Snake Island by Ben Hobson

☆☆☆☆
.ePUB, 258 pages
Expected publication: October 20th 2020 by Skyhorse Publishing/Arcade Crimewise
About the Book:
In an isolated town on the coast of southern Australia, Vernon Moore and his wife, Penelope, live in retirement, haunted by an unspeakable act of violence that sent their son, Caleb, to serve time in prison and has driven the couple apart. Ashamed, they refuse to talk about him or visit, but when a close friend warns Vernon that Caleb has been savagely beaten, he has no choice but to act to protect their only child. The perpetrator of the beating is a local thug from a crime family whose patriarch holds sway over the town, with the police in his pay. Everyone knows they trade in drugs. When Vernon maneuvers to negotiate a deal with the father, he makes a critical error. His mistake unleashes a cycle of violence that escalates to engulf the whole town, taking lives with it, revealing what has been hiding in plain sight in this picturesque rural community and threatening to overtake his son.

My Review:

I'm not sure what to make of this novel. It was fast paced and had a reasonable story-line but the characters all seem to be sociopaths including the good guys. It hankers back to the Hatfield's and the McCoy's and their blood feud...yet it ticked every single box. A well thought out story with a smashing denouement I didn't see coming. Every character is fleshed out so well and vivid I still think of them even though I've finished the book. 

The book has the kind of beautiful, yummy prose where you repeat sentences to yourself because they are just so damn perfect. It is written with a gritty, hammer-hard-edge throughout  The author has constructed the story line well and provides good and vivid descriptions and believable action. I felt like I was there in Australia with the characters and I really enjoyed the ride.

Disclousure:
Thank you NetGalley, Ben Hobson and Skyhorse Publishing/Arcade Crimewise for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#NetGalley