Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Ordinary Thunderstorms
    Unavailable
    Ordinary Thunderstorms
    Unavailable
    Ordinary Thunderstorms
    Audiobook12 hours

    Ordinary Thunderstorms

    Written by William Boyd

    Narrated by Martyn Ellis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Adam Kindred, visiting London for a job interview, comes across a little Italian bistro as he walks along the Embankment, admiring the views. During his meal he strikes up a conversation with a diner at the next table, who leaves soon afterwards. With horrifying speed, Adam's encounter leads to a series of accidents through which he will lose everything...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Audio
    Release dateJan 10, 2009
    ISBN9781407450421
    Unavailable
    Ordinary Thunderstorms
    Author

    William Boyd

    William Boyd is also the author of A Good Man in Africa, winner of the Whitbread Award and the Somerset Maugham Award; An Ice-Cream War, winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys War Prize and short-listed for the Booker Prize; Brazzaville Beach, winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; Restless, winner of the Costa Novel of the Year; Ordinary Thunderstorms; and Waiting for Sunrise, among other books. He lives in London.

    More audiobooks from William Boyd

    Related to Ordinary Thunderstorms

    Related audiobooks

    Crime Thriller For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Coffee Table

      Aug 18, 2019

      A storm was coming in the life of Ella Risbridger. She had fallen out of love with the world and couldn’t stop crying. Then she discovered cooking, via a pie using her grandmother’s pastry, a succulent roast chicken laced with garlic and much more. T

