Thank you Austin Macauley Publishers for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
What a Wicked Web We Weave is a novel full of mystery, intrigue, murder, revenge, fraud and betrayal amongst many other things. It has several twists and turns as you get enthralled into each chapter and it will leave the reader in suspense and at the edge of their seat, right up to the end.
After spending ten years working for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Tony Lodge finally lands the job of his dreams in the fraud department. He gets thrown in at the deep end when they receive an anonymous phone call, asking them to investigate one of their managers. Being the new kid on the block, it was easier for the department to put him on the case, as it was thought to be a hoax.
As Tony gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, things start to unfold and point him in the direction of someone a lot closer to home than he imagined. Tony tracks back in time to when the office the senior manager in question moved to when it opened a few years before. This is when the investigation starts to throw open suspicious deaths and an episode of mystery.
I hope you enjoy reading my first novel, What a Wicked Web We Weave, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Review:
My first thought about What a Wicked Web We Weave wasn’t the greatest. Straight of the bat you meet our leading male character, Tony, who pretty much spent a chapter comparing his new girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend. I sat there wondering if the rest of the book was going to be like this. Don’t get me wrong, it is nothing about comparing two female characters, and that sexist thought didn’t even cross my mind until I started writing this review.
It was more to the point that I was dreading our main character to continue do to this throughout the novel and for a while he did. I know as humans we are indecisive and hardly ever make up our minds but having that portrayed on paper in front of us, is not something we generally enjoy. Or rather I don’t.
I decided to read on for a few more pages and give this book a chance, and I’m glad that I did because I found this book more interesting than expected.
Tony gets hired by the fraud department and his first day on the job he is hired to investigate the managers of the department after an anonymous tip is left. Tony being new to the department and with no previous ties to the industry, is the best person to take on this investigation. But it isn’t all sunshine and lolly pops like you would think.
I think I spend more time figuring out the plot of books rather than actually reading them and this book was no different. What a Wicked Web we Weave, had a few plots that I think would leave the normal human reading this book on the edge of their seat and dying for more but unfortunately my brain hates me so we figured out what was going to happen. Figuring out the plot twists aside, the twists in general were really well planned and convincingly written.
Hamilton is a talented writer, and I rarely found flaws in his work. The pace was brilliant and the story flowed from chapter to chapter with ease.
Though I was a fan of the writing I wasn’t really engrossed in the story nor the characters. The plot was well written and would be captivating to anyone else but it just wasn’t for me. I also didn’t find the characters intriguing enough to be invested in their lives. I needed more from the characters at the start of the book to build the empathy and interest but I found that at the end of the book that the characters developed and grew rather than growing with the story.
Over all, What a Wicked Web We Weave had a unique plot that I wasn’t a fan of but the writing however was brilliant and it is always a pleasure to find writers that have a delightful way with words. Hamilton is an author to watch out for, I have no doubt that there will be more amazing work from this author.
Rating: 3/5
ISBN: 9781528900621
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers