David Miller (32) (1947–)

PLUS -
* A good pacy adventure story which to me felt a bit like a modern day 'Island of Adventure'. Two kids on an idyllic family holiday are left to fend from themselves when their parents are kidnapped by pirates.
* There are some really dastardly baddies, unexpected goodies, some genuinely tense and violent moments and plenty of action all the way through.
* Set in Malaysia it is obvious that the writer really knows the country well. Descriptions of the good and bad points of the country show more are very convincing indeed, from it's beauty and seclusion to corrupt officials and areas of poverty.

MINUS -
* It lacks realism in some ways and is more than a little far fetched in the extent to which two children were able to stage a rescue bid but... that goes for almost any adventure / action story from Enid Blyton to James Bond. Suspension of disbelief is a marvellous thing. I wanted to know what happened next and that would certainly be even more the case if I was 11 years old.
* I found some of the use of local Malay dialect words in conversation a little confusing. A glossary would have been helpful!

OVERALL -
* Fast moving, action packed and interesting. Not the most original premise in the world but it delivers what you would expect and does so pretty well. show less

The book kicks straight into the action so we meet the kids waking up, scared and hiding while their parents are beaten up and kidnapped, leaving the children alone on the island.
These are not the pirates of Treasure Island, these are the modern pirates with speedboats and machine guns that hijack tankers and shoot people.
full review at www.unboundblogzine.com