The Wreckage (2011)

Very good thriller by an author who is worth following. I like the return of Vincent and Joe. I would like to read more about Holly , Elizabeth , Luca and Daniella.
Must be good when you want to keep tabs on that many characters! ( )

Although it features a couple of characters familiar to readers of his earlier novels, Michael Robotham's seventh book is something of a departure from its predecessors; more political in content and also more of an international thriller. In Baghdad we meet Luca Terracini an American journalist investigating a series of bank robberies that no one else seems terribly interested in, despite the enormous sums of money involved and the sheer number of robberies. Meanwhile in London when retired policeman Vincent Ruiz witnesses a young girl being hit by her boyfriend he plays the good Samaritan; a decision he regrets when one of his most precious keepsakes goes missing. At the same time the wife of an English bank executive reports her husband missing. In a complex but thoroughly riveting plot these disparate stories eventually intertwine in an all-too credible tale of corruption on a grand scale and the lengths people will go to hide it.

The story unfolds in short chapters alternating between the two locations where we learn more details about the people and events going on and, if you're anything like me, try to work out where the connections are going to be. Although this is definitely a plot-driven thriller, the depth of the story comes in part from the large and interesting cast of characters. Luca, atypically, lives outside the protective 'Green Zone' in Baghdad and seems determined to be a different kind of journalist than the fly-in/fly-out type the locals are used to and I was soon drawn into wanting to know what would make someone behave so recklessly. Of course being this kind of character he has the scope to introduce us to a far wider range of people than we might otherwise meet and these people, American contractors, locals, UN workers etc all provide what feels like real insight into the situation in Iraq, the good and bad, without the book getting bogged down in any particular particular political stance.

In London there are another group of interesting people to meet. Robotham's fans will be familiar with Vincent Ruiz but the good thing about these books is that they are only very loosely related so there's no requirement to have read the earlier novels. Vincent is getting ready for his daughter's wedding when his plans are interrupted by his good Samaritan act and in trying to retrieve the stolen keepsake he wants to pass on to his daughter he meets Holly. She is someone who has been forced to develop the traits and skills required to survive when life treats you very unkindly, but she brings out the protector in Vincent despite her treatment of him. Elizabeth North, the woman whose husband has gone missing, is in some ways the polar opposite of Holly, having had a privileged life until the present moment and she has to learn to be tougher to find out what has happened to her husband and to protect her son and unborn baby. I found her a particularly credible and compelling character.

THE WRECKAGE is a very current book, delving into such issues as the current state of play in Iraq so many years after the war began, the fallout from the global financial crisis on the world's banking institutions, and the bizarre combination of hard slog and good luck required to gather intelligence about terrorists and their evil plans in these uncertain times. While the story is certainly fast-paced and full of action and suspense, Robotham has managed to stay clear of sensationalism, providing a more thoughtful and thought-provoking book than the average thriller. ( )

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham disappointed me. It was OK but I think that hype just set my expectations too high for it. For me the events starred more than the characters. I just didn't like the characters at all.

Luca Terracini, an Iraqi American had lots his love, Nicole in a suicide bombing. His reaction to that terrible loss was to give himself over to reckless behavior. At first, I thought I would feel something for him but I just couldn't get into his character. Daniela Garner and Richard North and all the authors didn't make me care either. I had no trouble reading the book, the pace was fast. I just think I would have preferred a non-fiction book on this subject.

I think would try another of the author's books since his writing style is excellent, but this one was OK but not the best for me ( )

I can't tell you how pleased I was to finally get to read THE WRECKAGE. I've been a fan of this series since it's inception, with only one minor disappointment in the last book which headed off into shock tactics a little too overtly for my liking. THE WRECKAGE, however, is a terrific thriller, with a complex and masterfully executed plot and a sense of pace and tension that is nicely balanced with a bit of romance and some family secrets.

It probably doesn't hurt that the action centres around Vincent Ruiz in this book, one of my favourite of Robotham's shifting cast of central characters (in itself a particularly clever idea). The book is made up of a number of different threads, some of which are reportedly based on true events. Using a series of short, sharp chapters, Robotham switches the focus amongst these seemingly unconnected threads. Handled well this idea of chopping and changing the viewpoints and the story threads really provides a strong sense of pace and tension, cutting and weaving the story, moving rapidly through the various events, never giving the reader time to relax. Here it's handled very well.

The other aspect well handled in this type of scenario is whether or not these disparate elements - robberies in Iraq, a missing British banker, and a young female scammer in danger from a shadowy, and very efficient assassin connect. It's less of a surprise these days when they all do, but how they do is extremely important. Here it's done with considerable assurance and believability. The reader is drawn towards the conclusion, rather than fed the details up front, there's enough to guess about, wonder about to really keep you turning pages.

I'm not much of a fan of star ratings, or arbitrary numbers when it comes to books (even though many sites insist that you use them). My private rating system is all to do with whether or not I got much sleep whilst reading this book. Needless to say THE WRECKAGE rated very very highly - it's a book that kept me awake most of the night as it was next-to-impossible to put down.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/wreckage-michael-robotham ( )

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