Book Review: Spear

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Spear     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Doug Hewitt
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Sands Publishing, 2002, $15.99 (American dollars), 253 pp.

CIA agent Warren Capshaw is assigned to surveillance on Project SPEAR. He has his mission and there is nothing in the world that can keep him from carrying it out, not even Sarah Love and her boyfriend Derek Morton. The only thing he has to do is ignore the haunting memories locked in his mind - memories so horrific they could easily destroy him.

In 'Spear', Hewitt provides multiple viewpoints, changing from Capshaw to Love to Morton and others in dizzying succession. Whilst this does provide variety, one cannot help but wonder if it would have been better to stick with one central character and only have the odd changes. These continuous changes can become irritating.

The novel begins 'in medias res' - this is to say that the plot is already in full swing when the novel starts. Unfortunately, Hewitt does not then go back and explain anything that has previously gone on, related to this Project SPEAR. Instead, the reader is left to puzzle out the solution by themself. Unfortunately, this swiftly becomes confusing and the reader will lose interest.

I fear that 'Spear' and indeed, the author, suffer from the same problem that afflicts many small publishers. There seems to be a lack of editing. A sharper focus on the characters and some more work on the plot could make all the difference here, but this has simply not happened, which leaves 'Spear' as a disappointing effort. A book that has a promising plot, but fails to deliver.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com