Published by Headline, 3 November 2016.
ISBN: 978-1-4722-3615-9
Crime and thriller fiction comes in many guises – or perhaps I mean
disguises – but there's no mistaking two of the main sub-categories: fast-paced
plot-driven edge-of-the-seat what-next stories, and gentler character-based
narratives which cover less ground but go a little deeper.
Adam Hamdy's third novel
falls firmly in the first category, and from the very first page shows clear
evidence of his other life as a screenwriter.
It opens with one of the most
dramatic and attention-grabbing scenes I've ever encountered: the protagonist,
photographer John Wallace, regains consciousness to find a noose around his
neck. Yes, he is being murdered, by a mysterious masked stranger clad in body
armour who plans to make it look like suicide. The attempt fails, and he
escapes by throwing himself through a first-floor window, which he also
survives, battered and bruised but undeterred.
Wallace was clearly a cat in
a previous existence; having used up two of his nine lives in the first
chapter, he proceeds to sidestep several more attempts on his life by the same
stranger, with absolutely no idea why he is being targeted. He also convinces
several people, including a sceptical detective, that his version of events is
the true one.
As Wallace begins to follow a
scanty trail of evidence in search of his assailant, the body count seems to
rise exponentially. He enlists the help of an East End gangster, finds himself
banged up in the USA's most notorious prison and makes some dangerous enemies.
Along the way there are more hangings, more than one shooting and stabbing,
even a bomb or two. It's high-octane stuff, and it isn't until a few chapters
from the end that there is much indication of either the identity of the
villain of the piece, or his reasons for wanting certain people dead,
apparently by their own hand.
Most of the victims are
innocent bystanders, or collateral damage as it's blandly dubbed – but despite
that horrific body count, when those reasons were finally revealed I have to
confess to a certain sympathy with the murderer's underlying motivation even
though his methods were appalling and deplorable. Which just goes to show, even
the most action-packed, high-octane, broad-brush-stroke thriller can say
something worth listening to. Also, there's a killer cliffhanger twist at the
end – Pendulum 2 could well be on its way!
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
Adam Hamdy is an author,
screenwriter and filmmaker. In addition to his own original work, Adam has
adapted a number of comic books and novels for the screen, including the
forthcoming film version of David Mitchell’s novel, Number9Dream.
Pendulum is Adam’s third novel. Adam lives in Shropshire with his
wife and three children.
Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen,
and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but
never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher
for a few years, and is proud to have launched several careers which are now
burgeoning. She lives on the edge of rural Derbyshire in a house groaning with
books, about half of them crime fiction.
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