Review of Beyond the Higher Ground
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Draggnow
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Review of Beyond the Higher Ground
[Following is a volunteer review of "Beyond the Higher Ground" by Thomas A. Brigger.]
Reeling from the loss of his wife in unfortunate circumstances, Tucker Mason throws himself into his work with focus and determination with the sole aim being to find a way to move on and start all over again. He takes up a new assignment, the construction of a prison facility high up in the mountains. While there he meets the different people who call that place home and gets a first-hand feel for their way of life. Just when he thinks, maybe this is the right move for him, he finds himself thrown into a battle for the soul of the community. Like that isn't enough for him, he cannot shake off this feeling of being watched by someone who does not want him there and will do anything to get him out of the way.
Beyond the Higher Ground is a story about growth and acceptance. It wields a web between the personal life of the principal character, Tucker and his relationship with the people that make up his immediate community. It has a detective feel to the book and the construction setting brings the story to life in a unique fashion.
I will start with the things I like about the book. The character development is simply top-notch. Thomas A. Brigger does a marvelous job of detailing each and every one of the people in the book. He takes us right back to how the Correl family came to live in that region complete with their ancestry. The same attention to detail is applied to Cletus, Cecil and even other characters that I would consider as secondary to the overall arch of the storyline. The author's style of telling his story is interesting, to say the least, the initial chapters read like a combination of prose and poetry in an almost sleepy manner. This lullaby-like style changes slowly but noticeably as the suspense in the story builds up. By the end of the book the language is short, direct and hard hitting. It almost felt like I was reading the works of two different authors in one book.
The main thing I did not like about the book was the way the author set out his storyline, it initially felt like I was reading a drama novel but the sudden switches from drama to thriller and the odd romance angle prevented me from comfortably following the story. There were chapters which I had to read more than once in order to grasp what the author was projecting in them. This may have been deliberate on the author's part, with the intention of spicing up the book but it felt like it did more harm than good. This is my opinion on the matter but I except other readers will come to their own conclusions.
This is a good detective novel which would appeal to crime genre readers as well as followers of the fiction genre of books. I would also recommend this book to drama genre readers, following Tucker as he comes to terms with his demons will be worth their while.
Thomas A. Brigger sets up his story with the right ingredients for a thrilling reading session. Laced with family secrets, drug runners and the odd treasure hunt, Beyond the Higher Ground will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, the character development and attention to detail are quite impressive. The quality of editing is also very professional. The author's style of projecting his storyline was the only aspect of the book I was not comfortable with. It is for these reasons I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Beyond the Higher Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Reeling from the loss of his wife in unfortunate circumstances, Tucker Mason throws himself into his work with focus and determination with the sole aim being to find a way to move on and start all over again. He takes up a new assignment, the construction of a prison facility high up in the mountains. While there he meets the different people who call that place home and gets a first-hand feel for their way of life. Just when he thinks, maybe this is the right move for him, he finds himself thrown into a battle for the soul of the community. Like that isn't enough for him, he cannot shake off this feeling of being watched by someone who does not want him there and will do anything to get him out of the way.
Beyond the Higher Ground is a story about growth and acceptance. It wields a web between the personal life of the principal character, Tucker and his relationship with the people that make up his immediate community. It has a detective feel to the book and the construction setting brings the story to life in a unique fashion.
I will start with the things I like about the book. The character development is simply top-notch. Thomas A. Brigger does a marvelous job of detailing each and every one of the people in the book. He takes us right back to how the Correl family came to live in that region complete with their ancestry. The same attention to detail is applied to Cletus, Cecil and even other characters that I would consider as secondary to the overall arch of the storyline. The author's style of telling his story is interesting, to say the least, the initial chapters read like a combination of prose and poetry in an almost sleepy manner. This lullaby-like style changes slowly but noticeably as the suspense in the story builds up. By the end of the book the language is short, direct and hard hitting. It almost felt like I was reading the works of two different authors in one book.
The main thing I did not like about the book was the way the author set out his storyline, it initially felt like I was reading a drama novel but the sudden switches from drama to thriller and the odd romance angle prevented me from comfortably following the story. There were chapters which I had to read more than once in order to grasp what the author was projecting in them. This may have been deliberate on the author's part, with the intention of spicing up the book but it felt like it did more harm than good. This is my opinion on the matter but I except other readers will come to their own conclusions.
This is a good detective novel which would appeal to crime genre readers as well as followers of the fiction genre of books. I would also recommend this book to drama genre readers, following Tucker as he comes to terms with his demons will be worth their while.
Thomas A. Brigger sets up his story with the right ingredients for a thrilling reading session. Laced with family secrets, drug runners and the odd treasure hunt, Beyond the Higher Ground will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, the character development and attention to detail are quite impressive. The quality of editing is also very professional. The author's style of projecting his storyline was the only aspect of the book I was not comfortable with. It is for these reasons I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Beyond the Higher Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer
