by Tom Gillespie
SYNOPSIS A spiralling obsession. A missing wife. A terrifying secret. Will he find her before it’s too late?
When Dr Jacob Boyce’s wife goes missing, the police put it down to a simple marital dispute. Jacob, however, fears something darker. Following her trail to Spain, he becomes convinced that Ella’s disappearance is tied to a mysterious painting whose hidden geometric and numerical riddles he’s been obsessively trying to solve for months. Obscure, hallucinogenic clues, and bizarre, larger-than-life characters, guide an increasingly unhinged Jacob through a nightmarish Spanish landscape to an art forger’s studio in Madrid, where he comes face-to-face with a centuries-old horror, and the terrifying, mind-bending, truth about his wife.
REVIEW Dr Jacob Boyce has a theory that a painting in a local gallery contains a hidden mathematical formula which could be transferred into real life solutions for predicting earthquakes. His theory escalates into an unhealthy obsession which is threatening to ruin both his career and his marriage. Things take a sinister turn when one day he returns home to find that his wife has disappeared, and as he follows her trail to Madrid, Jacob finds himself being pulled deeper and deeper into a secretive and dangerous world which he may not be able to return from.
I want to start by saying that the title could not have been more appropriate. It is definitely a strange book, but if you know this before you start reading and let go of any preconceived ideas you have about where the story will lead, then it is well worth the read. I can’t say too much about the storyline because the surreal twists and turns are what made this book so engaging and I wouldn’t want to ruin that for anyone who is thinking of reading it.
The story had elements which reminded me of The Da Vinci Code but with so many unexpected tangents, it is unlike any book I have read before. Mysterious, complex and incredibly creative, I would highly recommend it for art lovers, mystery fans or anyone who is looking to read something a bit different to the norm.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Gillespie grew up in a small town just outside Glasgow. After completing a Masters in English at Glasgow University, he spent the next ten years pursuing a musical career as a singer/songwriter, playing, recording and touring the UK and Europe with his band. He now lives in Bath with his wife, daughter and hyper-neurotic cat, where he works at the university as an English lecturer. Tom writes long and short stories. His stories have appeared in many magazines, journals and e-zines. He is co-author of Glass Work Humans-an anthology of stories and poems, published by Valley Press. Visit Tom at tom-gillespie.co
Thanks to @lovebooksgroup and Tom Gillespie @tom_gillespie for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Psychological Thriller / Fantasy
Product format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1925965346
Pages: 298 pp