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noveldeelights's review
4.0
How cool is that cover?! I’ve been drooling over it since I first spotted it on Twitter and after reading the book, I can tell you it fits the story perfectly as cracks start to appear everywhere!
Fault Lines is set in a very different Edinburgh than we are used to. Due to a tectonic fault, a new volcanic island appeared twenty-five years ago. Tremors happen every day and The Inch, as it’s called, is a fascinating research project for scientists and volcanologists. One of those volcanologists is Surtsey, named after an Icelandic volcano, but The Inch also means something different to her. It’s where she meets up with her lover, Tom, who’s also her boss and very married.
On one such illicit rendez-vous, Surtsey discovers Tom’s dead body. Wanting to protect Tom’s family and their reputations, Surtsey doesn’t mention this to anyone. But someone seems to know what has happened and things quickly spiral completely out of Surtsey’s control. Who is taunting her and what do they want?
As “luck” (slightly odd choice of words) would have it, I was reading this when the volcano erupted on Hawaii. This meant I had no problems whatsoever imagining the tremors, fissures and vents that seem to come straight from some blockbuster catastrophe movie. The storyline itself took me a little longer to get into. I didn’t particularly like Surtsey or any of the other characters, to be honest. They all seemed rather miserable, although in Surtsey’s case that is understandable since she has quite a few things going on. And maybe I’d be miserable too if I had to deal with tremors on a daily basis. However, the underlying tension, from both the tremors and the person taunting Surtsey, was intensely gripping and once the story really got going, I was absolutely hooked.
At just 215 pages, this is quite a short book and a bit of a slow-burner. However, it has a brilliantly crafted, dark plot that stands out from the crowd due to its uniqueness and originality. I must admit some of the science-y “it’s just rocks” stuff went completely over my head but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story at all and there were plenty of other things to sink my teeth into. I had one of those “eureka” moments where I figured out the who, but not the why. From then on, the tension slowly but surely built up and led to an incredibly explosive and satisfying ending that I was really not prepared for.
This is a psychological thriller with a difference that will have you glued to the pages and for me, it was a satisfying first introduction to author Doug Johnstone.
Fault Lines is set in a very different Edinburgh than we are used to. Due to a tectonic fault, a new volcanic island appeared twenty-five years ago. Tremors happen every day and The Inch, as it’s called, is a fascinating research project for scientists and volcanologists. One of those volcanologists is Surtsey, named after an Icelandic volcano, but The Inch also means something different to her. It’s where she meets up with her lover, Tom, who’s also her boss and very married.
On one such illicit rendez-vous, Surtsey discovers Tom’s dead body. Wanting to protect Tom’s family and their reputations, Surtsey doesn’t mention this to anyone. But someone seems to know what has happened and things quickly spiral completely out of Surtsey’s control. Who is taunting her and what do they want?
As “luck” (slightly odd choice of words) would have it, I was reading this when the volcano erupted on Hawaii. This meant I had no problems whatsoever imagining the tremors, fissures and vents that seem to come straight from some blockbuster catastrophe movie. The storyline itself took me a little longer to get into. I didn’t particularly like Surtsey or any of the other characters, to be honest. They all seemed rather miserable, although in Surtsey’s case that is understandable since she has quite a few things going on. And maybe I’d be miserable too if I had to deal with tremors on a daily basis. However, the underlying tension, from both the tremors and the person taunting Surtsey, was intensely gripping and once the story really got going, I was absolutely hooked.
At just 215 pages, this is quite a short book and a bit of a slow-burner. However, it has a brilliantly crafted, dark plot that stands out from the crowd due to its uniqueness and originality. I must admit some of the science-y “it’s just rocks” stuff went completely over my head but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story at all and there were plenty of other things to sink my teeth into. I had one of those “eureka” moments where I figured out the who, but not the why. From then on, the tension slowly but surely built up and led to an incredibly explosive and satisfying ending that I was really not prepared for.
This is a psychological thriller with a difference that will have you glued to the pages and for me, it was a satisfying first introduction to author Doug Johnstone.
bibliobethreads's review
4.0
First of all, a huge thank you to Anne Cater and Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for inviting me to take part in this blog tour and providing me with a copy of Fault Lines in exchange for an honest review. Well, honestly, I've never read anything by Doug Johnstone before but after this little blinder of a novel, I will certainly be reading more. This is a relatively short read at 300 pages in paperback form but it packs so much intrigue, betrayal and secrets into the narrative that you could be forgiven for thinking it's a much longer novel. At the same time, it doesn't feel long at all. I sped through this in about a 24 hour period because I did find it so difficult to put down, I had to know what happened. Being set in Edinburgh (hailing from that fair city myself), was just the icing on the cake for me and the author backed up his alternative setting with intriguing characters and an exciting plot.
The author chooses to set his story rather alternatively, as I've already alluded to, in a modern Edinburgh with a difference. There has been a fault in the tectonic plates which make up the shell of our planet and it has caused a volcanic island to erupt in the Firth Of Forth. Our female lead, Surtsey (named after a volcano in Iceland) is a scientist who makes regular trips to the island to collect and analyse soil samples, carry out research etc. When we meet her, she is travelling to meet her boss and married lover, Tom on the island for a rendez-vous but she is shocked to discover his body instead with violent evidence that he might have been murdered. From this time on, we follow Surtsey as she makes decisions about what to do next and learns to cope with what she has discovered and her own actions following the gruesome find. Then somebody texts her on Tom's secret phone that he only used to contact her. They know what happened and they have no qualms about making her life a complete misery, even resorting to drastic measures when the threats have little effect.
What a great read this was! I adored the re-imagining of Edinburgh and it was strange, even though this volcanic island is obviously imaginary, Doug Johnstone describes everything so beautifully that I could almost picture it in my mind, from the boat ride over to the island itself. Coupled with this new entity in the middle of the estuary, the residents of Edinburgh also have to deal with regular tremors which funnily enough, have become part of everyday life. It was really interesting that as the tension and action gradually increased in the novel, so too did the intensity of the tremors which only made for a more powerful reading experience.
I just have to mention the characters as well, particularly Surtsey who at times, was quite unlikeable but unlike other books I've read recently where the character put me off the entire book, this wasn't the case at all with Fault Lines. I think it's because Surtsey felt really believable to me. She wasn't an angel, she made some AWFUL decisions where as a reader, you just want to scream at her to "stop! go back! be careful!" but of course, we all make mistakes. She drinks too much, she smokes too much marijuana and of course, the ill-advised affair with her married boss but something about her still made me want to carry on reading. It might have been the relationship with her terminally ill mother and her wayward sister but I don't know, in the end I just ended up feeling sorry for her.
All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised by my first novel from Doug Johnstone. It was a thrilling read that had obviously been methodically planned and although I guessed the perp behind the mysterious texts to Surtsey, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest. If all the author's books are like this, I want to be reading them!
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
The author chooses to set his story rather alternatively, as I've already alluded to, in a modern Edinburgh with a difference. There has been a fault in the tectonic plates which make up the shell of our planet and it has caused a volcanic island to erupt in the Firth Of Forth. Our female lead, Surtsey (named after a volcano in Iceland) is a scientist who makes regular trips to the island to collect and analyse soil samples, carry out research etc. When we meet her, she is travelling to meet her boss and married lover, Tom on the island for a rendez-vous but she is shocked to discover his body instead with violent evidence that he might have been murdered. From this time on, we follow Surtsey as she makes decisions about what to do next and learns to cope with what she has discovered and her own actions following the gruesome find. Then somebody texts her on Tom's secret phone that he only used to contact her. They know what happened and they have no qualms about making her life a complete misery, even resorting to drastic measures when the threats have little effect.
What a great read this was! I adored the re-imagining of Edinburgh and it was strange, even though this volcanic island is obviously imaginary, Doug Johnstone describes everything so beautifully that I could almost picture it in my mind, from the boat ride over to the island itself. Coupled with this new entity in the middle of the estuary, the residents of Edinburgh also have to deal with regular tremors which funnily enough, have become part of everyday life. It was really interesting that as the tension and action gradually increased in the novel, so too did the intensity of the tremors which only made for a more powerful reading experience.
I just have to mention the characters as well, particularly Surtsey who at times, was quite unlikeable but unlike other books I've read recently where the character put me off the entire book, this wasn't the case at all with Fault Lines. I think it's because Surtsey felt really believable to me. She wasn't an angel, she made some AWFUL decisions where as a reader, you just want to scream at her to "stop! go back! be careful!" but of course, we all make mistakes. She drinks too much, she smokes too much marijuana and of course, the ill-advised affair with her married boss but something about her still made me want to carry on reading. It might have been the relationship with her terminally ill mother and her wayward sister but I don't know, in the end I just ended up feeling sorry for her.
