The first thing that struck me when I picked up this book was the absence of any quotes from critics on the cover. You know the sort of thing; "Nick Shannon doesn't just walk those mean streets, he runs down them", Neasden Weekly Globe. Or "Don't give this to yer Granny for Christmas, she'll choke on her pudding", Mossley Hill Residents Association Newsletter. It's all the more surprising because this is a second book in a series. There is usually something.
Pondering the cover also raised the possibility that this was some kind of imitation Nick Sharman. Take the name Nick Shannon. The cover even looks like a Sharman book. (If this were the case imagine what that would be saying about the current status of Mr Timlin. What would he think?!?).
These considerations are soon dispelled under the burden of actually reading the book, the only good thing about which I can say is that it is clear just how bad this is within the first three pages - which should save you from reading the first hundred like me. Clichéd, hopelessly unconvincing, silly, bad - I won't go on. Give it a miss.
