#BookReview Falling from High Places by John Hayden

Genre: Thriller

No spoilers.

Intimidation, bribery, corruption and human trafficking. James McGettigan battles the most powerful to clear his name and protect those they are coming after.

When James tries to rescue a woman in the water that fell from the boat belonging to an old nemesis, and whom potentially helped to cover up Donald’s international crimes, triggers off another series of crazy events as he tracks the people that might give him answers. He needs to find the killer before he is the one in jail.

‘False opinions are like false money, coined first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime.”

Falling from High Places.

The cop that arrested him and the DA are intent on bringing him down unless he plays snitch for them. Backing James into a corner, he steadily manipulates the situation to skirt just outside the line. Double crossings and betrayals leave James to believe there is more to the killing than what he first suspected.  .

Some powerful people are out to get him, using anyone to achieve that goal. McGettigan has to cross continents to uncover the money trail, pitting his fighting skills against trained soldiers, and utilizing friend’s connections to unearth a deadly conspiracy.

His enemies will not stop until he is either dead or locked up. Setting him up in a compromising situation, James must figure out once again how to get out with the help of an unlikely ally.

A last stand, a grand show of strength to expose predators will be do or die for James.

My Review.

“A rabbit-hole beckoned.”

This is sort of what it felt like when reading this book. Travelling further and further into a convoluted rabbit hole where there seems to be no end in sight except just more killings, set-ups and corruption.

James McGettigan is rapidly introduced to us as a caring man whose wife died of cancer, and he too had a cancer scare. A little eccentric, he uses his wits to get himself out of rather tough situations. James is portrayed almost as a jack of all trades; having the ability to follow his target, break in to premises, manhandle and defend himself, investigate corruption and the dealings of the criminal underworld, all the while trying to clear his name of not just the murder of Donald Harnett, also the frame up of smuggled Asian girls. James feels more like a spy on a mission, capable of killings, and maiming if necessary.

He thinks of himself in the third person, referring to himself as McGettigan, while the same time he speaks to the reader in the first person. I can understand what the author is doing by creating a character that doesn’t see himself as McGettigan. However, the jumping to and fro does make it distracting at times.

There is something rather fragmented about the writing, the connection of events and characters. The scenes jump rather abruptly without explanation of how he got out of the last situation before ending up in another situation.

Throughout the story, more is revealed about his background and the case that changed his life. The characters range from middle-aged influential women, to cops with a chip on their shoulder, incompetent DAs, corrupt politicians, and all that in between.

There is a bit of tell instead of show; however, the story begins to find its footing, and I got a clearer idea of where it was heading, and the parts the characters play in the story.

As we delve deeper into the story, the plot begins to take shape. James travels to investigate who was behind the death of his billionaire friend, encountering obstacles at every turn in which he has to use subterfuge, cunning, and manipulative techniques to stay one step ahead to avoid being killed.

The suspense is created with the ‘why’ and the ‘who’.

Why has someone or some people gone to all this trouble to continually set James up? What did he stumble upon to earn him this much attention? And whom? There is an abundance of characters with potential motives. James has to slowly whittle down who it might be, having to be careful who he trusts. Power and greed getting the best of most people.

Brutal. Gritty. The violent reality of retaliation and means for a cover up. What happens to some of the characters is not for the faint of heart. This story delves into the grotesque and sadistic world of gangsters and organized crime. Politicians, lawyers, and cops are all on the pay-roll, making it even more difficult for James to dodge the bullets. Constant barrages on his life occur, while brutal killings are inflicted on anyone that is suspected of talking.

A plethora of corrupt characters, a tangled web of law enforcement, politicians and organized crime take you down an intricate rabbit hole that at times can make it difficult to keep track of who is who with so many characters introduced.

If you missed anything throughout the book, the summary of events and how each of them was involved is covered later on in the book, detailing motive, and clarifying all the facts.

Readers that enjoy a suspenseful action plot with a diverse range of villains, and a protagonist that skirts those lines to find justice might get caught up in this read.