Gabriel Lee
first published: 2020
★★★
Synopsis
What started out as a holiday of a lifetime for two friends turned into a global race to catch a killer.
From the banks of the river Tyne in Newcastle to the shores of the Caribbean, this book tells the story of how a chance meeting changed lives forever.
Murder, drugs and corruption bring together law enforcers from three continents to bring justice for the innocent and punishment to the guilty!
“No-one said it would be easy!”
Tropical Passion Killer is Gabriel Lee’s debut novel, a retired police officer from the Newcastle police. I like crime books and reading one by a local author (his daughter lives in my village) who really experienced what he was writing about got me really excited! And this novel met my expectations: fast paced, intriguing story, no loose points.
It starts with a British guy, Filipe, being murdered while he travels through South America. As that is where I’m from I was curious to see how native people would be depicted, and I’m glad to say there was no stereotyped character. Anyway, back to the story, Filipe is from Newcastle upon Tyne, and that’s how the British police gets involved in the case. The main character, Steve Bond (nicknamed James – well, I can’t say I liked it, but minor point) has to travel to Panama in order to investigate the crime in loco, and will then liaise with the local police.
The story continues in a fast pace, jumping from one place to another (England, Panama, Venezuela, USA, Aruba, Colombia) in a way that made me connect with the story. The author constructed the narrative in short chapters (I love it!) so I could follow different characters at the same time. I could not put the book down as I was so curious to know what would happen next, this book is a page turner! Lee also knows how to describe places and scenes, so it was easy to transform the story into images. It would be a great movie! My only comment about his descriptive style is that he ends up over using the technique ands some small details could be cut off for the sake of style.
And this is my only criticism: this work is a gem that needs polishing. I believe Lee is an independent author as there was no editor listed in the book info. He has a great plot, he develops it well and has knowledge. However, the book needs to be reviewed by a professional editor, as there are many mistakes throughout it which impacted my reading experience (I’m really picky, I know, but that was something really annoying). Lee would also benefit from advice around style so as to make the reading flow better. Some points to observe are: everybody in the book is handsome, tall, athletic, attractive, and sometimes it feels like people are only looking for sex. In my opinion this doesn’t need to be as strong as the story told.
The briefing finished and it was strange for Steve to be kissed on his cheeks and hugged by relative strangers but it did feel good.
p. 279
South American people are considered to be very “warm” in the way they interact with people, even with strangers at times. Although I’m not like this, I think I can be considered a “big hugger” here in the UK so this passage made me laugh so much.
I loved the use of local idioms and slangs in the narrative. As someone who has English as a foreign language, I think this is a great opportunity to learn more and get in touch with everyday English. This is also interesting as it keeps the use of language from a certain period/area registered forever in literary works. Last but not least, being a foreigner in Newcastle, I loved the fact that Americans did not understand Geordie. I am happy I am not the only one!
Although I have some criticism around the book, I really believe Lee has a great potential as a writer and I look forward to his next works. I hope he can get a contract with a publisher as this would take him to the next level.
Thoughts of One's Own 