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A Questionable Hero
He was a ruthless yardie, so why did he save the life of a policewoman? Liston Pearce is a gangster, a drug-dealing gang-boss. In a split-second decision he starts a series of life-changing events that he could not have foreseen even in his wildest imagination. This crime thriller is set in The St.Paul's area of The City of Bristol in 1989 a few years after the Bristol riots. With an exciting twisting plot Pearce battles, which path to take? Contains Strong Language.
348 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2014
74 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Gane
6 books14 followersI'm Stephen Gane and I was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1948. I left school with no qualifications. I then found employment as an apprentice chef. I joined P&O and worked on cruise liners for a while. Then I moved to London where I ended my cooking career as head chef of a London Club. Liston's love of cookery is something he shares with me. My second career was selling antiques which I did until I retired. Suffering from dyslexia I've always had problems with reading and spelling so writing a novel never entered my head. But, Christmas 2013, I had a dream and had to write the story. Seven weeks and three days later "A Questionable Hero" was finished. And now I have written the sequel. I hope you enjoy reading my novels as much as I enjoy writing them.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 30, 2015
Oh dear, what can I say. I truly hate giving low Star ratings because I know how much effort authors put into their writing, but this just isn’t a very good book.
The plot’s good, but we’ve got Yardies listening to The Jackson Five, and one Yardy whose record collection includes reggae, some Beatles, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones. Now I’m not up on the latest tracks by Vybez Kartel, Buju Banton, Baba Dread, Prince Hammer, Jah Stitch and Lloyd Scunna Ruddock, but I hardly think we’d find The Beatles and The Jackson Five in that collection.
But I could forgive a few cultural gaffes if it wasn’t for the awful dialogue. Here we have the police questioning Yardie Sol ;
“We know you have been in contact with Pearce. We know you have worked together in other ways apart from the murder, so why don’t you come clean and tell us the truth. Perhaps we can help you, if you help us.”
Nobody talks like that!
I could give other examples, and I appreciate that dialogue is hard to write, but this reads as if a 14-year-old wrote in. Looking at the cover, and reading the book description, it’s surprising just how boring this book is.
The plot’s good, but we’ve got Yardies listening to The Jackson Five, and one Yardy whose record collection includes reggae, some Beatles, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones. Now I’m not up on the latest tracks by Vybez Kartel, Buju Banton, Baba Dread, Prince Hammer, Jah Stitch and Lloyd Scunna Ruddock, but I hardly think we’d find The Beatles and The Jackson Five in that collection.
But I could forgive a few cultural gaffes if it wasn’t for the awful dialogue. Here we have the police questioning Yardie Sol ;
“We know you have been in contact with Pearce. We know you have worked together in other ways apart from the murder, so why don’t you come clean and tell us the truth. Perhaps we can help you, if you help us.”
Nobody talks like that!
I could give other examples, and I appreciate that dialogue is hard to write, but this reads as if a 14-year-old wrote in. Looking at the cover, and reading the book description, it’s surprising just how boring this book is.
February 11, 2015
When Stephen Gane contacted me and asked me to consider reading his book, I looked at the blurb and a bit inside of the cover on Amazon and agreed to read it. So this author kindly gifted me it.
One thing that swung it, was it was based around my community in Bristol. OK not some places I frequently visit or I dwell in, but places like Bedminster were mentioned other places that I was familiar with or knew of. I felt like I was walking through this book quite comfortably knowing where I was going.
Stephen Gane being a British author of course [like me....as in British, not that I am an author *grins*] meant I could follow this book with some of the ghetto language [man] and slang that came out in some of the ways some of the characters spoke. It was great! One of my pet hates is when someone uses the Queens English when they are Scottish! [ack ei the noo] I feel that authors should write the dialogue of where the story is based around, and I admire that this author did this.
This is his first debut novel and I am in awe of his ability of writing. I read a lot for Indie/self published authors, ones that have just written their first book, some are OK but they need to grow, some 'don't give up the day job' kind of reads, some that think they are brilliant and no one can teach them anything from a readers POV and some that come along and you WHOOOSH you away thinking "This is your first written book? WOW" and if they are like this in the beginning, then their writing ability as a progressive author will only get better and better. This in MHO is how I felt about this author.
Its not the greatest book I have read in this genre, but its certainly more than halfway up there.
