Official Review: Peter Street:Treasure

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 29 May 2020, 07:02

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Peter Street:Treasure" by Philip Sparrowhawk.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Peter Street:Treasure by Philip Sparrowhawk is the story of a man who is working as a bookmaker until he gets noticed by MI6 when he does some jobs on behalf of his brother. MI6 appreciated his skills and recruited him, not to work as a James Bond-like agent, but to procure funding. The money will be used for covert operations, corruption, and any kind of task that need money that must be untraceable. Peter gets involved in international drug dealing, arms dealing, and anything that can make a lot of money. He travels around the world to close his deals, making money for MI6, for himself, and for other people involved in his deals. He works for MI6, but he often collaborates with other agencies procuring them big money as well.

Novels and movies show secret agents as people tasked with spying on their enemies, and sometimes even their allies, to discover their secrets or to prevent foreign secret agents' from doing the same. More recently, stories have been told about secret agents using new technologies to do intelligence work. However, any espionage and counter-espionage activities need money, often untraceable money as spies' tasks might require deniability. Someone has to raise a lot of money for such activities, and one day Peter Street is recruited by MI6 to fill that role.

The novel is told in the first person by Peter Street as a sort of diary of his activities. Those events are from a few decades ago: there are no precise indications about the period, but at the beginning, the protagonist recounts that he had a telex while in those days there were neither faxes nor e-mails.

Writing the novel as a diary works in the sense that the protagonist is not a field agent who gets into action like 007, so a summary of the deals he closes spares the readers boring details about his transactions. My problem is I felt that the diary form wasn't exploited well enough. With little action, other elements that can keep the readers' attention must be developed to obtain a good result. Peter traveled to countries plagued by wars and corruption, and the diary form is perfect to offer some insights about such situations, but there's nothing of the sort. Occasionally, there's some humor, but the writing style is mostly dry. Overall, the story falls a bit flat.

Unfortunately, proofreading wasn't properly done. For example, when Peter recounts a job he did in Karachi, he mentions paying a taxi driver in Rupees, and the word is written on the same page as Rupees, rupees, and Rupee's. Plurals are often misspelled throughout the book.

There are several cases of non-borderline profanities throughout the novel. There are even more mentions of sexual acts: the author never goes into detail, but sexual acts are mentioned explicitly. For these reasons, this novel is suitable for adults only.

Peter Street:Treasure gave me mixed feelings because I felt it had an interesting potential that was only partially developed. This seems a case where an editor can help the author in the book's development and proofreading. Due to the book's flaws, my rating is 2 out of 4 stars. This novel shows secret agencies' activities that are not adventurous. It's a very cynical business focused on making money for the agency and all the people involved. If you like James Bond's adventures, this novel is not for you. If you're interested in the dealings of a different kind of secret agent, this book might be for you.

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Peter Street:Treasure
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Maria Esposito · Post by **Maria Esposito** » 30 May 2020, 11:50

If used wisely, the diary format can offer a lot, even when the story is not exactly action-packed. I am sorry that there were no elements in this book that have been properly developed. Thank you for your honest and informative review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 30 May 2020, 14:05

espo wrote: ↑30 May 2020, 11:50 If used wisely, the diary format can offer a lot, even when the story is not exactly action-packed. I am sorry that there were no elements in this book that have been properly developed. Thank you for your honest and informative review.

Yes, the premise is interesting, but it needed more development to work well. Thank you for your comment!

Gracious Ngy88 · Post by **Gracious Ngy88** » 30 May 2020, 16:01

Writing a diary with well developed content and style is not easy. I think some professional editing can help for a better outcome.
Thanks for your honest review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 31 May 2020, 01:48

Gracious Ngy88 wrote: ↑30 May 2020, 16:01 Writing a diary with well developed content and style is not easy. I think some professional editing can help for a better outcome.
Thanks for your honest review.

True, it takes effort to properly develop a diary-style novel. Thank you for your comment!

Dee_Robert · Post by **Dee_Robert** » 01 Jun 2020, 06:00

Aw man!
The storyline looked like it had a lot of potential. A shame it turned out like that

Honest review tho. I hope its retouched a bit, this is a rare view of spy work than we're used to.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 01 Jun 2020, 07:43

Dee_Robert wrote: ↑01 Jun 2020, 06:00 Aw man!
The storyline looked like it had a lot of potential. A shame it turned out like that

Honest review tho. I hope its retouched a bit, this is a rare view of spy work than we're used to.

A second edition corrected and "spiced-up" would be great. Thank you for your comment!

LinaJan · Post by **LinaJan** » 01 Jun 2020, 16:19

I like spy stories and the likes but never actually pondered on 'where do all the resources come from?' This really sounds like an interesting perspective that could fill in some gaps left by all the action films. I am in two hearts regarding this considering the drawbacks - especially the missed opportunities to cover the then-current affairs of what sounds like some amazing places he got to go to.
Thank you for such a thorough review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 01 Jun 2020, 19:54

If the author has the bare bones of a good story, the rest can be fixed. Hopefully, the author will take your words to heart and make some good changes. If so, I think this could be very appealing. Thanks!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 02 Jun 2020, 01:44

LinaJan wrote: ↑01 Jun 2020, 16:19 I like spy stories and the likes but never actually pondered on 'where do all the resources come from?' This really sounds like an interesting perspective that could fill in some gaps left by all the action films. I am in two hearts regarding this considering the drawbacks - especially the missed opportunities to cover the then-current affairs of what sounds like some amazing places he got to go to.
Thank you for such a thorough review!

I had that kind of feeling while reading the book as I appreciated the angle while I could see that it wasn't fully exploited. Thank you for your appreciation!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 02 Jun 2020, 01:46

kandscreeley wrote: ↑01 Jun 2020, 19:54 If the author has the bare bones of a good story, the rest can be fixed. Hopefully, the author will take your words to heart and make some good changes. If so, I think this could be very appealing. Thanks!

The bare bones of a good story are indeed there, ready for the author to work more on them. Thank you for your comment!

Ellylion · Post by **Ellylion** » 03 Jun 2020, 07:50

Thank you for this insightful and honest review! A dry writing style while touching on spying and MI6 themes is discouraging for sure. Also, hope the author fixes the spelling errors. Still could be an interesting read for the fans of the genre, I guess.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 03 Jun 2020, 08:12

Ellylion wrote: ↑03 Jun 2020, 07:50 Thank you for this insightful and honest review! A dry writing style while touching on spying and MI6 themes is discouraging for sure. Also, hope the author fixes the spelling errors. Still could be an interesting read for the fans of the genre, I guess.

With proper development, I think this novel could be great. Thank you for your comment!

_Lindsey_ · Post by **_Lindsey_** » 03 Jun 2020, 10:16

It's a shame there are so many errors in this book as it sounds like a really fun story. I really enjoy high action secret agent novels so I'll definitely keep it in mind despite the problems with it.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 03 Jun 2020, 10:56

_Lindsey_ wrote: ↑03 Jun 2020, 10:16 It's a shame there are so many errors in this book as it sounds like a really fun story. I really enjoy high action secret agent novels so I'll definitely keep it in mind despite the problems with it.

If the author revised the book, possibly with the help of an editor, I might recommend it to you even if there's not that much action. Thank you for your comment!