In Flames

I am totally slacking on my reading challenges but I think very soon I'll have more time to crank out books. So stay tuned. Here's one though that I didn't slack on!

In Flames - Richard Hilary Weber

In Richard Hilary Weber’s passionate new thriller, a smoldering mystery ignites on a tropical island as lust, murder, and politics collide.

San Iñigo is a jewel of the Caribbean, a playground paradise for the foreign elite, a hell for unfortunate locals. For recent Princeton grad Dan Shedrick, San Iñigo promises the fulfillment of too many desires.

Dan hires on at a powerful American firm as a junior architect, but still finds time for tennis, booze, a reckless affair with the sexy wife of a resort owner—even a bit of reconnaissance for the U.S. cultural attaché. But soon he discovers that nothing on San Iñigo is without consequence. When a much-loved local radio personality is found on a beach with his head blown off, Dan’s lover becomes a suspect. And not long after his foray into espionage, he’s dragged away on a brutal journey into the heart of darkness.

Buffeted by aggression, depraved ritual, and personal betrayal, Dan discovers fierce truths about San Iñigo . . . and himself. In the island’s forbidding mountain jungle, his life goes up in flames—a deadly inferno that will forever change him, if he survives at all. 
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Maybe I'm just not hip to current thrillers, but I don't know that I would really call this a thriller. I kind of knew the jig right from the word go, and though a lot of stuff happens? It's not even fast paced, though it was only 175 pages long on my Nook. I found it really hard to get into, and so much time was spent giving you descriptions of things and that felt like unnecessary filler. You know what it feels like? It felt kind of like an episode of Law & Order, but in a tropical locale. Like, all of the crimes and action has happened and now someone has to go to trial and as readers, we're trying to piece together each story to figure out what actually happened.

So what we have is Dan, who is a victim of the crashing stock market and terrible economy, forced to take literally any job he can get. That brings him to an exotic island with a benign company for a one year contract. He goes there, only to find out that crime is rampant and truly it's not an ideal place for an American citizen. He finds himself spending his non-working hours drinking and seemingly enamored with Elaine, the young wife of a friend who runs this club. Friend dies, and Dan thinks Elaine actually has feelings for him.

Newsflash: she doesn't.

But he finds himself taking a side job which leads to dangerous territory and a lot of violence. Oh, and an abduction and rescue. I think what disappointed me was that literally none of it seemed plausible. The plan he comes up with to get away from captors is not likely, the whole thing was just hard to get into. I think if you are a fan of thrillers, you might like this. Especially considering it's inexpensive and it's not very long at all, you could whip through this in a day easily. But I am also the person who thinks books like Girl With a Dragon Tattoo were lame, so I might be the worst person ever to judge. I will say though that if you are in the market for a new read but don't want to invest a lot of time, this is the route to go. I'm becoming a big fan of books under 200 pages because time is valuable, but I still like to read.

The book can be purchased on Amazon HERE. For more information about this book, his previous book, and upcoming books, check out Richard's webpage HERE. The author, Richard Hilary Weber, is hosting a giveaway for a $25 e-gift card to an online retailer of your choice AND a copy of In Flames. Definitely worth a chance!

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