by Paul Cleave
SYNOPSIS
How do you catch a killer…
When the only evidence is a dream?
James Garrett was critically injured when he was shot following his parents’ execution, and no one expected him to waken from a deep, traumatic coma. When he does, nine years later, Detective Inspector Rebecca Kent is tasked with closing the case that her now retired colleague, Theodore Tate, failed to solve all those years ago.
But between that, and hunting for Copy Joe – a murderer on a spree, who’s imitating Christchurch’s most notorious serial killer – she’s going to need Tate’s help. Especially when they learn that James has lived out another life in his nine-year coma, and there are things he couldn’t possibly know, including the fact that Copy Joe isn’t the only serial killer in town…
REVIEW
A home invasion gone wrong leaves a young James Garrett fighting for his life. Despite surviving the attack, he is left in a coma for nine years before surprising all of the medical staff by waking up and informing them about the weird alternate reality he has been living for the entirety of his stay in the hospital. Detective Inspector Rebecca Kent is called in to speak to James. His attackers were never arrested and his account of the events could provide vital clues to their identities. However, while trying to get to the bottom of his attack, it becomes clear to Rebecca, Ben's sister Hazel and his doctor that James also has information about the suspicious death of another patient in the same ward.
Trying to convince her superiors to take the word of a young boy who is providing information obtained whilst in a coma is a difficult task, so Rebecca turns to retired detective Theodore Tate who worked on the original investigation into James' attack. The pair work together to gather new evidence for the case, but at the same time get in the way of yet another killer, Copy Joe, and he doesn't like anyone else stealing the spotlight.
That's two out of two. The Pain Tourist is only my second Paul Cleave thriller (following The Quiet People last year), but it's the second Paul Cleave thriller to leave me completely speechless as yet another tense and twisty situation unfolded. The intricacy of his plots is unrivalled - there were several police investigations being followed throughout this story, all connected through Detective Inspector Rebecca Kent, and each one on it's own could have been a book to itself. The level of detail was just amazing, and the way each of the cases merged, linking a number of the different characters was so cleverly done.
The other thing that stands out is the unique twist that Paul Cleave puts on each of his stories. The Pain Tourist is not just a typical police procedural or serial killer thriller. The addition of James' character and his 'Coma World' gave a completely different twist on how a murder could be investigated. Again, this story (as in The Quiet People) focused heavily on the gut-wrenching impact that crime/murder has on the victims families, the people left behind to deal with the fallout. It was these moments, and the pain felt by these characters, that made the story seem so real. It's these moments that have left a lasting impression on me as a reader, and have created another story that I won't forget in hurry!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Cleave is an award-winning author who often divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where his novels are set, and Europe, where
none of his novels are set. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s won the won the Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur Crime Novel of the Year Award, and Foreword Reviews Thriller of the Year, and has been shortlisted for the Ned Kelly, Edgar and Barry Awards. He’s thrown his Frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two
cats – which is often two too many. The Pain Tourist is his (lucky) thirteenth novel.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Paul Cleave - @PaulCleave and Orenda Books - @OrendaBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Crime / Medical Thriller / Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 978-1914585487
Pages: 300pp
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