      2 min read

    Reviews for Ordinary Thunderstorms

    3.5/5

    432 ratings50 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Climatologist Adam Kindred arrives in London from America for a job interview from after a sexual indiscretion has ruined his marriage and his academic career there. Dining alone in a Chelsea restaurant, he strikes up a conversation with fellow lone diner Philip Wang. When Wang, an immunologist, leaves the restaurant he also leaves a sheaf of papers behind. Adam, attempts to return the papers to his new acquaintance's flat only to find him with a knife sticking out of his side. Kindred subsequently does two incredibly stupid things: he removes the knife, hastening Wang's death and ensuring that his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and then after hearing noises in the flat going on the run. Pursued by Wang's killer and the police he decides to shun the trappings of society and go underground living as a vagrant. Once there Kindred's intelligence and self-preservation instincts means that he is gradually able to construct some semblance of civilised life. Thus the novel begins as a thriller with an innocent man mistaken for a murderer who finds himself caught up in the murky world of major pharmaceuticals and drug patenting. However, it soon becomes apparent that identity and self worth are also important factors in this book.This idea seems to affect the author as much as the characters because I felt that Boyd struggled to decide what sort of book he actually wanted to write. Set along the banks of the Thames the action seems to meander along rather than rapidly flow downstream as you would expect in an out and out thriller. The twists and turns of the plot feel forced rather than free flowing. The chapters generally alternate between Kindred and Jonjo Case, the real murderer, as they take part in in a cat and mouse chase but are on occasions interwoven with the stories of a few minor characters, ranging from a semi-literate prostitute struggling to survive as a single parent living on a London sink estate, a charlatan preacher who provides free meals to those willing to listen to his sermons, a policewoman (who also adds the love interest of this novel) who lives with her father on a house boat, and the fat cat owners of a large pharmaceutical company. These sub-plots rather suggest that the author wanted to write a critique on London life, the differences between the disparate social classes but this idea is hinted at rather than fully developed. This is a real shame because I believe that Boyd had a real opportunity to shine a light on the murky, lawless, subculture of a London sink estate and the alienation felt by those who feel on the outside of society not to mention their desire to survive no matter what obstacles life puts in front of them. Consequently Kindred's own character comes across as lacking any real depth. This books therefore seems to fall between two very differing genres but that all said and done it is well written making this an enjoyable piece of escapism. I simply feel that it was a missed opportunity and could have been so much better. I have the author's A Good Man in Africa and Armadillo in my possession so look forward to reading them at some point.
    • 3/5
      There were some good moments, but this is not one of Boyd's best. This comment does not mean that I won't continue to read him. I will.
    • 1/5
      I picked this book up randomly at the library when I went to check out some more Calvino, so I had no expectations, really, other than what one usually expects out of a rather trashy mystery thriller novel. I was really disappointed when it was even worse than that! I didn't finish this book - the protagonist makes every wrong move, with flawed and just bad logic behind it. The characters were flat, vulgarity and gore were thrown in gratuitously and just ruined the fast paced flow of a mystery novel. I'm one to give trashy crime novels a chance when I don't want to read anything overly challenging, but this was a complete disappointment.
    • 3/5
      I would not normally read a book like this but it was set by my reading group. William Boyd is not a favourite of mine. His writing style annoys me. I did find the book intriguing and kept on reading to find out what happened. The plot was very contrived and the "crooks" among the characters very stereotyped.
    • 4/5
      Ordinary thunderstorms can sometimes turn into violent and destructive super-cell storms. William Boyd runs with this metaphor in "Ordinary Thunderstorms," his thinking-man's thriller from 2010.Adam Kindred, a climatologist in London for a job interview, has a casual restaurant conversation with another scientist, a drug researcher. When Philip Wang departs he leaves behind a file, which Adam finds. It has Wang's address and phone number on it, so Adams calls him and offers to drop the file off at his place. This minor inconvenience is the ordinary thunderstorm.When he arrives at the flat he finds the door open and Wang with a knife in his chest. He pulls out the knife, Wang dies and just like that Adam finds himself the chief suspect in a murder case, his fingerprints on the murder weapon and his name on the visitor register. But this is now a super-cell thunderstorm, and Adam's even greater danger is that Wang's killer, an ex-soldier called Jonjo, is hiding in the flat and, because of that file, wants to kill Adam, too.Boyd keeps up the tension in the novel's first few pages, but after that those who make a steady diet of thrillers, with their constant action and murders every other chapter, may get bored with "Ordinary Thunderstorms," for the center of this storm is prolonged lull, though hardly an uninteresting one for more discerning readers. The author takes us into the London underground, not the subway system but rather the shadowy world into which countless people disappear each year.Adam finds it amazingly easy to disappear from view, even in a city that has cameras everywhere. He supports himself by begging in the street, avoids using his real name or his credit cards, grows a beard and, for a time, sleeps outside. Gradually he forms a new identity, gets a job as a hospital porter and begins to probe the mystery of what got Philip Wang murdered.Some of this may strain belief, as when Adam starts dating a police officer and she falls in love with him without bothering to probe his past even a little bit. Still it is fascinating stuff. The novel ends with the suggestion that, while this particular storm may be over, another one may be just over the horizon.
    • 3/5
      There are some novels I read as a substitute for TV and for pure entertainment value. These include mysteries and some science-fiction. Ordinary Thunderstorms does not fit into either of these genres, but it is a novel to be read for pure entertainment value. It's not great literature, there are no deep revelations, no grand ideas, but it is well-written, highly readable and has an engaging story. It sucked me in, immersed me in its world for a while, and then let me off, not a better or more informed person, but a satisfied reader.The story begins as Adam, a climatology scientist, has just completed a job interview which he believes has gone extremely well. To celebrate, he treats himself to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Chelsea. In the restaurant he exchanges pleasantries with another solo diner, during which he learns that the other man is also a research scientist. After the other man leaves, Adam notices that he left some papers behind, and Adam decides to return them (he had been given the man's phone number). This was a big mistake, and Adam soon finds himself on the run from both the police, who want to charge him with murder, and from a hulking giant who wants to kill him. Adam goes underground, and must learn to leave without cash, credit cards, housing and readily available food. The story of Adam's survival on the streets as a homeless person is interesting enough, but at the same time Adam also must make sense of what has happened to him. This all makes the book a page turner.There is a small plot point at the end of the book that I was really annoyed by, so I was thinking of taking 1/2 star off, but since this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book until the very end I'm leaving my rating at 3 stars.
    • 4/5
      Adam stumbles upon a dying man, and flees, fearing he will be accused of murder…. And so, William Boyd delves into the underbelly of down-and-outs, the wretchedly poor, and, in contrast, the machinations of a money-grabbing pharmaceutical company.Interesting story but, unlike the usual classic literature, there was no neatly tied-up ending.
    • 3/5
      Pretty ordinary conspiracy thriller. However the descriptions of a character from a white collar background adapting to living a life off-the-grid is pretty interesting and where I started to really enjoy the book.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book, but I didn't love how craft-like it felt. I have trouble with over-plotted books, and although I appreciated how he provided a reason for all the actions (and reactions) I got tired of seeing that happen in the book. Plus, what a missed opportunity, with "Ordinary Thunderstorms" as the title and a main character who studied clouds for a living I expected that science would play a bigger role.
    • 5/5
      This is a really good read bit unbelievable in places but overall a really good well written enjoyable story Main character is Adam Kincaid he is wanted for a murder of a scientist he didn't commit the Police are looking for him and so is the real killer. Adam becomes a tramp and meets some interesting characters along the way, The Scientist who was murdered was about to expose a large drug company for negligence. Fast paced interesting story.
    • 4/5
      Boyd is a favorite and this one is an exciting _Wrong Man_-like thriller set in London. A large pharmaceutical company is the lurking malevolence chasing our leading man along with the police. The Thames River and some of London’s darker denizens add verisimilitude to this adventure that is set off by a random chance encounter. Who are we (and what do we become) when we are forced give up modern life’s high-tech luxuries and live off the grid? Cinematic to the max and yet thought provoking.
    • 5/5
      “Jonjo looked over at Bozzy for confirmation that Mr Quality was one sandwich short of a picnic” (p. 255). This sentence may indeed be common currency in the U. K., but it’s easily one of the funniest I’ve ever read.


