What do you think?
Rate this book
Traumata: ... a nail-biting international crime thriller set in Afghanistan and London...
DID MELANIE MURDER THE MAN WHO RAPED HER?
That's the question troubling Dr Michael Green when the police accuse his daughter of the gruesome killing. She denies it, but suffering from PTSD doesn't make her a reliable suspect – or defendant. He has to help her.
His first step is to find a good lawyer who can advise him on what happens next. Being charged with murder would not help her recovery. Secondly, he must report the rape to the Ministry of Defence as a war crime; it happened years ago while Melanie was serving in Afghanistan.
Finally, he must find Rand, the mystery-man she met online who offered to help her overcome her anger. He disappeared soon after the body was found. If Michael can show Rand is real and could have murdered the man, it would cast enough 'reasonable doubt' on Melanie's guilt to set her free.
Does he believe she did it? Can he save her from a life sentence? Who is Rand?
The questions keep coming in this roller-coaster of a read with the answer to the big one on the very last page.
That's the question troubling Dr Michael Green when the police accuse his daughter of the gruesome killing. She denies it, but suffering from PTSD doesn't make her a reliable suspect – or defendant. He has to help her.
His first step is to find a good lawyer who can advise him on what happens next. Being charged with murder would not help her recovery. Secondly, he must report the rape to the Ministry of Defence as a war crime; it happened years ago while Melanie was serving in Afghanistan.
Finally, he must find Rand, the mystery-man she met online who offered to help her overcome her anger. He disappeared soon after the body was found. If Michael can show Rand is real and could have murdered the man, it would cast enough 'reasonable doubt' on Melanie's guilt to set her free.
Does he believe she did it? Can he save her from a life sentence? Who is Rand?
The questions keep coming in this roller-coaster of a read with the answer to the big one on the very last page.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2019
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Renwick
12 books2 followersBrought up in South East England, went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and commissioned into the Royal Engineers.
Achieved an MA at Cambridge University in Mechanical Sciences and in Economics. Served for 25 years then set up a company restoring and renovating old houses before retiring to write and ski.
He has four children, ten grandchildren and four grand-dogs, and divides his spare time between West Kent and the French Alps. (Please note my pen name is Douglas Renwick, my two middle names.)
Achieved an MA at Cambridge University in Mechanical Sciences and in Economics. Served for 25 years then set up a company restoring and renovating old houses before retiring to write and ski.
He has four children, ten grandchildren and four grand-dogs, and divides his spare time between West Kent and the French Alps. (Please note my pen name is Douglas Renwick, my two middle names.)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 13, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Bereaved, broken, and suspected of murder. Can her father save her from a life sentence?
Traumata is a completely unusual story, but one which I loved and couldn’t get enough of. Douglas Renwick, the author of this fabulous thriller, has gone above and beyond with the plot. It far outreaches most people’s imagination. It includes a harrowing trial, life in a war zone, and even a splash of romance as one young woman, Dr Melanie Green, is accused of murder and a father who will stop at nothing to prove her innocence.
All the characters are well described and come across as real. My favourite character was Melanie’s father Michael, he became my hero. Any parent would put themselves in his shoes to go to the end of the world for their child. I loved it when Michael met bowler hat, suited and booted Jim!
The plot was amazing. It kept me hooked all the way through and I especially loved all the twists and turns that kept on taking me in different directions. It also touched all of my emotions throughout. The book was just perfect the whole way through and had a brilliant ending too.
Douglas Renwick is an excellent storyteller who has good use of language and knows how to add attention to detail. I really got caught up with the drama and the emotion of the trial. This is a story that will stay with me.
This is a high recommendation from me for Traumata. One powerful read which will keep you guessing until the very end.
Bereaved, broken, and suspected of murder. Can her father save her from a life sentence?
Traumata is a completely unusual story, but one which I loved and couldn’t get enough of. Douglas Renwick, the author of this fabulous thriller, has gone above and beyond with the plot. It far outreaches most people’s imagination. It includes a harrowing trial, life in a war zone, and even a splash of romance as one young woman, Dr Melanie Green, is accused of murder and a father who will stop at nothing to prove her innocence.
