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The Drift Trilogy #3
Leaving The Drift
"What exactly did death do to your mind?" After a few years of growing distant from the close group they once were, Danny, Ali, Kerri and Kitty find their existences intersecting once again when each faces up to unprecedented situations where all is far from what it seems. In this epic conclusion to the Drift trilogy, family ties, loyalties and future plans will be tested like never before and settled no matter how much deception or death is required, even if it means leaving certain people, memories and worlds behind forever. Do not forget what set everything in motion, and remember there isn’t anyone who cannot be stopped.
Content/trigger warnings Abuse & neglect; Alcohol consumption; Child abuse; Child sexual abuse (referenced); Drug use; Grief / Loss; Murder; Physical injury & wounds; Profanity; Torture
Content/trigger warnings Abuse & neglect; Alcohol consumption; Child abuse; Child sexual abuse (referenced); Drug use; Grief / Loss; Murder; Physical injury & wounds; Profanity; Torture
476 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2023
7 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Tom Bray
3 books5 followersTom Bray is a writer from the north west of England, where he lives with his wife, young son, and golden retriever pup.
Having always enjoyed creative writing on the side despite pursuing a career in digital marketing, Tom completed his first novel Merging The Drift - a contemporary adult fiction - in 2020, and a trilogy is now in the works, with each instalment taking a particular focus on contemporary life in working class Britain, while exploring universal themes concerning memory, family and relationships, and the concept of fate. Get drawn into a gritty yet relatable worlds as you embark on a journey with complex characters experiencing plenty of twists, turns, and dark humoured comments.
Tom is big sports fan, a keen distance runner, and loves exquisitely told (& brilliantly written) TV shows and films. He enjoys long walks in the country or at the coast, mostly favouring those that don't end up with chasing the dog.
Having always enjoyed creative writing on the side despite pursuing a career in digital marketing, Tom completed his first novel Merging The Drift - a contemporary adult fiction - in 2020, and a trilogy is now in the works, with each instalment taking a particular focus on contemporary life in working class Britain, while exploring universal themes concerning memory, family and relationships, and the concept of fate. Get drawn into a gritty yet relatable worlds as you embark on a journey with complex characters experiencing plenty of twists, turns, and dark humoured comments.
Tom is big sports fan, a keen distance runner, and loves exquisitely told (& brilliantly written) TV shows and films. He enjoys long walks in the country or at the coast, mostly favouring those that don't end up with chasing the dog.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2023
When Leaving the Drift begins there's a farewell ceremony for Gil. I didn't miss him. Kristy was not in this one. Kerri is using her powers to her advantage. She is making sure all culprits pay for their crimes . Rebecca gets a visit from her with deadly results. She didn't deserve it but you gotta kill your darlings.
Dany and Kitty end up together. I'm glad Danny and Sib parted for other reasons. It was a natural turn of events. I found it surprising that Kitty's ex was with Stel.
Bray still gives readers great storytelling. Danny's dad shows up and reveals his connection to that horrible family. There was a long conversation between Danny and his dad. It was appropriate to explain why he was absent. It was a way for Danny to find Jay-Dee because he didn't know her whereabouts. She has relapsed which often happens with addiction.
Ali got the short end of the stick and I couldn't help but think he didn't have a chance since he was murdered.
The series continues to cover topics that matter; child abuse, domestic abuse, and addiction. If you are comfortable creepy and disturbing with heart material give Leaving the Drift a go.
Readers who like the series and supernatural psychological thrillers will like this book.
Dany and Kitty end up together. I'm glad Danny and Sib parted for other reasons. It was a natural turn of events. I found it surprising that Kitty's ex was with Stel.
Bray still gives readers great storytelling. Danny's dad shows up and reveals his connection to that horrible family. There was a long conversation between Danny and his dad. It was appropriate to explain why he was absent. It was a way for Danny to find Jay-Dee because he didn't know her whereabouts. She has relapsed which often happens with addiction.
Ali got the short end of the stick and I couldn't help but think he didn't have a chance since he was murdered.
The series continues to cover topics that matter; child abuse, domestic abuse, and addiction. If you are comfortable creepy and disturbing with heart material give Leaving the Drift a go.
Readers who like the series and supernatural psychological thrillers will like this book.
January 24, 2024
This book was sent to me by author Tom Bray. I have to admit. I was a bit disappointed with how this series ended. There were several loose ends that I would have liked to see wrapped up that weren't. However, this series does shine a light on injustices, sex trafficking, and abuse that has and is going on all around us. This book also highlights how a path of revenge can turn a person into the very evil they are trying to defeat.