      One thing I’ve come to appreciate about William Boyd’s prose – and Ordinary Thunderstorms is no exception – is its virtuosity. Whatever quibble a given reader might have with the story-line of any of his novels, one can only admire and be thankful for Boyd’s command of the language. Either he knows it better than the vast majority of other contemporary writers, or he takes the time to check what he may be unsure of.


      Either way, we’re the beneficiaries of his knowledge and care – even if “hoiking” (sic) is misspelled on p. 137 (and again on p. 352 and again/I> on p. 390), and “emolliently” (on p. 181) is, well, a one-of-a-kind adverb. I guess even William Boyd can slip up. But, as even he says: “‘Practice makes perfect,’ Adam thought” (p. 373).


      Needless to say, I consider Boyd to be a master craftsman. What T. C. Boyle is to the short story, William Boyd is to the novel. They just don’t come any better.

      I won’t bore you – a potential reader – with plot or character analysis. I’ll simply say that if you (as I was) were once shocked by A Clockwork Orange – either Anthony Burgess’s book or Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic version – you’ll be equally shocked by William Boyd’s Ordinary Thunderstoms. Merry ole England – while old (and getting older every day) – just ain’t so merry any longer. It, like New York City of not so long ago, can be downright scary. At least in the eyes, ears, nose, throat –and pen – of William Boyd.