What I also saw was his care of a decent cover for his book, and his layout and formating within the pages. I see no errors and so this made it a comfortable read and enticing the reader on to read more and turn pages. I see lots of bad formating, errors, and lack of front covers, and some saying "ah well, its only an ebook" they could learn a lot from this author.
The storyline was good, I wondered what would hit me when I found out why this author named this book A questionable Hero. I soon discovered why.
Liston was a great character, father and sister's were very close and caring to him when things turned around.
The sentence when he went to his father and confessed that he had Killed someone was very touching. Because this showed me that although he was within a 'gang' he had a sense of morality.
There are more things about this story I can say to encourage you to pick this book up, but I would spoil the book for you.
I would like to thank Stephen Gane for contacting me and asking for me to read his book, knowing I am honest and open with my reviews, I bet he's wondering what I am going to write!!!
Thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to read and review your book Stephen Gane and I look forward to more from you
My review blog
http://sueandherbooks.blogspot.co.uk/...
February 5, 2015
3 feb 15, tuesday afternoon, 4:09 p.m. e.s.t.
first from gane for me...just finished one from woodrell, The Maid's Version.
(2014), a questionable hero, stephen gane
story begins: with a prologue
liston pearce was a yardie, a ruthless gangster, a drug-dealing gang boss, who never did much good in his life, except maybe once.
okee dokee then, as the good doctor said (the telling, 1985), onward & upward.
time place scene setting
*britain, st paul's area of bristol
*1962, when liston's family 1st moved to britain
*1936, the year of liston's father's birth
*1957, the year, approximate, when liston's father married
*april 2nd, 1980, the bristol riots
*nine years later, chapter one, october 1989
*inez's place, a flat on a road not far from st paul's
*liston's flat
*tom pearce's house, not far from liston's flat
*a silver bmw m3, liston's car
*mrs stoke's flat...the witness who called the police
*a hospital
*various bars, restaurants, cafes, clubs
*the home of wendy parker's parents, the parker's house in keynsham a few miles outside bristol
*various jail cells, holding cells, courts
*bristol crown court
*bristol soul food...a cafe late in the story
*a pub in st paul's...bristol city centre...a nice indian restaurant called bombay nights
*wimpy's...the name of a restaurant
*there is a part two, two years later
characters major minor real imagined peripheral famous all
*liston pearce, our hero, 3rd-person narrated, born in kingston, jamaica, yardie, gangster, drug-dealing boss. he was named after the boxer, came to britain when he was two, his mother died when he was only fourteen
*inez, his youngest sister
*agnes, another sister, also younger
*phil, agnes's husband
*lucy, daughter of agnes & phil
*a small black dog, daisy
*his father, tom pearce, mid-50s, lives alone in a house not far from liston's flat
*his mother, mary, who died of cancer
*inez's new boyfriend
*charles l "sonny" liston, how liston got his name, his father a boxer, and charles was a heavyweight champion, famous
*a young white man who was attacking a policewoman, wendy parker, & he dies at the scene from two gunshot wounds
*god, christ
*his mates/liston
*someone at the door/liston/talking w/inez
*bob marley, famous musician, liston's favorite album uprising
*his last girlfriend had left him a month before/liston
*an old man from whose house liston stole a world war vintage pistol
*detective chief inspector john orchard, in charge of the investigation...a policewoman knifed, a man shot twice. orchard is in his 50s...he also has a sister...and a cat named molly...he works from the avon and somerset constabulary
*paramedics...the forensics team...witnesses
*wpc wendy parker, the policewoman knifed in an attack
*gerald parker, wendy's father, a chartered surveyor...has a partner
*jane parker, wendy's mother, a full-time housewife
*detective sergeant nick floyd, orchard's partner, 33-year-old, married
*the person who called the police, mrs. harriet stokes...and here, the introduction of her name is without merit as the name is not introduced in conversation. it is given...and it gave me pause...though the reader could assume police canvassing the neighborhood had taken her name, provided same to orchard/floyd
*kids letting off fireworks...before bonfire night
*a nice young girl...when stokes called 999
*orchard's auntie may...stokes reminds him of may
*floyd's wife
*a steel band...playing calypso music...five players
*ruth, a large west indian lady in her fifties
*solomon "sol" cassells, an associate of liston's, one of the gang
*teddy, a plice dog..his handler
*detective sergeant sweet...who becomes floyd's #2 upon the retirement of john orchard
*some builders...to help with the heavy work
*estate agents...the owner had died/small shop
*barman...there are a number of barmen, none i don't think of any note
*poppy and elizabeth, two girls among a group of youth at a church where liston is asked to speak
