Single Cell

by Phil Rowlands

Deputy Prison Governor, Giles Lawson, has doubts concerning the suicide of a lifer. No one listens to him, so he begins to rattle cages. He is suspended after ignoring orders from his boss to drop it. Convinced his suspicions are valid, he enlists the help of the prison chaplain, and through him, an investigative journalist.As they edge closer to the truth, they are dragged into a dark world of retribution and murder, which threatens not only their lives but also those of Giles’ wife and teenage daughters.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2021

About the author

I am a retired head teacher who now indulges his passion for writing full time.
My blog http://kindleauthors.blogspot.com
aims to support and showcase the talents of Indie authors. If you want to be featured please let me know. Unfortunately I never undertake reviews as I am too busy writing! A free copy of Google+ eXplosion is available from my blog and was written to help new and aspiring Indie authors get to grips with promoting their books.

I am currently engaged on writing a paranormal adventure for children of all ages entitled BILLY: Family Secrets. Another joint venture that is absorbing much of my time is the creation of a magazine for Indie authors who are Welsh, live in Wales, have Welsh connections or whose work is somehow related to Wales.

My last book was an adaptation of Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ entitled ‘A Christmas Carol Revisited’. As the story is set in Manhattan I was delighted to learn that the Entertainment Committee of the City Bar Association of New York are planning a staged reading in the City Bar Association Building Manhattan on the 19th December.

Again, if you want a mention on my blog please let me know.

Reviews

[Grumpy Old Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deputy Prison Governor Giles Lawson  has trouble at home with his wife and teenage daughters. He also has nagging doubts about the suicide of an evil killer, hung in his own cell. The more he pushes the more his boss pushes back. 
He enlists the help of his friend and Prison Chaplain Peter Sattori, but Peter is not all that he seems. He has a shadowy past and contacts in the underworld (the criminal kind not the biblical kind) They set off in pursuit of the victim's cell mate and thus begins an adventure of  betrayal, revenge, vigilante justice and murder. 
After reading the blurb one could be forgiven for thinking that this would be a gritty, prison drama full of screws and grasses and claustrophobia, which it is for the first few chapters before it develops into a sort Roman Catholic spy adventure. Quite unexpected but nonetheless entertaining.
There were a couple of things that threw me off a little. A lot of similar characters were introduced, all around the same time, near the start of the book. By chapter 6 my pen and notebook was out trying to keep track, but before long most had been bumped off. Notepad back in the drawer after a few chapters. 
Also I struggled a little to appreciate the motivation of some characters. Notably the villain in setting up the organisation that Giles and Peter uncover and the motivation of one his associates near the denouement. 
The pace fairly rattled along, probably a little too quickly for me. I read that the author has a history of writing screenplays and I can see why, the rhythm of the book resembles a tv thriller. However, I often feel  the beauty of a book is in lingering and developing. I realise these minor stones in the shoe are probably mine and mine alone. Reading is a very subjective pastime🤷.
Minor quibbles apart I did enjoy the story. The main crux of (POSSIBLE SPOILER) a secret society of powerful relatives of victims ensuring that old school eye for an eye justice is applied in spite of our legal system not because of it is a very good one. 
Also the character of Peter and  a Papal spy network is intriguing and ripe for future books.