Member Review
Review by
Annette C, Librarian
I’ve read Trevor Wood’s trilogy about a homeless army veteran turned detective and thoroughly enjoyed it so was excited to receive this new book as a review copy.
This was a completely different sort of story although the setting was still in the Northeast. This time the main protagonist was a 16 year old girl called Ruby who lives with her single Dad Alex in a remote house in a small village in Northumberland.
Alex has always kept to himself with few friends in the area and has encouraged Ruby to do the same. However one day Ruby hears a knock on the door and Alex ushers a man in an army uniform into their kitchen. She hears raised voices and when she dares to enter the room she finds somebody lying on the floor. Her father is able to encourage her to run and she does but fears for her father’s safety.
Ruby and then an assorted band of locals try and find out what is going on as their village is taken over by a band of ruthless soldiers apparently searching for Ruby.
I loved getting to know all the characters including neighbour, Margaret who although advanced in years, is never short of witty repartee and shows a great deal of courage. Lucas a local teenager who Ruby knows from school and Danny who is ex army try and help Ruby using all their ingenuity as she desperately tries to evade the soldiers, rescue her Dad and work out what is going on.
This was a very fast moving story which was easy and quick to read. I really liked all the characters and the setting of Northumberland which the author knows very well. It was interesting to read how a lot of people are leaving these sorts of villages so that they end up being full of holiday rental properties but with little work for locals.
Definitely a recommended read and I must say I found the ending intriguing. Will there be a follow up featuring these characters? Perhaps- I certainly hope so!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my Arc.
This was a completely different sort of story although the setting was still in the Northeast. This time the main protagonist was a 16 year old girl called Ruby who lives with her single Dad Alex in a remote house in a small village in Northumberland.
Alex has always kept to himself with few friends in the area and has encouraged Ruby to do the same. However one day Ruby hears a knock on the door and Alex ushers a man in an army uniform into their kitchen. She hears raised voices and when she dares to enter the room she finds somebody lying on the floor. Her father is able to encourage her to run and she does but fears for her father’s safety.
Ruby and then an assorted band of locals try and find out what is going on as their village is taken over by a band of ruthless soldiers apparently searching for Ruby.
I loved getting to know all the characters including neighbour, Margaret who although advanced in years, is never short of witty repartee and shows a great deal of courage. Lucas a local teenager who Ruby knows from school and Danny who is ex army try and help Ruby using all their ingenuity as she desperately tries to evade the soldiers, rescue her Dad and work out what is going on.
This was a very fast moving story which was easy and quick to read. I really liked all the characters and the setting of Northumberland which the author knows very well. It was interesting to read how a lot of people are leaving these sorts of villages so that they end up being full of holiday rental properties but with little work for locals.
Definitely a recommended read and I must say I found the ending intriguing. Will there be a follow up featuring these characters? Perhaps- I certainly hope so!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my Arc.
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