August 19, 2024
The story was not what I expected from the title. Before I read the book I guessed that ‘leaving the drift’ would refer to the Drift being closed down, thus forcing its inhabitants to leave and re-join our world. Needless to say I was complete wrong with this theory. In a literal sense the title refers to the event of one of the Drift’s oldest residents leaving the realm as they die. Another theory of mine is that the title refers to brothers Danny and Ali’s relationship. The previous books explored their reunion and renewed connection after Ali’s death. Leaving the Drift however shows the pair outgrowing the constant need for each other with both brothers eventually deciding to focus on their own separate lives.
Despite the hints that this was the direction the series was heading towards, I was really hoping that Danny and Kitty would not become a couple. I’m personally not a fan when characters of vastly different age gaps are pushed together simply because they are the protagonists. The fifteen year age gap places Kitty at twenty-five and Danny at forty during this novel. The Drift Series is all about the past and hidden links between its characters. While I recognise that Danny and Kitty share an important bond, whilst reading these three books I’ve always thought they made better friends than lovers.
Every book I seem to change my mind about which of the four primary characters is my favourite. For Leaving the Drift this is Ali. His were the chapters I looked forward to the most as I really enjoyed his investigations into the workings of the Drift and into the crime which led to his death as a child. There were still a few points that were left ambiguous so, should Bray ever return to this series in the future, I hope we will get answers to the final mysteries about who created and runs the Drift.
From being my favourite character in the first book, I was sad to find Kerri becoming my least favourite in Leaving the Drift. Kerri, an inhabitant of both our world and the Drift, started out as a mysterious individual with a ruthlessly efficient streak. Although we’ve previously seen her violent and murderous side fully unleased, Kerri’s action were always directed towards people who had abused her and her sister as children. Now, with the majority of her enemies dead, Kerri instead focuses on killing and using her mental powers to ensure Kitty has the perfect life – irregardless of who gets hurt. With Kerri’s evil nature so fully on display, I was surprised that Bray chose to end the series with her victorious. With no comeuppance for her actions and abusive manipulations, for me the story felt partially incomplete.
So, as this is the final book in the series, did the ending work? Even though I was sad that the novel ended with Danny and Ali needing time apart from each other, this did feel like a natural ending for their story. There was some satisfaction in seeing the brothers make conscious choices to embrace and fully interact with the separate worlds they occupy rather than relying solely on their bond with other.
Meanwhile Kerri and Kitty’s story, with Kitty settling into motherhood, felt more as though Bray was ending a chapter of their lives rather than concluding their story completely. In his afterword Bray discusses wanting to give himself the option of returning to The Drift Series at some point in the future. By ending the novel on a cliffhanger it is clear which doorways have been left ajar…just in case. While, as a reader, I prefer stories that have a definite conclusion I do respect Bray’s choice as a writer.
For the full version of my review visit: Lair of Reviews.
Despite the hints that this was the direction the series was heading towards, I was really hoping that Danny and Kitty would not become a couple. I’m personally not a fan when characters of vastly different age gaps are pushed together simply because they are the protagonists. The fifteen year age gap places Kitty at twenty-five and Danny at forty during this novel. The Drift Series is all about the past and hidden links between its characters. While I recognise that Danny and Kitty share an important bond, whilst reading these three books I’ve always thought they made better friends than lovers.
Every book I seem to change my mind about which of the four primary characters is my favourite. For Leaving the Drift this is Ali. His were the chapters I looked forward to the most as I really enjoyed his investigations into the workings of the Drift and into the crime which led to his death as a child. There were still a few points that were left ambiguous so, should Bray ever return to this series in the future, I hope we will get answers to the final mysteries about who created and runs the Drift.
From being my favourite character in the first book, I was sad to find Kerri becoming my least favourite in Leaving the Drift. Kerri, an inhabitant of both our world and the Drift, started out as a mysterious individual with a ruthlessly efficient streak. Although we’ve previously seen her violent and murderous side fully unleased, Kerri’s action were always directed towards people who had abused her and her sister as children. Now, with the majority of her enemies dead, Kerri instead focuses on killing and using her mental powers to ensure Kitty has the perfect life – irregardless of who gets hurt. With Kerri’s evil nature so fully on display, I was surprised that Bray chose to end the series with her victorious. With no comeuppance for her actions and abusive manipulations, for me the story felt partially incomplete.
So, as this is the final book in the series, did the ending work? Even though I was sad that the novel ended with Danny and Ali needing time apart from each other, this did feel like a natural ending for their story. There was some satisfaction in seeing the brothers make conscious choices to embrace and fully interact with the separate worlds they occupy rather than relying solely on their bond with other.
Meanwhile Kerri and Kitty’s story, with Kitty settling into motherhood, felt more as though Bray was ending a chapter of their lives rather than concluding their story completely. In his afterword Bray discusses wanting to give himself the option of returning to The Drift Series at some point in the future. By ending the novel on a cliffhanger it is clear which doorways have been left ajar…just in case. While, as a reader, I prefer stories that have a definite conclusion I do respect Bray’s choice as a writer.
For the full version of my review visit: Lair of Reviews.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews