Tuesday, April 17, 2012

So Much for Peace and Quiet

Mark Mills’ House of the Hunted, a historical novel of betrayal and espionage, recently released in the States (after an initial UK publication last year as House of the Hanged), is the subject of my Kirkus Reviews column this week.

It’s a thoroughly rewarding read, more literary than many modern-day thrillers, with a plot that derives its interest from its setting (the French Riviera, 1935) and its protagonist’s back-story (he’s a former British spy in search of peace), rather than from the intensity of its action. As I write in Kirkus, “Readers tired of being dragged bodily through rapid-clip adventures, over one cliffhanger after the next, with only workmanlike prose to lubricate their passage, might find The House of the Hunted to be a splendid alternative.”

You’ll find my review here.

2 comments:

Dorothy James said...

Great review on Kirkus. Informative, good piece of writing. I love the last paragraph, partially quoted here. I want to read the book, and I will break out the gin and tonic as advised.

Winifred said...

Wasn't too keen on The Whaleboat House or The Savage Garden but I really loved The Information Officer, have read it a couple of times & will do so again.
You're spot on about constant cliff hanging give me mood, character and some decent prose. That's why I love the Inspector Montalbano series. Have got hooked on the TV series currently showing on BBC4, sub titles and all. Magnificent TV!