Review - "Those in Peril" by Wilbur Smith

Genre: Adventure/Action

Hazel Bannock is heir to the Bannock Oil Corporation, one of the major global oil producers. While cruising the Indian Ocean, her yacht is hijacked by Somalian pirates and her nineteen-year-old daughter, Cayla, kidnapped. The pirates demand a crippling twenty-billion-dollar ransom for her release, and complicated political and diplomatic sensitivities render the major powers incapable of intervening.

With growing evidence of the horrific torture to which Cayla is being subjected, Hazel calls on Hector Cross to help her rescue her daughter. Hector is the man behind Cross Bow Security, the company contracted to Bannock Oil Corporation to provide all their protection. He is a formidable fighting man. Between them, Hazel and Hector are determined to take the law into their own hands.

Wilbur Smith himself introduces his new book

A book teaser

My evaluation

I cannot disagree more with the hype of this book - I am very disappointed! I had never thought the day would come when Wilbur Smith was able to disappoint me with one of his books, but this one did the deed.. And I have been a life long admirer of this author through all his many books about the Courtney and Ballantynes of South-Africa, the Egyptian series and all his other novels.

I sit with a bad feeling that this book isn't written by Smith himself... The way of writing is wrong, the characters are not developed well at all, and where Smith has always been a wordsmith and artist with words he is now not more than an average amateur. Something's wrong!

What another reviewer has said with a perfect choice of words...

"I can not believe that Wilbur's support team of publishers, editors and managers would allow such damage to be done to his brand by releasing this amateurish & vacuous drivel...

If Wilbur Smith has come to the end of his writing life, fine, and thanks for all the great reads over the years; well done, you were a true wordsmith! But to plod on in this fashion? Please, someone who knows him, throw a bucket of icy cold water over him. Did he and his support team really think that no-one would notice?"

I couldn't agree more...

My rating

of 5

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 690 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312567251
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (May 10, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004OA641Q

Pic of the day: Abstract