Wednesday 18 October 2017

Fault Lines by Thomas Locke

Review: It felt mighty good to step out of the historical romance genre for a few hours and take a crazy ride through this psychological, futuristic thriller. If you are searching for a book that will refuse to let you go until you flip the last page, then you have found the perfect book for your autumn read.

Fault Lines surprised me in that it is not a continuation of where the last books (Trial Run and Flash Point) finished off. Instead, Fault Lines takes us back to the beginning to where Charlie Hazard and Gabriella first meet. If this were a superhero story (which, in a sense, it sort of is), then this would be the "origin story". And who doesn't love a good origin story? Fault Lines grabs hold of characters we have already come to love (or hate) and takes us back to their beginnings. In Fault Lines, you really get to know the characters on a much more intimate level - particularly Charlie Hazard.

Prior to Fault Lines, I considered Charlie a great secondary character. He is now, officially, my favourite character of the series. The dude is seriously kick butt awesome! Being an army ranger, he can out-plot, out-fight, and out-maneuver even the craziest strike teams - and hardly break a sweat doing it.

In this book we also get a glimpse into why Gabriella is so gun-shy on relationships and why the experiments had to be so top secret (won't get into more here.... you'll have to read it for yourself).

This book can be read first (where it is set chronologically) or if you are like me and have already read the first two books, this one fits in fine as a back flash story.

The concept behind this series is a little weird and some parents might want to have a chat with their kids before letting them read it. I don't think there is any harm in giving this book to your kids, but it is worth having a talk to them about outer-body experiences (books are about being able to "ascend" and leave your body and teleport yourself around and travel through the 'spiritual' realm, in essence).  Other than that, there is no inappropriate content. There is some violence, though it is not graphic, and there is a love interest, though it is entirely appropriate for a teenage audience. This was a fun read and a great addition to the series.

Back Cover:  There isn't much that can throw Charlie Hazard off balance. But the mystery woman with the striking eyes and the intense request to follow her--now--is about to shake his world. Knowing little more than her name, Charlie leaves his post as a guard at the Satellite Beach community center for what he thinks is just another risk-containment job. But Gabriella, an experimental psychologist, has far more in store for him than protection duty--if the two of them survive the test.

Reese Clawson relishes her work at the Combine and all the perks and power that come with it--including the ability to manipulate perceptions. But the Combine never anticipated this mind-shifting technology. If Gabriella's experiments succeed, the Combine would be destroyed. And Reese will never allow that to happen.


Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and to Baker Publishing House for offering me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

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