Title: Dukkha Reverb: A Sam Reeves Martial Arts Thriller
Author:
My Rating: 2.5/5
Part of a series? Yes, this is book two of the Sam Reeves series.
Genre(s): Thriller, Martial arts.
Description/Blurb:
Up until six weeks ago, Sam Reeves, a respected Portland, Oregon police detective, martial artist, and teacher, had a good life. That is until a series of unimaginable events turned it upside down some good, some very, very bad. Still reeling from this maelstrom of fate, Sam takes a leave of absence and heads to exotic Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam seeking refuge with his family, and to reflect on his deadly past. Sam is captivated by the contrast of beauty and struggle of a country still recovering from war, and by the warmth of his newfound family his father Samuel, wife Kim, half sisters, and the beautiful enchanting Mai. But the grief-crazed mob boss, Lai Van Tan, seeks revenge against Samuel who he holds responsible for the death of his son. Ever the protector, Sam Reeves joins the fight to thwart Lai Van Tan s deadly attacks on the family. Dealing with a crazed mob boss is difficult enough but when the family learns that Lai Van Tan s people have kidnapped 27 young girls to be sold into the sex trade, and that the corrupt police and government won t help, Sam, Samuel, and Mai, along with a bizarre group of seemingly old and disabled Vietnamese soldiers with unique fighting skills, join forces to rescue the young girls. Enraged, Lai Van Tan strikes back with a fury that tests the mettle of these warriors. Before it s over, the family is forced to defend themselves again and again, including in a warehouse full of life-sized Buddha statues. The results well, if you re going to fight the bad guys you might as well make them really mad at you.
My review:
Before reading this I'd never found myself reading a martial arts thriller before, I didn't even know a lot about the genre itself and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this but pretty much all of my (extremely limited) martial arts knowledge comes from watching films, so I apologise now in case my ignorance insults somebody.
This book had considerably less violence than I expected, that's not saying there was no violence as this book has its air share of fights, murders and distressing content at times, but the author concentrates on more than the violence, and he would be forgiven for doing so in a thriller book, instead he focused more on the chi, state of mind and energy required in a fight. This did lead to the book feeling a bit like a fantasy at times due to the frequent talks around chi, moving faster than the eye can follow, 'mind reading' and other skills displayed by Samuel and 'Sifu'. Other elements were a lot more realistic, Sam's post traumatic stress following the events of the previous book (which I have not had the opportunity to read) showed that the main character was in fact a human being, the post traumatic stress as well as adding some realism to the novel also allowed the reader to learn enough of the key elements if the previous book to understand this one without having read the first book in the series.
I loved the authors description of the traffic in Saigon, it was so easy to imagine the close shaves that I found myself gripping my e-reader a bit too tight whilst reading these passages almost as if I was gripping some car part for dear life. I didn't have such an intense reaction to the fight scenes despite them being equally as well written but it is much easier for me to imagine crazy traffic which I have experienced than mortal combat, which I hope to steer well clear of.
Anyway, back to the point. I would recommend this to somebody who is interested in martial arts and interested in thrillers as they would perhaps appreciate the more spiritually components more than myself. I'd also recommend this to somebody who fancies a bit of escapism, there are plenty of points where you could easily put the novel down for a few hours making this a suitable read for a commute.
Before reading this I'd never found myself reading a martial arts thriller before, I didn't even know a lot about the genre itself and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this but pretty much all of my (extremely limited) martial arts knowledge comes from watching films, so I apologise now in case my ignorance insults somebody.
This book had considerably less violence than I expected, that's not saying there was no violence as this book has its air share of fights, murders and distressing content at times, but the author concentrates on more than the violence, and he would be forgiven for doing so in a thriller book, instead he focused more on the chi, state of mind and energy required in a fight. This did lead to the book feeling a bit like a fantasy at times due to the frequent talks around chi, moving faster than the eye can follow, 'mind reading' and other skills displayed by Samuel and 'Sifu'. Other elements were a lot more realistic, Sam's post traumatic stress following the events of the previous book (which I have not had the opportunity to read) showed that the main character was in fact a human being, the post traumatic stress as well as adding some realism to the novel also allowed the reader to learn enough of the key elements if the previous book to understand this one without having read the first book in the series.
I loved the authors description of the traffic in Saigon, it was so easy to imagine the close shaves that I found myself gripping my e-reader a bit too tight whilst reading these passages almost as if I was gripping some car part for dear life. I didn't have such an intense reaction to the fight scenes despite them being equally as well written but it is much easier for me to imagine crazy traffic which I have experienced than mortal combat, which I hope to steer well clear of.
Anyway, back to the point. I would recommend this to somebody who is interested in martial arts and interested in thrillers as they would perhaps appreciate the more spiritually components more than myself. I'd also recommend this to somebody who fancies a bit of escapism, there are plenty of points where you could easily put the novel down for a few hours making this a suitable read for a commute.
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