Drive

by Scott Butler

Toby Dresden is a taxi driver who dreams of fulfilling his mother's legacy. When a rival threatens to steal his work, he finds himself desperate and with no way to fund its development. A chance meeting shows him a way. Toby finds himself propelled into a world of drugs, addicts and crime lords, on his way to winning or losing it all, in a story that takes a good heart and pits life against it.

446 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2015

About the author

Scott Butler’s first home was on an air-force base in Blenheim, New Zealand. His love of books came from the birthday gift his father continues to give him every year.

Scott works in advertising. He writes novels, short stories and blogs about original ideas he wants to share.

Scott’s a fan of the surf (though he can’t really do it), the snow, Vietnamese cuisine and Psychological thrillers. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Lou, his two daughters, Zambezi and Cocolily, their guinea pig, Bellatrix and puppy, Taika.

Reviews

[Alexander Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Butler's Drive is one of those books that feel very much like watching a movie - a fast-paced, exhilarating movie that keeps up a constant stream of suspense throughout its entire duration. Putting down the story, in this case, feels less like taking a natural break from a novel and more like abruptly pausing a DVD. This is ultimately one of Drive's main strengths, as its quick momentum and sharp style ensured that I never found myself bored of the book.

Drive is told through the first-person viewpoint of a man named Toby Dresden. While the book does briefly acknowledge Toby's intelligence, Scott Butler has wisely written the character to be representative of the 'every-man' in society. His status as a taxi driver struggling to get by is a testament to this fact, and the character's strained relations with his family are quickly laid out with an admirably economic word-count. Indeed, the book's concise writing style establishes a core connection between the reader and Toby, with no flashy purple prose obstructing immersion into the criminal underbelly of Australia. The sentence structure is very much direct and to-the-point which results in Toby's experiences feeling almost more like a memoir. In terms of raw engagement, then, Drive passes with flying colours.

Despite this, Toby Dresden as a character is not entirely compelling. Little room is devoted to fleshing out his character and he seems to spend most of the book reacting to horrible situations rather than taking on any agency. We are told through introspection and dialogue that Toby used to be a different person, but Drive's singular focus on his descent into crime means that we never really see him operating in normal circumstances. This somewhat dulls the thriller aspect of the story, as I never cared for Toby even when he was facing a life-and-death situation. Of course, this may have been a deliberate choice as it reinforces the previously-mentioned 'everyman' aspect to his character and supplies a mostly blank slate for the reader to insert themselves into. In this case I believe that a more defined main character would have strengthened the investment I had in the narrative.

The supporting characters in Drive fare much better than our protagonist. Bobby is an obvious stand-out, as Butler expertly balances the line between his civility and utter unrestrained madness. He is absolutely fascinating and his usage throughout the book is always enticing without ever becoming over-indulgent. Elsewhere characters like Sam and Olly prove to be both solid and realistic, and it's to Butler's credit that one can easily imagine them living out their lives outside the events of the story. This ultimately is what separates Toby from the rest of the cast; his character feels completely hollow without an exciting narrative to lean on. Thankfully the central mystery of the plot was more than compelling enough to offset the effects of an uninteresting protagonist.

Drive's plot is definitely the book's greatest strength. Butler has successfully managed to weave multiple mysteries through the story and, even more impressively, all these mysteries are connected in a satisfying way. Crucially, all of them have tangible stakes for Toby and thus drive his motivation. His desire to learn more about the events surrounding his mother's death provides both an intriguing enigma for readers and yet also highlights the values and traits of Toby. In this way Butler ensures that his mysteries push forward both the plot and his characters.

As I read this book I found myself staying up later and later in anticipation of seeing how the story concluded. This, to me, is the mark of excellent storytelling. Drive is an incredibly confident debut from Scott Butler with a page turning quality that I personally hadn't experienced for a long time. The book is certainly not perfect but it's an engaging read that will take you on a thrilling journey through the criminal world without ever breaking immersion. What more could you want?

[Karl Fleet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up, your about to go on one hell of a drive. I compare reading Dive to playing GTA. As its fast and furious with a cast of unforgettable characters. Author Scott Butler grips the steering wheel tightly, slams his foot down on the accelerator, and sets one hell of a pace. For a debut novel, this writer has a bright future ahead.

[Stacey Faire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, witty wording. Totally recommend it.

[Mailmanr5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was torture reading it but I liked it. Clever plot. Main characters were excellent. I did not like the ending though.

[WriteKnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drive was a nice thriller that kept me engaged throughout. I'm a fan of dark psychological thrillers, and this was one of the better ones I’ve read lately.

Scott Butler’s writing style was easy to read and fast paced, to go along with the action and plot development. The plot was plausible, not predictable, and well-constructed, as was the character development. I was drawn in from the beginning, and was intrigued with the mysteries as they evolved. I also liked the dark settings and situations that the MC found himself in, providing a nice edge to the story.

As for the characters, this had a good set of fairly well drawn ones, including the secondary ones, which often isn’t the case in stories that focus on a single MC and written from their POV. I like stories about a common, everyday person that stuff happens to and is taken out of his everyday existence, and then seeing how he or she responds.

Overall, this took me for an exciting ride, so I’d give it 4.0 stars.
[I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Scott!]

[D.C. Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it hard to get into this one. The first few chapters hopped around a bit without giving us enough background to Toby’s motivations to be getting on with and I found myself a little confused. The beginning hook wasn’t obvious enough to figure out what why Toby would get involved in criminal activities, although he is lead astray by the elusive Bobby Mailer. The middle build built up, and up and up, and up, the stakes getting higher and higher until Toby faces a fate worth than death which is damnation. Then the book takes a strange twist with a flash forward/flash back that just didn’t work. It was at this point that I almost put the book down. But I stuck with it and was rewarded with a strong payoff that tied all the ends together. This debut author shows a lot of promise and this is a good read in spite of some of the downfalls. I look forward to this next from this author.

[Z.R. Southcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanting to fulfil his mother's legacy, Toby Dresdon gets caught up in the crime world and finds control slipping away - quickly.

This was an easy, page-turning read, and I enjoyed the offbeat humour. Some great reading for a weekend away or a day at the beach!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly impressed with this first time novelist. The story moved in a direction that made me want to strangle the antagonist while giving the protangonist a firm kick up the bum at the same time. It generated a page turning momentum that made me want to know more.

[Christine Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Action pack. Holds your interest from the get go till the end.

[Murry Sweetpants · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read - once I stepped a few pages in it consumed my long weekend on Waiheke, knocked it out in 4 rainy days. Nice one!

[Garth Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable page turning thriller full of action couldn't put it down!