Digital Reads Reviews

Happy Publication Day!!

Many thanks to Caroline Vincent and Bits About Books for my spot on this Blog Tour.

This review is dedicated to Caroline Vincent, and she knows why!!

This review would be the shortest since I am not the ideal audience for this genre. I don’t read books with backdrop of war and its after effects. Since I got the opportunity to read the book, I flipped through the pages to get a gist of it.

Ray Hanna had a form of PTSD known as The Gulf War Syndrome post fighting in the war. But the doctors did not believe in such a syndrome, and there was an absolute lack of support from the government for these war veterans. Fed up with all of it, he put forth a plan which had him going on a bombing spree to make the government pay. And boy, did all of them pay.

My first book by Malcolm Hollingdrake, this was quite different from my routine thrillers. It was written in almost a straightforward manner. I could feel Ray’s frustration squeezing through. His desperate need to do bring about a change was honestly palpable throughout the story. It kept the story moving forward with a vigor.

I wouldn’t agree with his ways, bombs were never the solution. Ray was stopped, but it also brought about a change. Joan played his love interest with an agenda.

The prose may not sound entertaining for a fictional tale, but the words rang true. The plight of these war veterans suffering from PTSD was written in an authentic manner. Through Ray, the author tried to find a voice to speak the truth which was commendable.

I received a free ARC from Caroline and the author, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

You could say that the writing was clearly on the wall for someone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author, but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route.

Malcolm worked in education for many years, even teaching for a period in Cairo before he started writing, a challenge he had longed to tackle for more years than he cares to remember.

He has written a number of successful short stories, has nine books now available and is presently writing the eighth crime novel set in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Born in Bradford and spending three years at Ripon College, Malcolm has never lost his love for his home county, a passion that is reflected in the settings for all the DCI Bennett novels.

Currently, Malcolm is writing a new series which is set in Merseyside.

Malcolm has enjoyed many hobbies including collecting works by Northern artists; the art auctions offer a degree of excitement when both buying and certainly when selling. It is a hobby he has bestowed upon DCI Cyril Bennett, the main character in his successful Bennett series.

Author Website

malcolmhollingdrakeauthor.co.uk

Twitter

twitter.com/MHollingdrake

Facebook Author Page

bit.ly/FBtoMHdrake

Goodreads Author Page

bit.ly/GRtoMHdrake

Amazon Author Page

bit.ly/AmtoMHdrake

This fast moving, thought-provoking thriller is set partly in the stunning beauty and history of Turkish Cyprus. The novel follows one man’s struggle against faceless bureaucrats bent on negating the existence of Gulf War Syndrome. Roy Hanna is a driven man. On his return from the Gulf War, in which he was injured and his comrades killed, he appears to be a successful salesman with everything he could want. Behind his facade, he believes he is suffering from Gulf War Syndrome and that the Government is carrying out a massive cover-up. The lives of countless sufferers lie in ruins. He is determined that the Government should pay and he embarks on a bombing spree to ensure that it does.

Publication Date: 7th August 2019

viewbook.at/BridgingtheGulf