REVIEW: Relative Danger by Charles Benoit
Posted by henryct on January 14, 2008
Just fired from his job at a brewery, Doug Pearce travels to Casablanca, Cairo, and Singapore to solve the mystery of his uncle’s murder and the whereabouts of a stolen red diamond. While the book starts like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, placing an ordinary man into extraordinary circumstances, it didn’t really thrill me, even with the roof-top chases and exotic women. If the book was supposed to be a mystery, the resolution, while clever, doesn’t lead you to believe that Doug is smart enough to figure it out. Benoit’s writing is superb in many other areas though. His convincing portrayal of the Middle East, hilarious comic timing, and supporting cast of odd characters really give this adventure a distinctive flavor. For a debut novel, it’s not bad, but it ultimately falls short.
