Joel Hames

This is a short story which delves deeper into the mind of Sam Williams, the lawyer who gets into deep problems in The Art of Staying Dead. 

Caged

Amazon.com link

My review -

‘Caged’ is a club with an unusual selling point. Instead of scantily clad ladies, it has well-built young men suspended in cages. It’s working within the law but has failed to get its licence renewed. Lawyer Sam Williams is tasked with sorting it out. An unforeseen tragedy follows. Is it Sam’s fault?

This is another short story which gives a snapshot of the life of the main character in one of the author’s full length novels. I enjoy his writing style and the depth and complexity of the characters and I’m pleased to discover that there’ll be another full length Sam Williams novel in 2018. Bring it on!

Joel Hames

This, like a may-fly, is ephemeral - so topical it must be read now!

Brexecution

Amazon.com

My review -

This topical short story tells the tale of the unprecedented referendum vote and adds some fictional spice to the result which probably astonished us all when it happened. Dave is a taxi driver working nights. Someone leaves a briefcase in his cab and an unsuspecting banker finds it. He reads the contents, leaves it there and later, Dave himself reads it. The contents are explosive. There have been cunning plans and dirty deeds (we all knew that!), the banker dies and Dave finds himself in great danger.

This is a bit of fun (well, assuming you like murder and political intrigue). They say a week is a long time in politics, and life imitates art. Current events are catching up with, and even overtaking, this story – but take it in its context. It’s a funny, slightly scary and bravely ambitious book. I enjoyed it very much.