Book Review

Basic Details:

Book Title: The Desolate Garden

Subtitle:

Author: Daniel Kemp

Genre: Spy

Part of a series? No

Order in series: N/A

Best read after earlier books in series? N/A

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36416151-the-desolate-garden

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the complicated and entangled story of one family. Previously unknown family ties become known to Harry Paterson as he tries to find out who murdered his father and brother. Will he be able to find out who did it before more of his family members meet the same fate?

What I liked about the book:

I liked the suspense and the tension within the book.

What I didn’t like about the book:

Unfortunately, there were several points where the sentences were unclear due to missing words or wrong tenses. This did not take away of the quality of the book but only made it slightly more difficult to read.

My favourite bits in the book:

Where the woven mysteries of this family became untangled.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I believe this is a stand-alone book. This author has, however, written several other books.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book is not dissimilar in the other book of his hand I have read, Why A Complicated Love, even if the story is completely different.

Recommendation:

Children No

Young Adult Maybe

Adult Yes

If you like Spy novels this book may be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Only months before the murder of Lord Elliot Paterson, and his youngest son Edward, an address in Leningrad is discovered hidden in the ledgers of the family's Bank in Westminster, dating back to the 1930's. There is a spy in the family, but on whose side? His eldest son Harry is recruited into the British Secret Service to uncover the traitor. The Desolate Garden is a twisting tale of deceit and intrigue with Harry, and an attractive girl from the Home Office, desperately trying to unravel the mystery, before anyone else meets the same fate.

About the Author:

Daniel Kemp’s introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!

On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic accident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden. Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for five years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.

All seven of his novels are now published by Creativia with the seventh—The Widow’s Son, completing a three book series alongside: What Happened In Vienna, Jack? and Once I Was A Soldier. Under the Creativia publishing banner, The Desolate Garden went on to become a bestselling novel in World and Russian Literature in 2017. The following year, in May 2018, his book What Happened In Vienna, Jack? was a number one bestseller on four separate Amazon sites: America, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Although it's true to say that he mainly concentrates on what he knows most about; murders laced by the mystery involving spies, his diverse experience of life shows in the short stories he writes, namely: Why? A Complicated Love, and the intriguing story titled The Story That Had No Beginning.

He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed employee of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on 'live' television in the UK publicising that first novel of his.

He continues to write novels, poetry and the occasional quote; this one is taken from the beginning of Once I Was A Soldier

There is no morality to be found in evil. But to recognise that which is truly evil one must forget the rules of morality.

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Kemp/...