      RRB
      Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
      5/21/14
    • 4/5
      This is an excellent, suspenseful story. The characters are vivid and very believable. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the ending. The book just stopped, leaving you hanging as to what the final outcome would be.
    • 4/5
      This is a story about falling from grace. What happens when all money, safety, power are stripped away overnight, by mistake. How do people survive? To what lengths will they go? How does one build a new identity and a new life. All of these questions are addressed in the midst of a murder/suspense novel. Well done, William Boyd, well done!
    • 3/5
      A tale of a young man who makes a tough decision and ends up being hunted for murder and forced to live in the underbelly of London. No the best of his books but the main character is very well written.
    • 3/5
      In Ordinary Thunderstorms William Boyd has fashioned a fast-paced suspense novel, an edge-of-the-seat innocent-man-on-the-run thriller. Because of a chance encounter in a restaurant, Adam Kindred's life is irrevocably altered. A simple act of kindness turns lethal, and Adam finds himself on the run, pursued by a murderer, for whom he is a loose end, and by the police, for whom he is a prime suspect. All is not lost however. Adam, a climatologist by trade, is shrewd and resourceful. He uses his smarts (and a bit of luck) to turn things around, to construct a new identity and re-enter society as someone who does not have to spend his days looking over his shoulder. Boyd's ingenious narrative employs multiple perspectives as it zigzags through a labyrinthine plot. The reader is acquainted with all the players and witnesses the action from a variety of angles. It is a deft balancing act that the author carries off with apparent ease. Ordinary Thunderstorms is a thoroughly engrossing reading experience, a wise and entertaining novel in which danger lurks around every corner, but one that also has something profound to say about corporate greed and society's treatment of its less fortunate members.
    • 4/5
      It is a thrilling and breathtaking fast-paced story. The language is absolutely brilliant. It shows how the life of a young man was turned upside down. Getting back a worth living life he has to solve a murder. He isn't helping the police which are hunting him, quit the contray he is playing a pharmaceutic group off against a bounty hunter. In the end he is getting a new life back. Probably a better one?
    • 5/5
      This is a book about identity. It is a grand story; better than Boyd's more recent 'Waiting For Sunrise' because it carries a more cohesive and engaging idea, that of surface verses deep character and the circumstances needed to force deep character to the surface. A tough killer is reduced to a weeping child, outwitted by a homeless climatologist. It is a little irksome that the winners here tend to be the middle class but that is a minor middle-class quibble in itself. Another bonus, reading this book, is seeing all the plot lines dance out, spiral and engage again.
    • 5/5
      A clever well observed abd beautifully written page turner with lots of twists and turns - definitely best novel read this year
    • 4/5
      Have you ever set aside a book promising yourself to read it later, because another book came along that you were dying to read? Then another book comes along that was well hyped and then another. Eventually you find that first book under a pile of other books you have read. You finally get a chance to read it and it turns out this book is better than many of the other books you read since you first set this one aside. Ordinary Thunderstorms: A Novel is that book. Adam Kindred is a young man who strikes up a casual conversation with a stranger in a small Italian bistro in a suburb of London. From this minor encounter his life begins to fall apart like a tumbling row of dominoes. He is soon running from not only the police, but also a killer who is desperate to find him. Adam sees only one way out, to disappear. But how do you disappear in a city that has more closed circuit televisions scanning the populace than any other city in the world. How do you not leave a trail, when any financial transaction or a meeting with a public official could be recorded and lead back to you. It is after all, the information age. We are all tied in myriad ways to the grid. How do you utterly disappear in the heart of London? I enjoyed this book very much. I felt a couple of the scenarios were a bit thin, but the author pulled them off. The writing was very good overall. The characters were deftly brought to life. I found myself routing for the hero to persevere. Perhaps we all have that subliminal desire from time to time to vanish from our present lives and see if we could start over again. This book was provided for review by the well read folks at Harper Perennial.
    • 3/5