*seven boys and two girls...at the church
*archangel michael...satan
*pastor michael...who asks liston to speak to some troubled youth
*a shop assistant...where wendy shops
*mr singh, a bearded, middle-aged indian man wearing a black turban
*a young lad with a red and white paper hat/wimpy, a restaurant
*sally, from the job centre
*a woman got up from a desk in front of him
*frank...an inmate
*pitchy, a inmate, a guy from jamaica...his dad/dies
*norman...a cellmate of liston
*donald, liston's new cellmate, a scotsman like jim
*jim, fellow inmate, late 50s, spoke with a broad glasgow accent...tattoos all the way up his arms
*wendy's grandparents
*there are a number of policeman, other than those named, and for the most there is nothing remarkable about any of them, although some are provided lines of dialogue
*there are a number of nurses, night nurses, male nurses, presumably female nurses, some that are described more than nurse, some that are not
*half mast...a nick that liston is given by fellow inmates
*one of the chief cooks
*antonio carluccio and the famous mrs beaton cook book...names of two cook books that liston reads
*the cook who was a miserable old bugger
*norman...an inmate...his daughter...her little boy
*ron merriweather, the man who assumes duty as jury foreman...a retired carpenter...eleven other jurors, 12 total, eight men four women, two black men one asian three black women one white
*dr helen marsh...gives evidence in a case against liston
*liam kelly...the name of the attacker, the real name
*mr eric samuels qc...a kind of prosecutor in the case...i think he is also called the crown prosecutor
*the judge. mr michael smythe qc
*patrick mcgovern, forensic evidence presented in the case
*dr waldren, medical officer, witness in the case...bullets
*the clerk of the court
*rachel elms...testifies...was also the girlfriend of the attacker
*the defence barrister, mr jasper harrington
*the court usher
*mr terry lewis, appointed by the court to represent liston
*liston, jim, pitchy and another guy
*about six hundred prisoners altogether...some real nutters
*the young man...(from whom flowers are purchased)
*bobby sands...a member of the provisional ira...known by kelly
*assistant governor
*jack higgins...author of a ww2 novel the eagle has landed
*ten men dead by david beresford...about a hunger strike at the maze prison
*pamela anderson...famous actress...orchard watches a show w/her in it
*a woman dressed in a white coat (who displays a deceased)
*people filed out of the chapel
*staff nurse benson
*peterson...a policeman
a note on the narration
the story follows a lineal progression. after a brief prologue telling of liston's life, his family history, chapter one begins october 1989, liston leaves his sister's ground floor flat and witnesses a young white man attacking a policewoman who has been stabbed once. without hesitation, liston pulls a stolen pistol from his jacket and shoots the man, twice, then flees. while liston has returned home, listens to marley, rolls a joint, opens a beer, the investigation has started. the story progresses, liston needs to tell someone, can't keep this to himself.
update, finished, 4 feb 15, wednesday evening, 8:05 p.m. e.s.t.
good story...3.75 stars...simple straightforward narrative about a brief period in the life of liston pearce, from the confrontation in chapter one to a satisfying conclusion by story's end. the story is told sparingly...there are no extraneous words, none. i wish there had been some more words in places...there still exists a good story without them...but I think the story could have been better with the spice of words that some of my favorite writers use. i'll add more to the index above, places/scenes, characters/all, and it is only with a comparison of those indexed here with those indexed in other reviews i have that the meaning of what i say is clear.
good read. onward and upward.
another note on the narration
although this is the story of liston pearce, the narrative does leave liston and does look at life through the eyes of other characters.
there are a number of words/phrases unique to this area, england/bristol
...a pinny...
...mr kipling bakewell tarts...
...barman...where here in the states we would say bartender
...sounds like you've lost your bottle...
...i think i'll top myself...
(many of these can be discerned from the context, most can be)
...keep your pecker up...(one inmate tells liston)...and initially, i thought it had a meaning other than the obvious, but perhaps the meaning is universal
some items of note
interesting how the police respond, comparatively, to what i know of how they respond here in the states. this is fiction and we can assume there is a grain of truth here, but they obtain information, investigate, but they also go to the various media..to get the word out...a phrase not in the story, but that is what happens. the media here certainly works with law enforcement, but often, one has the impression that the relationship is antagonistic. in the story, there's the sense that that is not the case.
there is an interesting aside of how screws got their name
first from gane for me...just finished one from woodrell, The Maid's Version.
