Book Review: The Defector by Mark Chisnell

The Defector by Mark Chisnell

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Ebook, 267 pages 
Fiction, Suspense/Thriller
 ASIN: B004NBZE76

My Review:
The Defector is an intriguing book and while at times it felt really out there and scary as all get out, I could not quit turning the pages (or hitting the next page button on my Kindle in this case).

Martin Cormac is down on his luck and in a bar about to be beaten senseless when the book begins. Drunken and trying to run away from life, Martin stumbles into the one man who seems to save him, only to learn that this one man likes to play games and in the end these games mean life or death for Martin and for those around them.

The Defector is not for the squeamish.  It's gritty and it's violent, but it goes with what is going on.  It's definitely the underbelly of society in this book.  Martin has been greedy and that is how he lost the love of his life, Kate, but he finds her again.  The problem is he is already involved with Janac at this point and if Janac knows his weakness he will exploit it.  As the game continues and things heat up, the plot takes you on the chase of Martin's life.

I liked the book, it raises moral questions, it makes Martin question who he is and who he wants to be.  It has a really bad "bad guy" with Janac.  I mean he could be the devil himself.  This is not your typical book because of the raw grittiness of it.  But it works.  The plot definitely moves along, at times it was a little choppy, but the times it really flowed more than made up for the choppy times.  I found myself engaged in Martin's life and I cared whether he lived or died.

It's an interesting book with "The Prisoner's Dilemma" at the center.  I had never heard of this so it was interesting to learn about it.  It was also great to see that not everyone is completely self-centered like Janac seems to think they are.  Mr. Chisnell has written an intriguing book that had me engaged from beginning to end.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
What will you do, when it's you or them?

This is the dilemma at the heart of The Defector - can Martin Cormac turn his back on his ruthless past as a dealer, a major city player, and do the right thing? Not when he's looking for answers in a succession of sleazy dives...

One night, Cormac gets caught trying to chat up the bar owner's girlfriend and soon needs rescuing. Unfortunately, his white knight is anything but - Janac's a big-time drug baron with a psychotic urge to test people to the limit, and if possible... over it.

And soon Cormac is running from more than his past, he's running from the most dangerous game he will ever play.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
One place to start the story is when you get loose from school or college, when you suddenly realise you now have to make all those choices for yourself, rather than have them set by parents, teachers, the exam system, etc, etc... In my case, I chose to travel...
After a summer in a sports equipment factory, loading rugby posts onto lorries, I had a working holiday visa for Australia and the cash to buy a one-way ticket to Sydney. Along with the - less than concrete career plan - that I'd travel and then write a book about the experience.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the author for an honest review. 

Guest Blog: This or That with Hannah L. Clark

Today I welcome Hannah L. Clark, author of Cobbogoth, the first book in a new series.  She's here to answer my This or That questions.  So please welcome Hannah and be sure to check out the rest of her tour stops for more interesting guest blogs, interviews, reviews and giveaways (I have a review and giveaway coming up March 29th).



*****
Breakfast or Brunch? Brunch.  This is such a boring answer, but most breakfast foods just don’t do it for me.  For whatever reason, I usually feel queasy in the morning—been that way since high school—but by brunch time, my stomach has usually settled down enough to eat.  I also think the foods that are served at brunches are much tastier.

Lemonade or Pink Lemonade? Either. I honestly can’t taste the difference, and I don’t really care so much about the color of my drinks as I do the carbonation—I hate soda!
Sedan or Sports Car? My husband would say “sports car,” but I’m much more practical when it comes to cars, so Sedan.

Laptop or Ipad? I love my iPad, but I’m going to go with the laptop, because I can get a whole lot more done.  My iPad is really more of a toy to me.

High Heels or Flip Flops? I have long, ski-like feet, with a very long “speed-toe” (second from the big toe) and I’m a runner, which means my feet get beat up a lot.  So it’s high heels for me—but not too high. 
Trip around the world or trip to the moon? Around the world…the moon is just a bunch of dust and moon rocks and stuff, but the world has all kinds of different people that have and are living on it, leaving their mark.  To me, people are what make places interesting.

M&Ms: Peanut or Plain? I love, love, love peanut m&m’s but have had to wean myself off of them, because my little tyke has a VERY severe peanut allergy.  It’s a real bummer.

Hair: Short or Long? Short.  Always short.  Otherwise I look like Ms. Triangle-head.

Necklace or Bracelet? Depends on whichever goes better with my outfit. But never both. 

Take a walk or go to the gym? Take a walk.  Nature really inspires me, and so I spend a lot of time either driving or walking through it.

Write at home or write somewhere else? I can write pretty much anywhere.  I prefer to write at home, but if you give me a solid chunk of time, I can get lost in the story and don’t even register where I am until I come back up for air…or food.

Spring or Fall? Oh, Fall…definitely Fall.  I love sweater weather and the anticipation of the holidays.  I also love the colors and how it’s foggy most of the time in the mountains behind my house.  

Fairies or Vampires? Um…fairies.  I’m not big into “creatures of the night.”  But fairies, now, there are a million different possibilities when you bring fairies into the picture.  Good. Bad. Impish. Playful. Mysterious. Ominous. Ancient. Etc.

Thanks for joining us today Hannah! 

To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.