Author: Ben Harr

ISBN: 978-1-84753-471-2

Where do I begin? As soon as I saw the cover of this crime book, it instantly put me off. The dull navy blue and red world globe with a sword through just didn’t grab me at all. Then as I looked to see if the book contained an author bio, I was very surprised to see that one simply did not exist. It made me wonder “is Ben Harr really the author’s name or a pseudonym?” The painting of a man on the back of this book makes you think it could be Ben but no-where does it actually tell you this is so. So all in all, there is not a lot I can tell you about him and I can’t even mention his previous successes if indeed he has any which I find a little hard to believe.

Tim Paxton and Martinez Sergio went to school together and formed a team in the Spanish Guardia National, a para-military force. They became known as “the Musketeers” which led them to different parts of the world. The contract they were given at M16 their headquarters in Scotland was for them to investigate an 82 year old French Navel officer. Who was he exactly? Read on and find out. I did and the “adventures” of these detectives are simply not exciting.

The first section of the book sees them searching for Armand Farah in Corsica, which just left me bored to tears. Not at all as exciting as the blurb says, sadly I had all on to keep awake during some sections.

Part 2 however is slightly more interesting where the characters talk in depth about temperatures rising to unbearable levels and a mass migration of humans is quite likely to happen in the future.

This part of the novel does lend itself to the possibility of events like this happening in the future and is interesting because of the climate changes which are happening in our lifetime.

Part 3 about the Knight’s Templar is sadly about the best part of the book.

Then unfortunately chapter after chapter drones on but nothing excites you enough to want to know what is going to happen next.

Part 4 - an ending which really isn’t the end at all does gives you something to think about.

Stilted dialogue, which quite frankly left me embarrassed for the author, puts you off to begin with and continues throughout the book. A huge list of characters at the front of the novel was a bit off putting too and although it should be helpful to refer to from time to time it is not the sort of thing I want to be doing when I read a book. Also, I have to say that the photographs did little for the book either. Over-all the childish way of writing was flat and lifeless like a tedious old film.

These are only my views however, others may well feel differently but I’m afraid it did nothing for me other than bore me to death for most of the time.

After finishing it, I really did have a “change of heart”.

The above review was contributed by: Jessica Roberts: Jessica has been a book reviewer for a newspaper and a national women's magazine and is working on a novel. To read more of Jessica's reviews CLICK HERE 

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