The Journey by Conrad Jones

Description from Goodreads:

"The gripping story of a young boy and his family, driven from their home by war and indiscriminate violence. Like millions of others, they attempt the treacherous journey across their war-torn continent, trying to reach the safety of Europe.

The truth is, Europe doesn't want them and thousands die every month at the hands of thieves and profiteering men to whom life is cheap. Kalu believes that he can lead his family to safety, he has planned for this. They have money, a plan and Kalu is, after all, the smartest man in Monguno."

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I've just finished reading The Journey by Conrad Jones and I've got to admit it has been sitting on my to-be-read pile since 2018. I'm actually quite ashamed it has taken me this long to finally get around to reading it but I'm glad I eventually did. This was the first time I've read anything by this author so I wasn't really expecting anything to be honest but it was certainly an intense experience. It’s a story that follows a doctor called Kalu and his family as they are forced to flee their home in Nigeria because of the violence from Boko Haram.

The subject matter is incredibly relevant given everything that's happening in the world today. It really highlights the desperate reality of things like illegal immigration and the boat crossings where so many lives are lost during their journey. At times it was a very hard read because of how graphic and harrowing the situations were. While the plot is fast paced it felt like it was trying to do a lot at once and some of the emotional beats felt a bit overshadowed by how quickly everything was moving.

I’ve given it 4 stars because while I found the characters like Kalu and his son Beb very well drawn and I was definitely rooting for them, I struggled with the tone in places. It’s marketed as a thriller but it feels more like a brutal family saga and I think that might catch some readers off guard if they’re expecting a standard crime novel. It’s definitely eye opening and it makes you think about what you’d do to save your own family but the sheer amount of trauma the characters go through made it a bit of a slog for me to get through.

Overall it’s a powerful book and I can’t deny it’s well written but it wasn't exactly an enjoyable read if that makes sense. It’s worth a look if you want something that tackles real world issues head on but just be prepared for it to be quite grim.

Many thanks to the author, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the chance to read and share my thoughts on this one.

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The Devil Inside (The Lachlan Maclean Thriller Series # 2)

 

Description from Goodreads:

"‘There’s bodies raining from the sky and the city is tearing itself in two...’

A decade after the events on Gruinard Island, Lachlan Maclean thought he’d succeeded in making a better life for himself and his young family. But he was mistaken.

First, it was the desperate homeless and pitiful junkies, who had seemingly jumped from drab Glasgow sky-scrapers. Callous indifference was the reaction from a city struggling to make sense of the global pandemic.

When an asylum-seeker was next, followed by a promising young para-athlete, it became obvious they’d been thrown to their deaths. There was only mild interest from the media.

Glasgow had more important things to think about, it was the start of the football season.

But when fans of bitter rivals, Celtic and Rangers, suffer a similar gruesome fate, the city finally wakes up to the fact there is a maniac on the loose.

Now the city is in an uproar. Violent crime and mass disorder events spiral into anarchy, the papers start screaming for answers, yet the police have no leads.

It’s time for an unholy alliance to return to the blood-splattered streets of Glasgow.

A millionaire albino killer, an ice-blonde assassin, an ex-gang boss and a retired police inspector are forced to work together to battle a foe who will stop at nothing to satisfy a thirst for revenge."

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Not having read the first in this series, I really wasn't sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is full of strong characters that grow on you as the story develops.  They are a disparate bunch of people from various walks of life but they work well together.  It did take me a while to get to grips with the story; it was quite confusing to begin with but I think that's because I haven't read the first in the series however, I stuck with it and found it quite absorbing the more it developed.

Full of action and tension, this is a good read and I look forward to reading more in the series so thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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