      This is the latest in Boyd’s apparent taking up of genre fiction. Okay, An Ice-cream War was a historical novel as were The New Confessions and Any Human Heart but he is not generally considered a writer of genre. Yet having most recently tackled the spy novel in Restless, he now ventures into thriller territory. (I doubt he’ll be trying SF though.)Returning a briefcase left at a restaurant where he was eating to a man with whom he had struck up a conversation, Adam Kindred stumbles into a murder scene. The victim is still barely alive and asks Adam to remove the knife from his body. Disoriented, Adam does so and the victim promptly dies. Suspecting the murderer is in the next room, Adam flees with the briefcase and thus becomes the prime suspect. So far, so very The Thirty Nine Steps. What follows deviates from that template but is still pretty much a standard thriller where Adam sleeps rough, takes up begging, attends the Church of John Christ, changes his name, links up with a prostitute and her son, then later with the policewoman who was first on the murder scene! - all the while pursued by the murderer at the behest of a big pharmaceutical company with a secret to hide. The secret is of course in the briefcase. Put like that this sounds ridiculous. Not very literary is it? Admittedly the novel doesn’t touch the heights of earlier Boyd offerings like Brazzaville Beach, Any Human Heart or even Restless but it is very readable, rollicking along at a fine pace - and the characterisation is good. It is also a signal reminder of how easy it can be to stay lost in modern society. Use no banks, mobile phones nor credit cards and you are virtually invisible; certainly hard to trace. Whether the novel much enlightens the human condition is something different, though.The story is told from the viewpoints of several of the characters and Boyd does that mainstream thing of giving their histories. I know it’s supposed to add to roundness and provide motivation but it struck me that really - especially if this knowledge is essential to the plot - it’s just another species of information dumping.Inevitably with multiple viewpoints some of the narrators are less engaging than others. I was at first irritated by that of the chairman of the research company Calenture-Deutz but it is a sign of Boyd’s skill that he is able to elicit sympathy and even compassion towards him.The writing appears effortless, very little jars (but see below) and the stupidity of Adam Kindred at the start apart - don’t touch the knife! - is psychologically convincing. If you like thrillers with a bit of character meat to them give it a try.
    • 4/5
      Another highly readable William Boyd novel, albeit not as as original or convincing as other things he's written. The subject - a falsely accused murder suspect fleeing injustice in London - is a little more mainstream than other Boyd works, but in plotting, character development and general description this remains well above that of your average book. But my gripe about this novel is the ending: what happened? Essentially, when it feels like there should be a few more chapters describing how events unfolded, there is just a brief, unsatisfactory summary chapter. Did Boyd suddenly decide he couldn't be bothered to finish the book?
    • 4/5
      As I started reading this book, I knew it: I discovered another talented writer. "John Grisham" format, but much richer style. An excellent thriller. If at all I have anything negative to say, it would be that at times (only at times) it seemed a bit too easy for the protagonist to avoid his pursuers, but then how true it is: if you don't have any paper trail - how easy it is to just "vanish"... Also, the police woman Rita's character promised more depth at the beginning, but turned out a bit superficial as the story progressed; still, she wasn't the main character, after all. But that put aside, a quite worthy read.
    • 3/5
      I decided to make this my second Boyd novel partly because I really enjoyed the first (Restless) and partly because this one seems to polarize people into two camps; liked it and hated it. I didn’t see many reviews claiming to love it though, so maybe I was better forewarned than I thought. Although I did find it interesting and finished it without too much effort, it lacks focus and has a lot of people doing stupid things. Maybe it’s in the water, but no one seemed to act rationally. Maybe that’s the experimental piece of what Boyd seemed to be doing with this book; to write a thriller full of people doing the unexpected. Sort of an anti-thriller; the thriller that didn’t thrill. Not only does Adam do dumb stuff, but so does the supporting cast; Rita, Ingram and Jonjo. Each in their own ways of course, but their actions don’t follow what we’ve come to think of as normal for this type of book. Does it succeed? I don’t know. As a meandering story of what if, yes it does. What if a guy stumbled into a murder and became the chief suspect, would he run