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Engulfed
From the author of The Harrogate Crime Series. ('Bridging the Gulf' was previously published as 'Engulfed' as an eBook..)This fast moving, thought-provoking thriller is set partly in the stunning beauty and history of Turkish Cyprus. The novel follows one man’s struggle against faceless bureaucrats bent on negating the existence of Gulf War Syndrome.Roy Hanna is a driven man. On his return from the Gulf War, in which he was injured and his comrades killed, he appears to be a successful salesman with everything he could want. Behind his facade, he believes he is suffering from Gulf War Syndrome and that the Government is carrying out a massive cover-up. The lives of countless sufferers lie in ruins. He is determined that the Government should pay and he embarks on a bombing spree to ensure that it does.Imagine joining the Army to fight for Queen and country and then find the Gulf War turns your world upside down. Welcome to Roy Hanna’s world, where we are drawn into his life of anger and betrayal. I found myself lost in his lonely and bitter mind.Descriptive writing that makes you feel as though you are there with Roy, whether it’s in the Gulf War, U.K or Cyprus. Malcolm Hollingdrake has written a powerful, emotive and thought-provoking book with PTSD at its root.Dee Groocock – Book reviewer
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 4, 2019
The story starts off rather powerfully and definitely made me sit up and take notice of the story that was about to unfold before me.
Roy seems like your everyday type of guy. He has a good relationship with his girlfriend Joan as well as a great working relationship and friendship with Drew. Sadly he appears to be suffering with some form of PTSD which has him on a mission of self destruct as well as getting something back for the people that suffered from a result of the Gulf War.
In a way I felt that Roy was a bit of an anti hero. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t condone what he does but he is at war in his own head and it really does make for a thought provoking read. Things definitely arn’t black and white.
You can tell the author has clearly done his research with information on the Gulf War as well as the after affects. Also the history of Turkish Cyprus is brought to life and very vivid in the readers mind.
Bridging The Gulf isn’t your straight forward thriller. This is a story that has a lot of meaning to it as well as open your eyes. The nature of the story, there was never going to be a happy ending, although I prayed that in some way there would be. It had me go through an array of emotions and I could relate to the emotions that Joan was going through. A compelling and thought provoking read.
My thanks to Caroline at Bits About Books and the author for an advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Roy seems like your everyday type of guy. He has a good relationship with his girlfriend Joan as well as a great working relationship and friendship with Drew. Sadly he appears to be suffering with some form of PTSD which has him on a mission of self destruct as well as getting something back for the people that suffered from a result of the Gulf War.
In a way I felt that Roy was a bit of an anti hero. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t condone what he does but he is at war in his own head and it really does make for a thought provoking read. Things definitely arn’t black and white.
You can tell the author has clearly done his research with information on the Gulf War as well as the after affects. Also the history of Turkish Cyprus is brought to life and very vivid in the readers mind.
Bridging The Gulf isn’t your straight forward thriller. This is a story that has a lot of meaning to it as well as open your eyes. The nature of the story, there was never going to be a happy ending, although I prayed that in some way there would be. It had me go through an array of emotions and I could relate to the emotions that Joan was going through. A compelling and thought provoking read.
My thanks to Caroline at Bits About Books and the author for an advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
August 28, 2017
Now best known for his DCI Bennett series, this book is Malcolm’s first book and it is a very accomplished first novel. The plot centres around Gulf War Syndrome and the apparent lack of support given to those returning from the Gulf with the illness by the government.
Main character Roy is a character I liked from the beginning. Although never having experienced the things he and friends had, I could see why his thoughts were developing how they were, and was interested to see where his thoughts would take him. The descriptions of scenery and places were excellent, putting me in the story and enabling me to almost see what Roy sees from the bridges.
Although fiction, I think this book draws people’s attention to the plight suffered by so many ex- servicemen/women. Homelessness, unemployment and illness are often experienced and in many cases not helped by the authorities that sent them out to fight wars.
Main character Roy is a character I liked from the beginning. Although never having experienced the things he and friends had, I could see why his thoughts were developing how they were, and was interested to see where his thoughts would take him. The descriptions of scenery and places were excellent, putting me in the story and enabling me to almost see what Roy sees from the bridges.
