THE CONSEQUENTIAL ELEMENT
BY DEE ANN WAITE.
Set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Consequential Element is a political thriller with an edge. The protagonist, Danielle Montgomery, is a former child soldier in Africa who is rescued by the US military and sent out of the country to safety. The man partially responsible for her rescue is her uncle Roland Dupre. Fifteen years later her past is far behind her, or so she thinks until Uncle Roland finds a cave that is the source for a rare earth element, Promethium that is coveted by the US and Chinese military. Needing to protect the location of the cave, he sends his niece a book containing part of the code before he goes missing. Throw in the rebel commander who once captured her and therein lies a tale.
Danielle is a fractured heroine in the true antihero sense. Determined to rescue her uncle who has vanished, she is forced to rely on Kayden Moreau, a former marine now working for the private sector but Kayden has secrets of his own. These two unlikely partners are bounced from America to Africa where they find betrayal, friendship and loyalty against a kaleidoscope of colours, smells and sounds. She will find that not all who profess friendship are true friends and she will have to rely on instinct and experience if she is to survive.
As a main protagonist she works well although I found the continual bouncing around between two different men a little far fetched, especially when her life is continually at risk. I would imagine in a real life scenario when you are being chased by gun-toting rebels that love would be the last thing on your mind. Staying with the bouncing around aspect, one thing that irked me was a failure to signal a new location when you suddenly find yourself shifted from one location to another in the following chapter. With a country the size of Africa it does help to ground the reader even if it’s a short sentence at the start of each chapter or scene change, giving you the country, town and perhaps a time. That I feel would have elevated the book in my eyes, but with that being said some people prefer that style of writing.
The subject matter seems well researched although I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on Africa, it feels as if the author has indeed been there. The action scenes are well done and refreshingly free of clichéd moves and lines. I find many action scenes in other books almost a carbon copy of the ridiculous gunfights on tv, and as a former gun owner I know what you can and cannot do with a gun. Danielle and her companions/enemies thankfully don’t stray into the realm of fantasy in that regard.
In summary, The Consequential Element is a good first book. It reads well and she winds the story up at the end but leaves enough loose ends dangling for a possible sequel. The characters could have done with a little more development to flesh them out but we can always say that after the book is written, others may disagree with me there. Nevertheless writers shouldn’t be afraid of writing longer books if that’s what it takes to flesh out characters. I’d give the book four stars out of five and look forward to the next book by Dee Ann Waite.
Written by Alastair Rosie