Title: The Truth
Author: Peter James
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 426
Rating: 3.5/5
This is vintage Peter James, one of the novels that he wrote and released before he ever started on his Roy Grace detective novels. That makes it an interesting little insight into his writing, and you can see how he’s grown as a writer while also just going along for a pretty good ride.
It’s basically a sort of thriller novel that follows a husband and wife who run into money troubles after buying a new property in London. The husband is an entrepreneur enjoying the tech boom of the late 90s, but his business is in a little bit of trouble and facing a major lawsuit. The wife works for a publishing house that’s about to be taken over, with widespreads layoffs expected.
And so suddenly, out of nowhere, they’re in a hole and need a bunch of money to dig their way out of it. Enter a rich banker with mysterious connections to Aleister Crowley, who offers them a chunk of money if the wife agrees to be a surrogate mother to him. Weird stuff begins to ensue from there, and I can’t really go into any further detail without ruining the story line.
As for how it is, I’d have to say that it’s just a pretty decent read, although it doesn’t really stand out from the competition when you compare it to others on the market. It’s pretty bog standard for a thriller, though it does have elements of James Herbert to it which I quite liked. James is also a pretty good writer, and so even though it relies heavily on the plot and the characters, that’s not a problem because he does a good job with it.
Sure, there were a few parts where it felt kind of dated, but only because one of the protagonists worked in the tech industry and tech has moved on a lot since the days in which it was written. But it’s pretty easy to get past that, even if you’re as into technology and its effects on society as I am.
And so when it comes down to the question of whether or not I’d recommend it, it’s a tough one. I don’t think I’d recommend it for a general reader, but if you’re either into thrillers or you’re a Peter James fan then it’s worth picking up. You might also want to avoid reading it if you’re a parent though. So yeah!