Although fiction, I think this book draws people’s attention to the plight suffered by so many ex- servicemen/women. Homelessness, unemployment and illness are often experienced and in many cases not helped by the authorities that sent them out to fight wars.
November 21, 2017
Interesting, thought provoking debut book from this author
August 7, 2019
I was given a copy of this new release from Caroline Vincent (@CazVinBooks) as I had read, enjoyed and reviewed an earlier release of Malcolm Hollingdrake’s. Due to health issues I have not been reading or reviewing for a few months and this was the perfect book to get me back into the book world!
The opening pages had me completely gripped and I read and read, reaching the end of the story in just two sittings.
I was immediately drawn to the lead character, Roy, and found myself torn between feeling empathy for a man suffering as he was following his time spent fighting in the Gulf War and anger towards him for planting bombs which would more than likely cause death or injury to innocent members of the general public.
The author has pitched this story perfectly and it is a work of fiction that could so easily be real-life. I was completely blown away by the authors ability to lead the reader into Roy’s head and understand why he felt he had to do this.
Malcolm Holligdrake is an awesome author. I highly highly recommend this stand-along novel. Be prepared to read in a single sitting – it is very much a ‘one more page’ type of book!
Further reviews can be found on my blog - www.momobookdiary.com
The opening pages had me completely gripped and I read and read, reaching the end of the story in just two sittings.
I was immediately drawn to the lead character, Roy, and found myself torn between feeling empathy for a man suffering as he was following his time spent fighting in the Gulf War and anger towards him for planting bombs which would more than likely cause death or injury to innocent members of the general public.
The author has pitched this story perfectly and it is a work of fiction that could so easily be real-life. I was completely blown away by the authors ability to lead the reader into Roy’s head and understand why he felt he had to do this.
Malcolm Holligdrake is an awesome author. I highly highly recommend this stand-along novel. Be prepared to read in a single sitting – it is very much a ‘one more page’ type of book!
Further reviews can be found on my blog - www.momobookdiary.com
October 21, 2019
Engulfed is a powerful and thought provoking novel. You can tell from the story the amount of research Malcolm must have done regarding Gulf War Syndrome. This really was a great read & I would recommend it highly to anybody thinking of reading it
August 24, 2020
Wow, one I wanted the bad guy to win.
Whoa, this is an incredible story.
Roy, a Gulf War vet, a successful salesman, happy life, decides to start blowing up bridges. He's not doing it to kill people although he knows that it's a possibility he's willing to live with.
At night he goes home to Joan, and although his boss suspects something is going on, he never suspects the truth.
He regards Roy as a son, and is worried when his mood takes a severe downturn, suggesting the help of a psychiatrist.
The first 60% or so follows Roy planting and setting off bombs, and the beginning of the investigation. It shows how cold and clinical Roy can be when he's in that mindset. It also gives background on why he is doing it. After losing his colleagues, being the only survivor after an explosion. The drugs administered and the pesticides and insecticides used. What impact have they had on his body and mind. The government say none but he knows differently.
Once Roy achieves what he wants to in the UK he escapes to Cyprus, the Turkish half, where he spent time while part of the forces.
The final part of the book then follows his attempt to try and get the money he wants and evade capture by various agencies as they have figured out who he is.
It was fascinating to learn a little more about Gulf War Syndrome. I've heard of it, but if what is described is the tip of the iceburg then there really should be more protection for our soldiers. It angers me that there are so many government cover ups.
The contrasting settings of the UK and beautiful Cyprus were wonderful. It was a rare book where I was rooting for the baddie. You always feel that his heart is in the right place, even if slightly misguided. There's the the element of doubt as well, a couple of occasions where you wonder if he is cold hearted and clinical.
I would highly recommend this and all of Malcolms books, he certainly knows how to craft and tell a story, take you on an emotional roller-coaster and not give you a moment to catch your breath along the way.
Whoa, this is an incredible story.
Roy, a Gulf War vet, a successful salesman, happy life, decides to start blowing up bridges. He's not doing it to kill people although he knows that it's a possibility he's willing to live with.
At night he goes home to Joan, and although his boss suspects something is going on, he never suspects the truth.
