LATEST REVIEWS OF 'ABANDONED'

Mike Dole, ex-Soldier, mentally scarred by his military experiences and an abusive childhood is smotheringly over-protective of his girlfriend, Tess. Until the day she inadvertently triggers the darker side of his nature.

As a result Tess wakes from a drugged slumber to find herself abandoned, with only a very basic survival kit, on a small uninhabited Scottish island.

Mike, his mental 'demons' temporarily calmed by this sacrifice takes up with another girl. The police search for the missing Tess and, as one clue leads to another, Mike does a runner and attempts to dump the second girl on the same island.

But Tess has survived and turns the tables. Tess is no longer the timid little thing she once was, and now Mike is the target of a manhunt, by the police and his old major,but the motives for hunting him down aren't as clear cut as one might expect..

The story builds to a surprising climax, and no character is left untouched by the events. This story is - essentially - a 'chase', but with three dimensional characters and surprising depth.

What it most definitely *isn't* is another Rambo pastiche.

Well worth a read.

(John Craggs) April 2008


“An exciting and thought provoking story set against the stunning backdrop of the North West Highlands, and the vibrant city of Leicester”


“a tight narrative style… no words wasted, no long descriptive passages, and plenty of dialogue”


“intriguing and absorbing – with a surprise ending that was immensely satisfying”


“a lot of people will love it because it's thoughtful, and unfolds as it goes instead of exploding in your face. In short, readers, as opposed to those who seem to see books as a second class relative to TV or film”


“it made me think of John Buchan. Buchan's books - the most famous probably being The 39 Steps - were primarily 'chases'. Abandoned is a 'chase' with added depth"