(2014), a questionable hero, stephen gane
story begins: with a prologue
liston pearce was a yardie, a ruthless gangster, a drug-dealing gang boss, who never did much good in his life, except maybe once.
okee dokee then, as the good doctor said (the telling, 1985), onward & upward.
time place scene setting
*britain, st paul's area of bristol
*1962, when liston's family 1st moved to britain
*1936, the year of liston's father's birth
*1957, the year, approximate, when liston's father married
*april 2nd, 1980, the bristol riots
*nine years later, chapter one, october 1989
*inez's place, a flat on a road not far from st paul's
*liston's flat
*tom pearce's house, not far from liston's flat
*a silver bmw m3, liston's car
*mrs stoke's flat...the witness who called the police
*a hospital
*various bars, restaurants, cafes, clubs
*the home of wendy parker's parents, the parker's house in keynsham a few miles outside bristol
*various jail cells, holding cells, courts
*bristol crown court
*bristol soul food...a cafe late in the story
*a pub in st paul's...bristol city centre...a nice indian restaurant called bombay nights
*wimpy's...the name of a restaurant
*there is a part two, two years later
characters major minor real imagined peripheral famous all
*liston pearce, our hero, 3rd-person narrated, born in kingston, jamaica, yardie, gangster, drug-dealing boss. he was named after the boxer, came to britain when he was two, his mother died when he was only fourteen
*inez, his youngest sister
*agnes, another sister, also younger
*phil, agnes's husband
*lucy, daughter of agnes & phil
*a small black dog, daisy
*his father, tom pearce, mid-50s, lives alone in a house not far from liston's flat
*his mother, mary, who died of cancer
*inez's new boyfriend
*charles l "sonny" liston, how liston got his name, his father a boxer, and charles was a heavyweight champion, famous
*a young white man who was attacking a policewoman, wendy parker, & he dies at the scene from two gunshot wounds
*god, christ
*his mates/liston
*someone at the door/liston/talking w/inez
*bob marley, famous musician, liston's favorite album uprising
*his last girlfriend had left him a month before/liston
*an old man from whose house liston stole a world war vintage pistol
*detective chief inspector john orchard, in charge of the investigation...a policewoman knifed, a man shot twice. orchard is in his 50s...he also has a sister...and a cat named molly...he works from the avon and somerset constabulary
*paramedics...the forensics team...witnesses
*wpc wendy parker, the policewoman knifed in an attack
*gerald parker, wendy's father, a chartered surveyor...has a partner
*jane parker, wendy's mother, a full-time housewife
*detective sergeant nick floyd, orchard's partner, 33-year-old, married
*the person who called the police, mrs. harriet stokes...and here, the introduction of her name is without merit as the name is not introduced in conversation. it is given...and it gave me pause...though the reader could assume police canvassing the neighborhood had taken her name, provided same to orchard/floyd
*kids letting off fireworks...before bonfire night
*a nice young girl...when stokes called 999
*orchard's auntie may...stokes reminds him of may
*floyd's wife
*a steel band...playing calypso music...five players
*ruth, a large west indian lady in her fifties
*solomon "sol" cassells, an associate of liston's, one of the gang
*teddy, a plice dog..his handler
*detective sergeant sweet...who becomes floyd's #2 upon the retirement of john orchard
*some builders...to help with the heavy work
*estate agents...the owner had died/small shop
*barman...there are a number of barmen, none i don't think of any note
*poppy and elizabeth, two girls among a group of youth at a church where liston is asked to speak
*seven boys and two girls...at the church
*archangel michael...satan
*pastor michael...who asks liston to speak to some troubled youth
*a shop assistant...where wendy shops
*mr singh, a bearded, middle-aged indian man wearing a black turban
*a young lad with a red and white paper hat/wimpy, a restaurant
*sally, from the job centre
*a woman got up from a desk in front of him
*frank...an inmate
*pitchy, a inmate, a guy from jamaica...his dad/dies
*norman...a cellmate of liston
*donald, liston's new cellmate, a scotsman like jim
*jim, fellow inmate, late 50s, spoke with a broad glasgow accent...tattoos all the way up his arms
*wendy's grandparents
*there are a number of policeman, other than those named, and for the most there is nothing remarkable about any of them, although some are provided lines of dialogue
*there are a number of nurses, night nurses, male nurses, presumably female nurses, some that are described more than nurse, some that are not
*half mast...a nick that liston is given by fellow inmates