He regards Roy as a son, and is worried when his mood takes a severe downturn, suggesting the help of a psychiatrist.
The first 60% or so follows Roy planting and setting off bombs, and the beginning of the investigation. It shows how cold and clinical Roy can be when he's in that mindset. It also gives background on why he is doing it. After losing his colleagues, being the only survivor after an explosion. The drugs administered and the pesticides and insecticides used. What impact have they had on his body and mind. The government say none but he knows differently.
Once Roy achieves what he wants to in the UK he escapes to Cyprus, the Turkish half, where he spent time while part of the forces.
The final part of the book then follows his attempt to try and get the money he wants and evade capture by various agencies as they have figured out who he is.
It was fascinating to learn a little more about Gulf War Syndrome. I've heard of it, but if what is described is the tip of the iceburg then there really should be more protection for our soldiers. It angers me that there are so many government cover ups.
The contrasting settings of the UK and beautiful Cyprus were wonderful. It was a rare book where I was rooting for the baddie. You always feel that his heart is in the right place, even if slightly misguided. There's the the element of doubt as well, a couple of occasions where you wonder if he is cold hearted and clinical.
I would highly recommend this and all of Malcolms books, he certainly knows how to craft and tell a story, take you on an emotional roller-coaster and not give you a moment to catch your breath along the way.
Read
August 3, 2019This review would be the shortest since I am not the ideal audience for this genre. I don't read books with backdrop of war and its after effects. Since I got the opportunity to read the book, I flipped through the pages to get a gist of it.
Ray Hanna had a form of PTSD known as The Gulf War Syndrome post fighting in the war. But the doctors did not believe in such a syndrome and there was an absolute lack of support from the government for these war veterans. Fed up with all of it, he put forth a plan which had him going on a bombing spree to make the government pay. And boy, did all of them pay.
My first book by Malcolm Hollingdrake, this was quite different from my routine thrillers. It was written in almost a straightforward manner. I could feel Ray's frustration squeezing through. His desperate need to do bring about a change was honestly palpable throughout the story. It kept the story moving forward with a vigor.
I wouldn't agree with his ways, bombs were never the solution. Ray was stopped but it also brought about a change. Joan played his love interest with an agenda.
The prose may not sound entertaining for a fictional tale, but the words rang true. The plight of these war veterans suffering from PTSD was written in an authentic manner. Through Ray, the author tried to find a voice to speak the truth which was commendable.
Ray Hanna had a form of PTSD known as The Gulf War Syndrome post fighting in the war. But the doctors did not believe in such a syndrome and there was an absolute lack of support from the government for these war veterans. Fed up with all of it, he put forth a plan which had him going on a bombing spree to make the government pay. And boy, did all of them pay.
My first book by Malcolm Hollingdrake, this was quite different from my routine thrillers. It was written in almost a straightforward manner. I could feel Ray's frustration squeezing through. His desperate need to do bring about a change was honestly palpable throughout the story. It kept the story moving forward with a vigor.
I wouldn't agree with his ways, bombs were never the solution. Ray was stopped but it also brought about a change. Joan played his love interest with an agenda.
The prose may not sound entertaining for a fictional tale, but the words rang true. The plight of these war veterans suffering from PTSD was written in an authentic manner. Through Ray, the author tried to find a voice to speak the truth which was commendable.
January 23, 2021
I was blown away by this book, I have had it on my kindle for a while but it somehow got overlooked. I have read all of the authors Harrogate Series so I knew the writing would be perfect and it was. Roy had returned from the Gulf War, not an hero, that didn't seem to happen with this war, they did what was needed to be done and came back. Unfortunately not many came back whole in body or mind. They had seen friends obliterated, suffered wounds themselves but worse of all they had been given drugs that no one believed had done untold damage. It became known as Gulf War Syndrome. Roy was one of the lucky ones in one respect as he had a very supportive friend and boss who would help in anyway he could, he also had the love of his partner Joan. All this couldn't compensate for the way he felt, the physical scars, mental anguish and other underlying health issues would not go away. The doctors he saw told him he was fine, probably just anxiety!!!. The government certainly wouldn't accept that the way these veterans health had been ruined was anything to do with them serving in the gulf. Roy had to make them sit up and listen!!!
