Review: Trade

Trade by Oliver M. Bishop

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



A book with a promising plot set in locations that work with the plot almost ruined by lack of editing. At its core, this is a dark story of what happens when damaged people cross into the lives of people who have never imagined such evil exists in the real world. The antagonist makes no apologies because he's not aware that he has anything to apologize for and the group of characters that come together to form the protagonist shows glimpses of being flesh and blood types who make mistakes and sometimes blunder into doing the right thing. Where the book goes bad is the repetition of inner dialog (perhaps used to show the characters intellectual weaknesses, but the smart ones do it too), supporting characters that take actions that aren't supported by what they've shown themselves to be, and way too many uses of gunshots by amateurs , either accidental or on purpose, that always hit the best spot for lazy story telling.

A few more drafts and an impartial editor and Mr. Bishop would have had an impressive first novel.



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