Dead line by Chris Ewan

"Dead line" by Chris Ewan - Strange!

This book is published by Faber & Faber in 2013 and has 368 pages. 

Trent is following a French businessman, Jerome, when his convoy is attacked and the businessman is kidnapped. Jerome has a kidnap policy. Trent offers to help. The one person he can trust is retired police officer Gerard. 

Why is Trent following the businessman? Is he trying to protect him from kidnapping? How will he deal with the kidnappers? Does he have an ulterior motive?

Story starts well with kidnap of Jerome, the businessman. Trent teams with Stefani (Jerom's young trophy wife), Philippe (his young son) and Alain (his bodyguard). Trent wants to save Jerome, but he needs him to find Emme, his fiancee. The graph of story keeps rising until the ransom demand is made. But after that author loses control over the story. There is an affair, not required for the story. Then there are deaths. Author introduces death expecting to give shock to the audience but ends up making the story jerky. Death after death takes the story off the track. 

The end is also very unconvincing. A dead man becomes alive. The mastermind is revealed but there are no hidden clues in the earlier story, so it appears as afterthought rather than being integral part of the story. At the end, everyone dies but Emme is still missing. Does the author plan a sequel? I hope not. To top it up, guess what, there is no dead line. 

Characterization appears to be shallow. Trent, an experienced negotiator acts rashly. Jerom's sadistic actions in past have no relation to the present story. Author can't decide if Stefani is oppressed or opportunist. Gerard retires, why? Alain's character builds up nicely to make an untimely exit.  

Give it a miss. 

Why did I read this book? It happened to be on hand. 

What I didn't like? Story and execution. 

What did I like? Umm...