All the characters are well described and come across as real. My favourite character was Melanie’s father Michael, he became my hero. Any parent would put themselves in his shoes to go to the end of the world for their child. I loved it when Michael met bowler hat, suited and booted Jim!
The plot was amazing. It kept me hooked all the way through and I especially loved all the twists and turns that kept on taking me in different directions. It also touched all of my emotions throughout. The book was just perfect the whole way through and had a brilliant ending too.
Douglas Renwick is an excellent storyteller who has good use of language and knows how to add attention to detail. I really got caught up with the drama and the emotion of the trial. This is a story that will stay with me.
This is a high recommendation from me for Traumata. One powerful read which will keep you guessing until the very end.
April 24, 2020
This brilliant novel has an unusual combination of themes that work together to a great effect. Courtroom thriller, action in a warzone, psychological drama and a hint of romance make this a well paced and very human book. It covers the strength of a parent’s love for their child, as well as the dogged determination to survive. Melanie is a young woman whose determination and bravery places her in danger in different forms. Her father Michael gets involved as he realises that his only child is in deep trouble, and it is his sense of purpose that we observe in action through most of the novel. This contemporary tale is a strong witness to the strength of humanity in near impossible circumstances, when not only the obvious dangers can change a life. From the mountains of Afghanistan to the Old Bailey, the trials that people face on a daily basis are vividly described. Well researched, beautifully written and a powerful story, this is a book which sets out what happens in war and peace to a determined young, and the complex plot keeps the reader guessing to the end. I was intrigued and involved in this book from the very start, and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this exceptional book.
The book opens with a challenging picture of death in a small village in a remote part of Afghanistan, swiftly moves on to a picture of a young woman plunged into a period of dealing with the unthinkable, and the beginnings of her coming to terms with a different life. This book is very clever at revealing what has occurred through the discoveries of Michael, a man who has had to come to terms with being told his beloved daughter has died in action as an army medic, only later to discover that she is in fact alive. Melanie’s state of mind is an important theme in this book, as she deals with post traumatic stress in all its forms. Her progress is at the heart of this book, as her therapy leaves an understandable need for vengeance amidst the pain of perceived loss. The courtroom scenes are meticulously written, and maintain the tension between procedure and drama really well, with all the little details that make the reader feel truly involved.
I found the research in this book really well done, and it never dominated the text. I appreciated some of the fine distinctions made in the legal approaches taken by the lawyers, and the medical details emerged as more than credible. This is a mature and sophisticated novel which is indeed sensitive to character as well as logical principles. It is deeply enjoyable despite the initial theme of death in a far away place, and no details spared in other respects. The picture of Melanie is so well drawn in her commitment, bravery and strength in a variety of situations. I recommend this as a strong read of adversity encountered in so many ways, and the human cost of a clash of cultures.
The book opens with a challenging picture of death in a small village in a remote part of Afghanistan, swiftly moves on to a picture of a young woman plunged into a period of dealing with the unthinkable, and the beginnings of her coming to terms with a different life. This book is very clever at revealing what has occurred through the discoveries of Michael, a man who has had to come to terms with being told his beloved daughter has died in action as an army medic, only later to discover that she is in fact alive. Melanie’s state of mind is an important theme in this book, as she deals with post traumatic stress in all its forms. Her progress is at the heart of this book, as her therapy leaves an understandable need for vengeance amidst the pain of perceived loss. The courtroom scenes are meticulously written, and maintain the tension between procedure and drama really well, with all the little details that make the reader feel truly involved.
I found the research in this book really well done, and it never dominated the text. I appreciated some of the fine distinctions made in the legal approaches taken by the lawyers, and the medical details emerged as more than credible. This is a mature and sophisticated novel which is indeed sensitive to character as well as logical principles. It is deeply enjoyable despite the initial theme of death in a far away place, and no details spared in other respects. The picture of Melanie is so well drawn in her commitment, bravery and strength in a variety of situations. I recommend this as a strong read of adversity encountered in so many ways, and the human cost of a clash of cultures.