*one of the chief cooks
*antonio carluccio and the famous mrs beaton cook book...names of two cook books that liston reads
*the cook who was a miserable old bugger
*norman...an inmate...his daughter...her little boy
*ron merriweather, the man who assumes duty as jury foreman...a retired carpenter...eleven other jurors, 12 total, eight men four women, two black men one asian three black women one white
*dr helen marsh...gives evidence in a case against liston
*liam kelly...the name of the attacker, the real name
*mr eric samuels qc...a kind of prosecutor in the case...i think he is also called the crown prosecutor
*the judge. mr michael smythe qc
*patrick mcgovern, forensic evidence presented in the case
*dr waldren, medical officer, witness in the case...bullets
*the clerk of the court
*rachel elms...testifies...was also the girlfriend of the attacker
*the defence barrister, mr jasper harrington
*the court usher
*mr terry lewis, appointed by the court to represent liston
*liston, jim, pitchy and another guy
*about six hundred prisoners altogether...some real nutters
*the young man...(from whom flowers are purchased)
*bobby sands...a member of the provisional ira...known by kelly
*assistant governor
*jack higgins...author of a ww2 novel the eagle has landed
*ten men dead by david beresford...about a hunger strike at the maze prison
*pamela anderson...famous actress...orchard watches a show w/her in it
*a woman dressed in a white coat (who displays a deceased)
*people filed out of the chapel
*staff nurse benson
*peterson...a policeman
a note on the narration
the story follows a lineal progression. after a brief prologue telling of liston's life, his family history, chapter one begins october 1989, liston leaves his sister's ground floor flat and witnesses a young white man attacking a policewoman who has been stabbed once. without hesitation, liston pulls a stolen pistol from his jacket and shoots the man, twice, then flees. while liston has returned home, listens to marley, rolls a joint, opens a beer, the investigation has started. the story progresses, liston needs to tell someone, can't keep this to himself.
update, finished, 4 feb 15, wednesday evening, 8:05 p.m. e.s.t.
good story...3.75 stars...simple straightforward narrative about a brief period in the life of liston pearce, from the confrontation in chapter one to a satisfying conclusion by story's end. the story is told sparingly...there are no extraneous words, none. i wish there had been some more words in places...there still exists a good story without them...but I think the story could have been better with the spice of words that some of my favorite writers use. i'll add more to the index above, places/scenes, characters/all, and it is only with a comparison of those indexed here with those indexed in other reviews i have that the meaning of what i say is clear.
good read. onward and upward.
another note on the narration
although this is the story of liston pearce, the narrative does leave liston and does look at life through the eyes of other characters.
there are a number of words/phrases unique to this area, england/bristol
...a pinny...
...mr kipling bakewell tarts...
...barman...where here in the states we would say bartender
...sounds like you've lost your bottle...
...i think i'll top myself...
(many of these can be discerned from the context, most can be)
...keep your pecker up...(one inmate tells liston)...and initially, i thought it had a meaning other than the obvious, but perhaps the meaning is universal
some items of note
interesting how the police respond, comparatively, to what i know of how they respond here in the states. this is fiction and we can assume there is a grain of truth here, but they obtain information, investigate, but they also go to the various media..to get the word out...a phrase not in the story, but that is what happens. the media here certainly works with law enforcement, but often, one has the impression that the relationship is antagonistic. in the story, there's the sense that that is not the case.
there is an interesting aside of how screws got their name
July 16, 2015
"A question of style"
This is written in a style that confused me. At times it is somewhat naive, where real events are alluded to in passing, so the reader can put the story line into context. The introduction of some of these 'tags' was rather contrived. There are other elements such as police procedures, the courts process, and day to day life inside an English prison which are expertly handled. That apart, I didn't feel any tension or the suspense. I anticipated the ending of the book about half-way through when the naive raconteur style took over completely. The further I read, the less real the story became. I was hoping for a thriller, but for me it was just okay.
This is written in a style that confused me. At times it is somewhat naive, where real events are alluded to in passing, so the reader can put the story line into context. The introduction of some of these 'tags' was rather contrived. There are other elements such as police procedures, the courts process, and day to day life inside an English prison which are expertly handled. That apart, I didn't feel any tension or the suspense. I anticipated the ending of the book about half-way through when the naive raconteur style took over completely. The further I read, the less real the story became. I was hoping for a thriller, but for me it was just okay.
September 18, 2015
A FANTASTIC READ.
From page one to the last page,I was involved in this book...Just be sure you have a comfortable chair, drinks, and snacks close at hand because you won't want to put this book down..GREAT READ..HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..If his business was in my area I would be a best customer..
From page one to the last page,I was involved in this book...Just be sure you have a comfortable chair, drinks, and snacks close at hand because you won't want to put this book down..GREAT READ..HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..If his business was in my area I would be a best customer..
March 9, 2017
Fulfillment.
This story shows that you can redeem yourself. Many helpful people, perhaps this is the authors dream, I would like it to be so. A pleasant and enjoyable read.
This story shows that you can redeem yourself. Many helpful people, perhaps this is the authors dream, I would like it to be so. A pleasant and enjoyable read.
February 24, 2018
Easy read, good story, will read more of these books.
March 28, 2019
Predictable ending, but still couldn't put the book down
I thought the story line was great. It shows how Liston went to prison and entirely changed his life. Well done
I thought the story line was great. It shows how Liston went to prison and entirely changed his life. Well done
August 2, 2020
Good read
August 3, 2016
Surprising
Ok. This may not satisfy literature snobs. It has grammatical errors......a few mistakes......Not a literary classic......but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great, believable characters, nicely paced read. Wasn't sure about it. Didn't know if gangland was my thing, but don't let that put you off. Simply.....this is a good read....give it a try.
Ok. This may not satisfy literature snobs. It has grammatical errors......a few mistakes......Not a literary classic......but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great, believable characters, nicely paced read. Wasn't sure about it. Didn't know if gangland was my thing, but don't let that put you off. Simply.....this is a good read....give it a try.
July 30, 2015
Great Book
It was a really great book all of it and how it ended. People can change &this book proves it
It was a really great book all of it and how it ended. People can change &this book proves it
January 3, 2016
Great read
Gripping story with lots of high and low point along Liston's struggle to go on the straight and narrow. Well worth a read
Gripping story with lots of high and low point along Liston's struggle to go on the straight and narrow. Well worth a read
April 12, 2017
Easy reading, enjoyable.
April 18, 2017
First the good, then the bad. I did enjoy this story as a whole, and Liston's transformation from misled gang boss to reformed citizen tells us that it's never too late to change your life. He grows in both mental and spiritual ways, and you can't wait to see what he does with his new life.
I also enjoyed Wendy's character. She's smart and feisty and deals with her disability probably better than I would have. Their slow friendship seems awkward at first, but soon blossoms into the relationship they've been destined for since he saved her life.
Everything else was a bit flat.
The narration was slow and often skipped over details of any kind. You never get to form attachments to the supporting characters (except Liston's father, Tom...he is the most rounded of all the supporting characters) and you don't miss them when they're gone.
It just seemed like a lot of information was being thrown at you, but it never really told you anything.
On the technical side, the punctuation was all over the place. I also found some misspelled or missing words, but those didn't bother me nearly as much as the punctuation.
However, major props to Stephen Gane for writing a book despite his struggle with Dyslexia! I honestly hope he continues to hone his craft and prove that Dyslexia is no match for an author's spirit.
I also enjoyed Wendy's character. She's smart and feisty and deals with her disability probably better than I would have. Their slow friendship seems awkward at first, but soon blossoms into the relationship they've been destined for since he saved her life.
Everything else was a bit flat.
The narration was slow and often skipped over details of any kind. You never get to form attachments to the supporting characters (except Liston's father, Tom...he is the most rounded of all the supporting characters) and you don't miss them when they're gone.
It just seemed like a lot of information was being thrown at you, but it never really told you anything.
On the technical side, the punctuation was all over the place. I also found some misspelled or missing words, but those didn't bother me nearly as much as the punctuation.
However, major props to Stephen Gane for writing a book despite his struggle with Dyslexia! I honestly hope he continues to hone his craft and prove that Dyslexia is no match for an author's spirit.
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