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BACKLASH

Denise Ryan

Piatkus £4.99 pbk

Reviewed by John Esctott

Shannon Flinder is a criminal lawyer who once paid a hit man to kill her father-in-law. (She featured in Denise Ryan`s debut book, The Hit.) True, he was a headmaster who mutilated and murdered young girls and deserved to die. And if the police believe Shannon was somehow involved in his death, they haven`t been able to prove it up to now.

Rob, Shannon`s ex-husband and the headmaster`s son (who beat and raped her after his father died) is a copper. He now seems desperate for them to get back together, but Shannon is living with Finbar, a `retired` terrorist. She loves him but isn`t sure she can trust him. She would be even more concerned if she knew that he was being pressurized into helping a group of paramilitaries who are planning the kind of atrocity which makes newspaper headlines. Or if she knew that Special Branch were forcing him to work for them too, and that her life was in danger because of all this.

Then there`s Demetrio Montana, who had someone slit the throat of one of Shannon`s clients. And now Montana`s a client of our heroine, having been charged with the illegal possession of firearms. Not that it`s his main stock-in-trade. His real business is killing people for their identities.

To add to all this excitement, there are the anonymous and threatening letters Shannon has begun receiving from someone who is convinced she`s got away with murder and intends for her to be punished.

You will have gathered by now that there aren`t too many redeeming features about any of the characters in this story. And if you`re looking for subtle plotting and fine, understated writing, forget it. On the other hand, if you want a fast, edge-of-the-seat read, well-laced with violence and strong, if somewhat savage, characters then this book is for you. Previous novels by Denise Ryan have featured in W.H. Smith`s Summer Reading Campaign and it`s not difficult to see why. They make perfect reads for the beach or poolside. And you can happily leave them for the next hotel guest as they`re not the kind of books you`re ever likely to want to re-read.