far away or hide in a vacant piece of land a few miles from the kill site and become a bum? Would a by-the-book cop jump into a relationship with a man far below her social station who appears to have been dropped into his current life straight from the moon? Would a killer-for-hire hold such a grudge against a person who doesn’t matter anymore? Would a powerful corporate executive spend so much time deciding what to drink, whether or not to wear underwear and with hookers instead of controlling his company, employees and board members? It’s as if Boyd made a bet with someone that he couldn’t sell a book with people making such weird decisions. I guess the joke’s on us.That said, I didn’t hate it. I actually enjoyed Adam’s moral flaying. I enjoyed seeing how low he could go, from taking advantage of a relatively stupid single mother, adopting another person’s newly acquired persona, to stealing a blind man’s cane and pretending to be blind, to murdering his blackmailer. Maybe those last two should be in reverse order. Even as Adam acknowledges the slimy, lowness of his deeds he goes through with each of them without a qualm. Like the sexual encounter that ended his marriage, he seems to do these things accidentally on-purpose and it spoke to my inner voyeur.The tracks involving the other characters were less interesting. Rita being the least among them. I never really ‘got’ her. She seemed like a bimbo add on, but those aren’t popular so was changed into a career girl and a cop. Ah that will make the PC Police back down. Eh. Then Jonjo (what a name, btw…Jonjo…really? I’m supposed to be scared of him?) just seemed cobbled together out of what a professional thug is supposed to be. The dog was an interesting touch, but seemed quirky for quirkiness’s sake. Ingram was the biggest oddity of them all; a CEO with no balls, power, drive or ego. He wasn’t a type A at all and to be the head of a biggish company like he was, you have to have those. I did like Mhouse though in a strange way, and was sad at her ending. The way Boyd moved them all around each other was good; I liked the serendipity of a lot of it. But as characters they left me sort of disconnected. I will read others from Boyd though.
    • 2/5
      The Short of It:Ordinary Thunderstorms is anything but ordinary, yet it wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. I guess you could say that it caught me completely off-guard.The Rest of It:Adam Kindred is at the wrong place, at the wrong time and stupidly removes a knife from the side of a dying man. In a panic, he flees and takes to the streets to become a transient, begging for change. As the story unfolds, all of the complexities of what’s happened and what he’s done comes to a head. He’s lost everything and yet, he doesn’t seem to care. As the story unfolds, and the reasons for what’s happened come to light, he sets out to flush out the bad guys.When this book came out in hardback, I added it to my to-read list because I had read an article where Stephen King said it was one of the best books he’s ever come across. I was intrigued by this for many reasons. First off, I adore King’s writing. Second, King’s opinion of what’s good can only be interesting, right? Well, I can’t speak for King, but what fascinates me about Ordinary Thunderstorms is Adam’s innate ability to adapt to the situation. In a split second he decides to give up the life he’s known with very little remorse. Stripped of his worldly possessions, he makes do with the basics and remarkably, seems happy…not at all devastated at what he’s lost. This aspect of the story intrigued me.As a transient, he meets various people who unknowingly assist him in his desire to remain invisible. Mhouse, a prostitute with whom he lives for a very short while, her son, Ly-on, whom Adam takes a deep liking to, and various other folks he comes across including a Marine cop whom he ends up sleeping with. But, these encounters are brief and although they exist to prove that there is another side to Adam, the side that comes to the surface is not one that I particularly liked.In the midst of all of this running, Boyd uses his novel to make a statement about big pharmaceuticals and the effect that they have upon society as a whole and Adam is right smack in the middle of it.I thought this novel would be suspenseful and that Adam would come full circle in his discovery of who he is, but I’m not sure he ever figures that out and although parts of it were suspenseful and fast paced, much of it left a sour taste in my mouth. Had Boyd focused on one aspect of the novel, I think it would have had a bigger impact on me, but instead he dabbles in a little bit of everything in his attempt to cover it all which leaves some things underexplored.As a suspense tale, there isn’t any big pay-off. There is, but there isn’t. Meaning, it’s not as satisfying as it should be and as an internal look at the human psyche, well, that’s less than satisfying too. Ordinary Thunderstorms is a message cushioned between the pages of what could have been a great, suspenseful read, but instead ends up being just the shell of what could have been.