All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised by my first novel from Doug Johnstone. It was a thrilling read that had obviously been methodically planned and although I guessed the perp behind the mysterious texts to Surtsey, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest. If all the author's books are like this, I want to be reading them!
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
steph1rothwell's review
5.0
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.I had never read a book by Doug Johnstone before and I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like Fault Lines before either. I had been a little bit dubious, worrying whether it would be too scientific for me, but they were needless worries. I had no problems at all and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Many people will be familiar with Edinburgh, but the version of Edinburgh in the novel is make-believe, with its addition of a volcanic island in the Firth of Forth. It is here that the body of Tom is discovered by Surtsey.
Surtsey is the main character in the book. She is more flawed than many other characters who feature in other novels with her sometimes heavy drinking, recreational drug taking and her affair with her married boss. But she also was a character who I liked a lot and she was no different to many of the others who featured. As well as her flaws, she also had a conscience. She was devoted to her terminally ill mother and dealt with her situation a lot better than her sister. This side to her softened her a lot and helped me appreciate the depth to her personality.
All of the different characters are believable, not necessarily likeable or innocent but they suited the storyline. I didn’t feel that there was any over exaggeration of any of them. One of the most powerful parts of the novel was the description of the volcano. Combined with real life news events at the time I could picture it all vividly. First class fiction from another Orenda author.
Many people will be familiar with Edinburgh, but the version of Edinburgh in the novel is make-believe, with its addition of a volcanic island in the Firth of Forth. It is here that the body of Tom is discovered by Surtsey.
Surtsey is the main character in the book. She is more flawed than many other characters who feature in other novels with her sometimes heavy drinking, recreational drug taking and her affair with her married boss. But she also was a character who I liked a lot and she was no different to many of the others who featured. As well as her flaws, she also had a conscience. She was devoted to her terminally ill mother and dealt with her situation a lot better than her sister. This side to her softened her a lot and helped me appreciate the depth to her personality.
All of the different characters are believable, not necessarily likeable or innocent but they suited the storyline. I didn’t feel that there was any over exaggeration of any of them. One of the most powerful parts of the novel was the description of the volcano. Combined with real life news events at the time I could picture it all vividly. First class fiction from another Orenda author.
sarahs_bookish_life's review
4.0
So Doug Johnstone is back with his new thriller. What a thriller it is as well!
This is such an atmospheric read. The scenes at the island called the Inch literally took my breath away. I could easily visualise it all in my head and the author transported me from my home to the island.
The story starts off with Surtsey coming across her lovers body on the island, from then on in we are taken on a tense and suspenseful journey waiting for everything to unfold. Surtsey has a lot going on in her life. Not only is her lover now dead, her mother is dying from cancer. I have to admit to finding the story line of her mother very emotional. Having recently lost my mother in law, not to cancer, it is something that really struck a cord and at times I did find it hard reading solely because of how raw my own feelings were.
Fault Lines draws you straight in and keeps you there throughout. The tension builds nicely to a satisfying climax. With a few surprises thrown in for good measure, this is another great read from the author.
My thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
This is such an atmospheric read. The scenes at the island called the Inch literally took my breath away. I could easily visualise it all in my head and the author transported me from my home to the island.
The story starts off with Surtsey coming across her lovers body on the island, from then on in we are taken on a tense and suspenseful journey waiting for everything to unfold. Surtsey has a lot going on in her life. Not only is her lover now dead, her mother is dying from cancer. I have to admit to finding the story line of her mother very emotional. Having recently lost my mother in law, not to cancer, it is something that really struck a cord and at times I did find it hard reading solely because of how raw my own feelings were.
Fault Lines draws you straight in and keeps you there throughout. The tension builds nicely to a satisfying climax. With a few surprises thrown in for good measure, this is another great read from the author.
My thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
tdk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kmmi_booklover's review
4.0
Fast-paced and thrilling! Fault Lines is set in an imagined Scotland where a volcano produces tremors everyday and a new volcanic island, The Inch, has emerged. Surtsey is having an affair with her married boss, Tom, when she finds him dead on The Inch. She panics and decides to keep it a secret. Lies spiral out of control and this roller coaster ride begins.
amothersmusings1's review
4.0
'In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, in which a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new volcano in the Firth of Forth, volcanologist Surtsey makes a shocking discovery. On a clandestine trip to The Inch - the new volcanic island - to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, Surtsey finds his lifeless body. Her life quickly spirals into a nightmare when someone makes contact - someone who claims to know what she's done....'
