Reviewer Lois C. Henderson: Lois is a freelance academic editor and back-of-book indexer, who spends most of her free time compiling word search puzzles for tourism and educative purposes. Her puzzles are available HERE and HERE Her Twitter account (@LoisCHenderson) mainly focusses on the toponymy of British place names. Please feel welcome to contact her with any feedback at LoisCourtenayHenderson@gmail.com.
Author:
Hayes, Joseph
Publisher: Synergy
Books
ISBN: 0-9843879-4-3
Click Here To Purchase When No One is Watching
What happens when the two
worlds of law enforcement and politics collide? Naturally, a messy
business, just as messy as the scenario that forms the opening scenes
of When No One Is Watching. Two friends drive home together high on
life, the one joy-riding his friend’s Porsche, the other passed out
cold in the passenger’s seat. When a crash occurs and another man
is killed, guess who is made to take the blame? Naturally, the
latter, who remembers blow all about the incident, apart from having
to come to his senses and face the consequences. In a matter of
minutes, isn’t it just plain ironical how one of your closest
buddies can turn into one of your worst nightmares?
When
No One Is Watching might appear at first to be a straightforward
detective story, but, in fact, has far deeper and more lasting
implications. The dramatic irony of the plot, in terms of which we,
as readers, know who, in fact, has perpetrated the crime, means that
we can view the police investigation of the crime from an omniscient
standpoint. The focus, accordingly, is on the interplay between the
different characters involved and on the multidimensionality of their
psyches rather than on the unraveling of the plot as such. Not that
the book is not exciting—it most definitely is, and deeply
intriguing, too. The pace of the writing is fluid and fast, engaging
the reader from start to finish. The work is also so well written
that one can read it in a single sitting—many readers will no doubt
feel like sitting up all night reading the novel, so take care when
you choose to read it (a weekend would be the best!).
All
of the characters, including a child who suffers from Down’s
Syndrome, are portrayed with empathy and understanding. The
compelling tale of how political aspirations can lead to the betrayal
of close friendships leads one to question the nature of crime and
morality, so that one is left long afterwards thinking about
different aspects of the book. When No One Is Watching should also
lead one to consider the phenomenon of drunk driving and the impact
that it can have on others, especially on innocent bystanders. The
novel works on so many levels that all I can say is—read it, you
most definitely won’t be wasting your time!
Click Here To Purchase When No One is Watching