Out Of The Shadows


Tim Jopling's Out of the Shadows gave me a glimpse of the life of spies. The thrill, the adventure and the dangers associated with them were all brought out well.

What touched my heart was the way human relationships have been depicted in this story. Be it Deane and Olsen, Kurt and his wife, Drake, Akira and Madeline, all the characters bring out the beauty of emotions in their relationships in every scene that they are present. Deane and Olsen, and Akira and Madeline are the two sets of people to watch out for.

The book is rapidly paced, however, there were a few questions I couldn't find answers to and which is why, as much as I wished, I could not give it a 5 star. Firstly, Akira was meant to be the perfect antagonist for Deane, yet, there was something amiss. I loved to love Deane but couldnt bring myself to hate Akira. Secondly, Akira and Madeline shared a very beautiful relationship and it was obvious that Madeline dominated, but what made her control Akira so even after her death, was a question left unanswered. There was a slight reference to Patrice and Martine, but the question lingers on with regards to the reason for Akira's actions.

As is said, a journey of thousand leagues begins with a single step. I am a reviewer and not a critic, hence, I am sure the next book in this series will make up for all the minor issues. This book has all the X-factor that is required, an awesome theme, well etched characters, visual imageries, but for me, the way the mistakes were made by expert spies in this story, somehow let down the plot. Except for Deane and Olsen, to some extent, the other spies were found to be a bit wanting.

However, to sum up, the book does manage to keep you hooked on except for  a few glitches, which I am sure, were totally unintentional.

P.S- I will definitely read the second book in the series as Tim is truly an author to watch out for, in the long run.

Popular posts from this blog

Tainted Lionheart

Nina's Memento Mori

Secret Magic: Evie Everyday Witch