Reviewed by: Keith Nixon
Genre: Thriller
Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
Adam
Pepper produces both fiction and non-fiction works. His novels are typically a
blend of horror and suspense.
More can be
found about Adam Pepper on his website.
Description:
Jack Maddox
is a man who’s tipped over the edge. His wife and child died in mysterious
circumstances. Since then he’s a man in decline. He has headaches and memory
loss, but no idea why. Puzzlingly, on Valentine’s day each year Jack meets
Heidi, his wife’s twin, for a picnic at a remote location. Somehow, Jack needs
to move on with his life, he just can’t see how.
Appraisal:
Buried A Man I Hated There is an interesting, complex, slow
burn story that grew on me as I progressed. I’ve previously reviewed the
author’s novel Skin Games. Both are
similar in that they steadily reveal more detail with each page. The picture is
at first sketchy, but with sufficient intrigue to keep the pages turning. Over
time the image is completed, with the last chapters a final flourish.
Initially I
confess I struggled a bit with Buried A
Man I Hated There but I will be totally honest and state this this is down
to me, not the author or the tale. I prefer pacey reads, but that’s just me.
The protagonist, Jack, lives a pretty dull, repetitive life and the reader
shares it with him. He’s tedious and you know it. But, we learn more about him
page by page and there’s significantly more to him and therefore his situation
than first meets the eye. We also come to understand why he’s as he is.
And that’s
what’s so good about this book. Once I’d put it down and had the dots joined
together by the author it all made sense, in particular the narrative style –
the end justified the means. The psychological element that Pepper incorporates
in his writing shines through again. Even the title suddenly becomes clear and
obvious.
Yes, it’s
not my normal pick-up, but so what? The style is refreshing, it was a good read
and I’m happy I did so.
Format/Typo Issues:
None.
Rating: **** Four Stars
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