London’s underbelly explored

• Book: Ordinary Thunderstorms
• Location: London
• Author: William Boyd

Review Author: Eva Glyn

This was a book club pick and not the sort of thing I normally read. But that was my reason for joining a book club – to try new things. And guess what? I loved it.

A thriller set in the underbelly of London that most of us hope not to see, it follows the world of middle class academic Adam Kindred from the moment his world unravels when he’s accused of murder. At first one poor decision follows another and within days he is homeless and hungry, pursued not only by police, but by a ruthless hitman.

The story is told from multiple points of view that weave seamlessly together. Adam, the hitman, the boss of a pharmaceutical company that may be at the centre of it all, a policewoman and a prostitute. An unlikely cast of compelling characters who create a faultless narrative only a really skilled an experienced novelist could pull off.

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