March 20, 2018
A story of war A broken soul and the aftermath...
After a tour of duty in Ireland as a young soldier Roy Hanna was looking forward to serving in the Gulf War..In a spit second on duty in the Gulf Roy's life is put in Limbo as he watches his comrades die in front of him, is injured and then there is black.On his return home Roy is a different man..a man in turmoil, prone to dark moods , flashbacks.. He feels alone,forgotten with a burning rage inside him for the government.. Joan loves him and puts aside the changes but others notice and feel for him ..Although he does accept some help his feelings grow stronger and then he puts his plans into action with devastating consequences.. This is a story that will make you weep for the lost, the fallen and the broken..For those who fight wars ..those who suffer with PTSD...and those that never recover..In the words of Wilfred Owen who died young and saw so much...Dulce Et Decorum Est..no man would be unaffected by such a story...
After a tour of duty in Ireland as a young soldier Roy Hanna was looking forward to serving in the Gulf War..In a spit second on duty in the Gulf Roy's life is put in Limbo as he watches his comrades die in front of him, is injured and then there is black.On his return home Roy is a different man..a man in turmoil, prone to dark moods , flashbacks.. He feels alone,forgotten with a burning rage inside him for the government.. Joan loves him and puts aside the changes but others notice and feel for him ..Although he does accept some help his feelings grow stronger and then he puts his plans into action with devastating consequences.. This is a story that will make you weep for the lost, the fallen and the broken..For those who fight wars ..those who suffer with PTSD...and those that never recover..In the words of Wilfred Owen who died young and saw so much...Dulce Et Decorum Est..no man would be unaffected by such a story...
March 25, 2020
This is an amazing book for a first novel from. The story line was truly unique.
The book highlighted the the plight of army veterans suffering from the gulf war syndrome.
I must confess , although I am aware of this condition ,I have no understanding of the reasons for ,or management of the people involved. This story was enlightening, and I trust the author's interpretation of the mental and physical manifestation of the syndrome. I imagine the difficulty of describing the mental contortions of post traumatic sufferers , I don't know how accurate the writer was, but seemed credible. .
Hopefully ,this is only a story and did not mirror in any way ,actual events. The story unfolded at a steady pace, and had room for love interest. The word pictures painted of Cyprus were evocative and added much to this sad tale. A book I will recommend.
The book highlighted the the plight of army veterans suffering from the gulf war syndrome.
I must confess , although I am aware of this condition ,I have no understanding of the reasons for ,or management of the people involved. This story was enlightening, and I trust the author's interpretation of the mental and physical manifestation of the syndrome. I imagine the difficulty of describing the mental contortions of post traumatic sufferers , I don't know how accurate the writer was, but seemed credible. .
Hopefully ,this is only a story and did not mirror in any way ,actual events. The story unfolded at a steady pace, and had room for love interest. The word pictures painted of Cyprus were evocative and added much to this sad tale. A book I will recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2020
A thought provoking & truly powerful story highlighting the 'invisible' Gulf War Syndrome.
The main character, Roy Hanna is a driven man, although he is on a path of self destruction you can't help but to admire him.
The story is set between the UK & Northern Cyprus with flashbacks to the Gulf War - the author describes the places in such detail you feel as though you are there with Roy Hanna.
This was never going to have the 'happy ending' but when you read the last chapter it all makes sense.
Although this story is fiction it does make you wonder about the trauma our guys went through whilst serving in the Gulf.
I would highly recommend this book.
I have now read all of Malcolm's books, giving them all 5 stars - hope there are more books to come!
The main character, Roy Hanna is a driven man, although he is on a path of self destruction you can't help but to admire him.
The story is set between the UK & Northern Cyprus with flashbacks to the Gulf War - the author describes the places in such detail you feel as though you are there with Roy Hanna.
This was never going to have the 'happy ending' but when you read the last chapter it all makes sense.
Although this story is fiction it does make you wonder about the trauma our guys went through whilst serving in the Gulf.
I would highly recommend this book.
I have now read all of Malcolm's books, giving them all 5 stars - hope there are more books to come!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews