Book Review 1

Title: Double Check
Author: Malcolm Rose
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery

Summary:
The main character is Luke Harding, a 16-year old forensic investigator, and he has a Mobile Aid to Law and Crime, Malc in short. Luke requested The Authorities to double check on a previously closed case, as Owen Goode, a mutual friend of Luke, had tipped him off that the ‘murderer’ of Rowan Pearce, Everton Kohter, was not of the killing kind.

The Authorities had also tasked him to check into a corruption case in the Pairing Committee, which paired people according to what they specialised in at the age of 20 years. It was actually a trial to test if Luke was willing to overlook the law to take advantage of the corruption and choose to pair with Jade, his ‘girlfriend’ of sorts. Jade was musically inclined while Luke was scientifically inclined. Thus, their ‘relationship’ was illegal, and they had no chance of being paired.

Luke had a hard time solving the case and there was overwhelming evidence against Everton. He had bloodstains all over him, and he spat and peed on the body. His sweat, hair and fibre from his clothes were all over the crime scene. Eventually, Luke found out that Everton had an epileptic fit caused by a lightning strike, and the real murderer was actually Camilla Bunker, Rowan’s ex-partner.

As for the corruption case, Luke abided by the law, and reported to The Authorities that they were guilty of setting Luke up. The Authorities ‘bribed’ him to keep mum by saying that they would reconsider the pairing of him and Jade.

Reflection:
Double Check is one with many sudden twists in the plot. Unpredictability is an important fact for me when it comes to choosing a book, and this book is quite capricious.

Humour is one other key aspect that I try to find in books. One instance in this book, albeit slightly subtle, is when The Authorities tried to cover up the fact that they were overly ‘enthusiastic’ in assessing Luke’s loyalty. They said they it was actually a test that every FI has to go through. Then, Malc said, “If there were a test of competence, there would be examples of FIs losing their status soon after qualification, or returning to school for extra training. I find no record of either.” Luke then stared at the members of the panel. “Thanks, Malc. That’s… very useful.” I enjoy this kind of somewhat obscure humour.

Suspense is well-created in this book. Cliffhangers are well used and often found in this captivating tale. For an example, the last sentence of Chapter 23, ‘Without support, Sadie rolled off the balcony railing and fell noiselessly’. And, in the next chapter, the author delays the moment where he has to tell if Sadie lives, or dies. It makes readers enthralled and they want to read on to find out the ending.

All good mystery stories must have red herrings, false trails usually led by the villain, making the story very intriguing. Double Check is not an exception. Therefore, thumbs up for this book, and I feel that this book will keep you glued to it with eyes absorbing every single word intently till the very last page.

Valerie Lim