Author: Nick Brownlee
Publisher: Piatkus
(5/5)
From the opening chapter of Bait, I knew that it was definitely a guy’s kind of book. There’s nothing like a gruesome killing and a colossal explosion to raise testosterone levels, and Nick Brownlee sure sets the pace in this, his first novel. Located in the bustling Kenyan city of Mombasa, Detective Inspector Daniel Jouma has a lot on his plate. With the mysterious disappearance of fishing boat operator Dennis Bentley quickly pronounced case closed, a missing thief whose wife insists he’s been slain, and a charred body washing up – not to mention an incompetent sergeant who can’t make a decent cup of tea – Jouma has reasons to be stressed. However, a chance meeting with Jake Moore, an ex-Flying Squad cop, gets things rolling and pretty soon the two are thick in the middle of an elaborate smuggling operation where everything is inextricably linked.
I shouldn’t give too much away, but I’ll say that following the two men on their mission to seek justice was like watching a combination of the Bourne trilogy and Taken. Brownlee did a fantastic job of keeping me guessing with convoluted plot twists, not to mention enthralling me with loads of killing-off of incompetents by the Big Bosses and high-intensity man-hunting. The complex characters of the men involved in the smuggling ring were also intriguing, although they were all complete psychopaths.
However, amidst all that action, the one calming influence was Jouma. Probably the only uncorrupted police officer in the entire Kenyan force, he really was a breath of fresh air with his strict morals and common sense. I think Jouma’s character in Bait was Brownlee’s way of highlighting the deep corruption that infiltrates the police forces (or any power force) in many parts of the world. What saddens me the most is that while Bait is a novel, I can just imagine that the deliberate barriers Jouma came across while trying to solve the crimes are pervasive and the frustration and anguish felt by many who come into need of those forces are all too real.
Bait is an engrossing read and has a positively satisfying ending. What more could you ask for?
Bait