June 1, 2020
I was completely intrigued when I read the synopsis of Traumata; I expected an angry revenge killing thriller but I was completely wrong as Traumata is so much more involved than that. I experienced a wealth of emotions, both with Melanie and her father, as the story past and present is revealed.
Dr Melanie Green is serving her country in Afghanistan when she finds herself stranded in a Pashtun village in the mountains. When she is 'rescued' in a dramatic and devastating way, she returns to England, grieving and alone. Seeing her 'rescuer', Mr Nasty, climbing the ranks of British politics, her anger intensifies and she turns to an online support group where she meets an American named Rand. In a series of email exchanges (which are included in the book), Rand and Melanie explore ways to kill Mr Nasty. When Mr Nasty is found dead in suspicious circumstances, just days after Melanie reports his war crimes, the police turn their attention to Melanie.
Melanie's father, Michael, is a doctor in Spain and he returns home to help Melanie when her case goes to court and her mental health comes under scrutiny. This is the part I really enjoyed and loved the way it was written to include courtroom scenes, conversations with legal counsel and the hunt for evidence to help Melanie. The legal system really is like a game; bluff as much as you can and don't reveal all your cards until you have to. I found the whole case gripping and intense, which kept the pages turning effortlessly.
The feeling I got throughout the whole book is a father's love for his daughter. Michael never once lost faith in Melanie and was prepared to go to the ends of the earth to help her case. I think being a doctor conflicted a little with his role as a father as he did question Melanie's mental health on occasion, but he never failed to do his best for her.
Traumata turned out to be completely different to what I imagined, in a very good way. Aside from the very emotional and devastating story of Melanie's past, I loved the email transcripts and the legal element of the story. The courtroom scenes were so vivid, I could have been sat in the public gallery myself. The strapline 'Dramatic, Different, Exciting and Sensitive' is absolutely perfect for Traumata; a legal thriller that has its roots in the British Army in Afghanistan.
Traumata is explosive, intense, emotional and very compelling; I got so embroiled in the story I didn't even ask myself the most important question: did she do it? For the answer to that, you'll just have to read it to find out!
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Dr Melanie Green is serving her country in Afghanistan when she finds herself stranded in a Pashtun village in the mountains. When she is 'rescued' in a dramatic and devastating way, she returns to England, grieving and alone. Seeing her 'rescuer', Mr Nasty, climbing the ranks of British politics, her anger intensifies and she turns to an online support group where she meets an American named Rand. In a series of email exchanges (which are included in the book), Rand and Melanie explore ways to kill Mr Nasty. When Mr Nasty is found dead in suspicious circumstances, just days after Melanie reports his war crimes, the police turn their attention to Melanie.
Melanie's father, Michael, is a doctor in Spain and he returns home to help Melanie when her case goes to court and her mental health comes under scrutiny. This is the part I really enjoyed and loved the way it was written to include courtroom scenes, conversations with legal counsel and the hunt for evidence to help Melanie. The legal system really is like a game; bluff as much as you can and don't reveal all your cards until you have to. I found the whole case gripping and intense, which kept the pages turning effortlessly.
The feeling I got throughout the whole book is a father's love for his daughter. Michael never once lost faith in Melanie and was prepared to go to the ends of the earth to help her case. I think being a doctor conflicted a little with his role as a father as he did question Melanie's mental health on occasion, but he never failed to do his best for her.
Traumata turned out to be completely different to what I imagined, in a very good way. Aside from the very emotional and devastating story of Melanie's past, I loved the email transcripts and the legal element of the story. The courtroom scenes were so vivid, I could have been sat in the public gallery myself. The strapline 'Dramatic, Different, Exciting and Sensitive' is absolutely perfect for Traumata; a legal thriller that has its roots in the British Army in Afghanistan.
Traumata is explosive, intense, emotional and very compelling; I got so embroiled in the story I didn't even ask myself the most important question: did she do it? For the answer to that, you'll just have to read it to find out!
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews