Shall We Gather At The River? – An Honest Review

Shall We Gather At The River?

Jane Jago

*Disclaimer*

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

…for a moment the silence was blissful. Then the screaming started…

The body of a young woman is found floating in a Devon river; she has been beaten and tortured, then strangled and discarded.

Finding out who she was, and why she died, is only the beginning of an increasingly violent and disturbing trip into a world of vicious sadism and routine abuse.

Writing team Leo and Mike Johnson will be lucky to get out of this one with all their fingers and toes.

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This is a book with more twists and turns than the most winding of rivers; just when you think things are settling down and becoming more understandable, new surprises crop up to keep you on your toes, and I like that.

Nothing makes me happier in a book than a lack of certainty, I want to stand a chance of figuring out what is going on, but I like it when I’m wrong.

The pacing of this book is not what I prefer, it was too fast, I’m generally more in favour of a slower pace and some more description in the scenes, but I know there are plenty of people out there who like fast-paced action, and the pace in Shall we gather at the river moves at the speed of sound, if not faster.

Ignoring the pace, and the occasional use of more complex words than I felt was necessary, the book has a great and wonderfully complex plot that reaches beyond sunny Devon where it begins. It also features an eclectic array of characters, about whom you’re constantly learning, and who drive the story forward well; there was only one character who I felt was unnecessary, all others fitted into the story and suited their roles well.

If I could make one suggestion to Jane, it would be that a different cover might attract more readers

The Client

John Grisham

While sneaking a cigarette, 11 year old Mark Sway has the misfortune to get mixed up in the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a lawyer who is connected to the murder of a US senator. The police, the press, the public, all are interested in what Clifford might have told Mark before he killed himself, and so is The Mob, who were behind the murder; Mark’s only hope of protection lies in Reggie Love, the lawyer he hires, but she has never handled a case like this.

This is my favourite Grisham book by a mile, the characters are brought to life through the wonderfully descriptive writing, to the point that whenever I re-read the book I picture them easily and feel as though I’m right there at their shoulder, seeing everything they see.

Mark Sway and Reggie Love are the main characters, and the best, but no matter how minor a character is they get the level of description they deserve, as do all the scenes. Such is the job done by Grisham that you get caught up in Mark Sway’s swings from confidence to fear.

In some books the descriptiveness can overpower the plot and keep the story from flowing comfortably, that isn’t the case here. The technical side of things, in terms of helping the rear to understand the legal aspects of what is going on, which is so important in a Grisham novel, is neither invasive nor distracting, as is sometimes the case in his books.

If you haven’t tried a Grisham novel before, and you’re tempted, this is a good one to start with.