgy morals. Until now Straker while unaware of the worst excesses of the company he works for, has been complicit in their shady dealings and has been responsible for offering dozens of bribes to local officials to facilitate business. However, what is first a reluctant investigation into the sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, carried out at the behest of his kidnapper in return for Abdulkader's life eventually becomes something more personal, a desperate race to expose the truth and to stay alive.
The Abrupt Physics of Dying has been described as an eco thriller as it exposes the dark side of the oil business where money is all and children poisoned by polluted water are seen as acceptable collateral damage in the quest for wealth and power. What I thought was going to be a forgettable page turner actually turned out to be something far more thoughtful, both on a wider scale and at a more personal level as the story examines the dehumanising effect of conflict on Straker. The writing is beautifully descriptive, Yemen is vividly and evocatively brought to life yet alongside this the action is often unflinchingly and brutally violent. It's not without its flaws, as seems typical with this sort of thriller it did at times seem as if Straker had almost super powers, such was his ability to keep going despite suffering horrific injuries. And despite my praise for the descriptive language I did occasionally feel it became a little too wordy, it's a long book that perhaps could have been a little shorter without losing any of the thrust of the story.
However, despite these small reservations it was a book I enjoyed very much, an intelligent and contemporary thriller with plenty of twists, Straker is an interesting character with much potential for future books and his love interest, a journalist called Rania is strong and likable and importantly more than just window dressing, I suspect there is more to be revealed when it comes to her character. The front cover compares the book to Bond and Bourne and I can easily imagine it as a movie, I believe it would transfer well to the big screen. I look forward to the next instalment having learned my lesson!
Thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for my copy sent in return for my honest review.
Comments
Post a Comment