    • 1/5
      I've given this 1 star as I did make it to the end without too much effort, but in reality this was an incredible poor book. I don't know anything about William Boyd, but for some reason I thought he was a vaguely well respected author. Maybe he his, but this was one of the most stupid books I've ever read. Normally I avoid spoilers, and don't talk plots, but there is nothing to spoil here. Adam Kindred is an academic who accidentally disturbs a murder scene, so it looks like he did it. What does he do? Go and hide under a bush in Chelsea for weeks on end. Impossible to believe. The story wanders about a bit as he lives as a homeless man, has sex with a prostitute without a condom, and generally acts like an idiot. Meanwhile the other part of the plot features a head of a big Pharma company who's main feature seems to be that he doesn't wear underpants (I'm not making this up). Later on, just as things are resolving, Kindred murders someone else - a homeless man that was annoying him. But it doesn't matter, because, you know, its just a homeless man. He's still our hero. Boyd seems to get bored of it, and the book just kinds of stutters to a halt - loose ends all over the place. Probably the worst book that I've ever made it to the end of.
    • 3/5
      I had been slightly disappointed by the last William Boyd novel I read, 'Any Human Heart', largely because of its lack of focus and its sprawling nature. I expected this one, in the thriller genre, to be much tighter, and it was, though Boyd still manages to cram a lot of characters in (rather too many - a few are mere caricatures) and takes us on quite a journey round London, from corporate jungle to sink estates, with the river literally and metaphorically at the heart of the story.The basic plot and devices borrow heavily from both John Buchan ('The 39 Steps') and Alfred Hitchcock ('North by North West') in that an innocent man finds himself suspected of murder and tries to evade capture from both the police and the real culprits, who have their own reasons for wanting to kill him. The hero, Adam Kindred, manages to make himself anonymous by throwing away all the trappings of modern life and identity - mobile phone, credit cards, an address. His stratagems for evasion, and the adventures and relationships that come along in the pursuit of some kind of freedom are the most interesting parts of the book. The actual 'crime' elements, while engaging, are built on such absurd premises that you have to stop yourself constantly asking, 'but why would they do that?', 'why does he make that choice?' 'why didn't the police just...?' If you don't ask, it's because you are swept along by the action and by the empathy Boyd makes you feel for Adam. On the basis that the book is a page turner, and on the whole elegantly written, I am giving it a three-star rating, but to be honest I could equally have given it a scathing review, and gone into detail about its inadequacies, its implausibilties, and its occasional lapses into cliche. Maybe I expected more because of Boyd's reputation and because I have enjoyed some of his work in the past - 'Brazzaville Beach' for example. He is a frustrating writer. Somewhere there is a great book in him. This certainly isn't it, but at its best it's 'a good read'.
    • 4/5
      A thriller based in London, I didn't enjoy is as much as Restless but a page turner.
    • 2/5
      Barely managed to finish - slow and stretched out. Also seems improbable, but that could be just me: wouldn't be running if I had nothing to do with the crime.
    • 5/5
      This reminded me of lots of different authors, none of which was William Boyd. It has a different feel to his other work – shorter chapters, less reliance on the public school/Scotland/Africa connection, and more commercial and gritty. It reads a bit like Ben Elton, Jeffrey Archer, Dean Koontz and Irvine Welsh all whizzed up in a blender and then strained through one of James Patterson’s socks. But like pretty much all of Boyd’s novels, I loved it – a fast read that gets down to business straight away, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. The story features a fascinating range of characters, with the right balance of light and shade about them, and some well imagined scenarios – I particularly liked the Church of John Christ, and the character Jeff Nashe – ‘a kind of virtual revolutionary until he fell down the stairs’ – surely one of the best throwaway lines I’ve read in years.I suspect the crime side of the plot will be too simplistic for fans of that specific genre, and some difficulties did seem to be overcome a bit too easily but all in all it was intrigue on a level I could understand, and a story that, despite the dark places it visits, leaves the reader with a feeling of hope and admiration for the characters’ resilience.