My Review For Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland, which I reviewed in March 2021 for Online Book Club. I found it difficult to get into and remain involved with the story. I think the book was professionally edited, as I didn’t find any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors and just a few missed words.

Waves Break is a novel in which the leading character, Phil Tyler, narrates his story about how a traumatic childhood event between three friends shapes his journey into adulthood.  One of these friends, Wayne, is Phil’s best friend and has never seemed to fit into Phil’s world, either in childhood or adulthood.  Phil gives the impression of being rather straitlaced and almost boring, whereas Wayne appears zany, oblivious to other people’s feelings and often selfish.  As we progress through the book, it is apparent that Wayne is like this as a defence mechanism against his sufferings as a child.  As the book develops, Wayne grows as a person and becomes well-liked and trusted by the people who matter most to him.

Waves Break is part thriller, part mystery, and I guess part romance. As crimes are committed, people are hurt, and the same crimes are inevitably solved, but, as in a previous novel by Litherland, the police don’t play a huge part in this, indeed it is the main characters in the book who play the major role in working out what is happening.

The novel includes humour and wit, tears and laughter, friendship and enemies, and the author describes the characters well, ensuring that we are aware of their stories and how they fit into the plot.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was how Wayne developed from an unruly child, although understandably so, to an unruly, rather selfish adult initially but grew into a young man who cares for other people and how his actions affect their lives.

The plot wasn’t as fast-paced as I’d have liked, and this is probably what I disliked the most.  I did enjoy the story, but I found that sometimes my mind wandered, and I wasn’t as gripped with Waves Break as I was with Shifting Sands, a Barry Litherland novel I have read previously.

The book would appeal to readers who enjoy mystery and thriller novels, but due to the bad language, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 18.