Review by mondegreen -- Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
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mondegreen
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Review by mondegreen -- Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland
[Following is a volunteer review of "Shifting Sands" by Barry Litherland.]
Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland follows the journey of an angstier Sherlock Holmes by the name of Philip Tyler, who is trying to solve the mystery of a disoriented man found walking naked in the middle of the night. Philip hears of this story from his "friend" Winston, an aloof and scattered personality. Though Philip knows it isn’t in his best interest to trust Winston, his curiosity is enough for him to start investigating. Winston’s story leads them to Westleigh Lodge, a rehabilitation center owned by Logrum Research. The journalist within Philip alerts him that there was more to uncover about this story and even Liz, his boss at the Evening Post newspaper and a no-nonsense, formidable woman, was readily backing him up. Philip’s attempts to figure out where this naked man came from spiral into a more complex mystery of the true intentions behind Logrum. This book follows Philip as he exposes different parts of the puzzle one at a time, including puzzle pieces by the names of Wendy, Mark, Benny, and Melissa, which slowly come together to reveal an answer; only, is this the answer based in reality or does it only exist in Philip’s grandest imagination?
Litherland does a great job writing his characters in a relatable manner. Because of the first-person perspective, the readers get to inhabit Philip’s mind and learn the inner workings of his thoughts while also being able to fill in the spaces with their own perceptions. Though the characters in this story are all around 30 years or older, I would still definitely recommend this book to teenagers because of the vulnerability and imperfection displayed through the narration, qualities that any human can understand. There is also a great variety of well-developed personalities among the other characters that almost anyone who reads this story is bound to connect with.
The author also keeps the reader tied to the book through many doses of suspense, thrill, and my favorite, the humor. As much as this book is a mystery book, it has a thread of subtle and sarcastic humor throughout that enhances the story tenfold. The witty remarks that come from Philip induced actual laugh-out-loud moments for me and this humor coupled with the tense storyline makes this book that much more enjoyable. In this novel, humor isn’t just used as stress relief; it’s also used as a tool for characterization, as seen with regards to Liz; “words of praise from Liz are a rare commodity. People write diary entries about them” (chapter 2). Other times, it is used for pure laughs. There is the occasional nod to British specific references but this doesn’t take away from the overall impact the comedy has on the story. And sometimes, the British related comedy is so obvious, the reader can’t help but chuckle (i.e. “we’re partaking in the British solution to every crisis- a cup of tea” (chapter 33)). Anyone who is looking for a mystery novel with a lighter spin would enjoy this read.
This novel ultimately lends itself to the reader’s interpretation. Ambiguity plays a powerful role in this book as it relates to the overarching question Litherland is asking: who decides what is ethical and true? Different people in power, whether that be lawyers, politicians, or billionaires, might each have a different belief about what is moral. This novel urges the reader to reflect on who gets to make that final choice and whether their truth coincides with our reality.
Though the book does have a few grammatical errors and spacing issues, it is nothing that makes it impossible to get through the story. Similarly, like mentioned before, a person with no knowledge of British culture can also get by, despite the few allusions to it. There is the occasional use of swear words, which are moderate and mostly used to develop the characters. There are also no heavily erotic scenes that need to be noted. Overall, I have no major qualms with this exceptionally well written and edited book. I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars, for its gripping plot and phenomenal use of wit.
******
Shifting Sands
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Shifting Sands by Barry Litherland follows the journey of an angstier Sherlock Holmes by the name of Philip Tyler, who is trying to solve the mystery of a disoriented man found walking naked in the middle of the night. Philip hears of this story from his "friend" Winston, an aloof and scattered personality. Though Philip knows it isn’t in his best interest to trust Winston, his curiosity is enough for him to start investigating. Winston’s story leads them to Westleigh Lodge, a rehabilitation center owned by Logrum Research. The journalist within Philip alerts him that there was more to uncover about this story and even Liz, his boss at the Evening Post newspaper and a no-nonsense, formidable woman, was readily backing him up. Philip’s attempts to figure out where this naked man came from spiral into a more complex mystery of the true intentions behind Logrum. This book follows Philip as he exposes different parts of the puzzle one at a time, including puzzle pieces by the names of Wendy, Mark, Benny, and Melissa, which slowly come together to reveal an answer; only, is this the answer based in reality or does it only exist in Philip’s grandest imagination?
Litherland does a great job writing his characters in a relatable manner. Because of the first-person perspective, the readers get to inhabit Philip’s mind and learn the inner workings of his thoughts while also being able to fill in the spaces with their own perceptions. Though the characters in this story are all around 30 years or older, I would still definitely recommend this book to teenagers because of the vulnerability and imperfection displayed through the narration, qualities that any human can understand. There is also a great variety of well-developed personalities among the other characters that almost anyone who reads this story is bound to connect with.
The author also keeps the reader tied to the book through many doses of suspense, thrill, and my favorite, the humor. As much as this book is a mystery book, it has a thread of subtle and sarcastic humor throughout that enhances the story tenfold. The witty remarks that come from Philip induced actual laugh-out-loud moments for me and this humor coupled with the tense storyline makes this book that much more enjoyable. In this novel, humor isn’t just used as stress relief; it’s also used as a tool for characterization, as seen with regards to Liz; “words of praise from Liz are a rare commodity. People write diary entries about them” (chapter 2). Other times, it is used for pure laughs. There is the occasional nod to British specific references but this doesn’t take away from the overall impact the comedy has on the story. And sometimes, the British related comedy is so obvious, the reader can’t help but chuckle (i.e. “we’re partaking in the British solution to every crisis- a cup of tea” (chapter 33)). Anyone who is looking for a mystery novel with a lighter spin would enjoy this read.
This novel ultimately lends itself to the reader’s interpretation. Ambiguity plays a powerful role in this book as it relates to the overarching question Litherland is asking: who decides what is ethical and true? Different people in power, whether that be lawyers, politicians, or billionaires, might each have a different belief about what is moral. This novel urges the reader to reflect on who gets to make that final choice and whether their truth coincides with our reality.
Though the book does have a few grammatical errors and spacing issues, it is nothing that makes it impossible to get through the story. Similarly, like mentioned before, a person with no knowledge of British culture can also get by, despite the few allusions to it. There is the occasional use of swear words, which are moderate and mostly used to develop the characters. There are also no heavily erotic scenes that need to be noted. Overall, I have no major qualms with this exceptionally well written and edited book. I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars, for its gripping plot and phenomenal use of wit.
******
Shifting Sands
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
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Hazel Arnaiz
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A profound analysis! Thank you so much for the insightful review.Ambiguity plays a powerful role in this book as it relates to the overarching question Litherland is asking: who decides what is ethical and true?
Latest Review: A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