The intensity of the geographical and geological description of the island of Inch and its surrounding area was just stunning and so atmospheric, I actually felt like I was standing on the island in the opening chapter looking through the eyes of Surtsey.
There's a very deep emotional story running behind the dark psychological crime plot that had me quite tearful and I had so much empathy for sisters Surtsey and Iona watching and waiting for their mother to die.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters but I think that's how we as readers are expected to feel these days. We love to dislike characters and although Surtsey was particularly unlikable I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and this made me empathise with her more. Although she was a complete mess and troubled, I fully understood her actions.
There has obviously been a lot of research carried out into volcanos and geology in general and knowing Edinburgh particularly well myself and loving all things Scottish, I adored this book and devoured it over a weekend. I'll be checking that no fault lines have appeared when I visit Edinburgh in the next couple of weeks and hope there's no tremors when crossing the new Forth bridge!
A frighteningly tense and scary scenario concluded this brilliant book. I thought the whole premise for the story unique, original and very clever. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it and I will be definitely reading more by the author Doug Johnstone. I so like his writing style, I find him creative, intelligent and very talented and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him or his book "Fault Lines" published by the well respected Orenda books.
4 stars
The intensity of the geographical and geological description of the island of Inch and its surrounding area was just stunning and so atmospheric, I actually felt like I was standing on the island in the opening chapter looking through the eyes of Surtsey.
There's a very deep emotional story running behind the dark psychological crime plot that had me quite tearful and I had so much empathy for sisters Surtsey and Iona watching and waiting for their mother to die.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters but I think that's how we as readers are expected to feel these days. We love to dislike characters and although Surtsey was particularly unlikable I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and this made me empathise with her more. Although she was a complete mess and troubled, I fully understood her actions.
There has obviously been a lot of research carried out into volcanos and geology in general and knowing Edinburgh particularly well myself and loving all things Scottish, I adored this book and devoured it over a weekend. I'll be checking that no fault lines have appeared when I visit Edinburgh in the next couple of weeks and hope there's no tremors when crossing the new Forth bridge!
A frighteningly tense and scary scenario concluded this brilliant book. I thought the whole premise for the story unique, original and very clever. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it and I will be definitely reading more by the author Doug Johnstone. I so like his writing style, I find him creative, intelligent and very talented and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him or his book "Fault Lines" published by the well respected Orenda books.
4 stars
karlou's review
5.0
I've been looking forward to reading Fault Lines ever since Orenda Books announced they would be publishing Doug Johnstone's next book. I do enjoy books set in alternate yet familiar realities and Fault Lines is exactly that. Twenty five years previously, a volcanic island later called The Inch was being created from an unknown fault line in the Forth of Firth. Surtsey was born on the same momentous day and named after another new volcanic island formed off the coast of Iceland. After a somewhat unconventional upbringing both Surtsey and her younger sister, Iona still live in Edinburgh, in the house they shared with their mother. Her terminal illness has put the sisters' relationship under great pressure as they handle their imminent loss very differently.
Surtsey has followed in her mum's footsteps and become a volcanologist herself, irrevocably drawn to the island that came into being at the same time as her. Perhaps it's inevitable then that she is a rather volcanic character herself - hot-headed, impetuous and unpredictable. When she discovers the body of her boss and married lover on The Inch she makes a decision which soon sees her life spin out of control. She is not always the easiest person to like and yet her mercurial nature makes her an irresistible character. For all her capriciousness however, she is not in control here and what follows is a chilling tale of obsession as Surtsey becomes both a target and a suspect. The Inch though, still has its own part to play; people may have become used to its portentous presence and the occasional quakes but the tremors increase in magnitude and frequency mirroring the growing instability in Surtsey's life. There is a real sense of danger as to what both humans and nature are capable of as the book races towards its breathtakingly tense and compelling conclusion.
The superb characterisation is matched by vivid descriptions of Edinburgh and the enigmatic Inch, and by a high octane narrative which features a gripping mystery and an engrossing domestic drama, as Surtsey's devastating losses also lead her to discovering shocking family secrets which further threaten her already fractured relationship with her sister.
Though only a relatively short book, Doug Johnstone has packed the pages with complex emotions and unforgettable climactic moments. I raced through Fault Lines; it is imaginative yet wholly believable book and I was utterly captivated by this highly original, exciting psychological thriller. Highly recommended.
Surtsey has followed in her mum's footsteps and become a volcanologist herself, irrevocably drawn to the island that came into being at the same time as her. Perhaps it's inevitable then that she is a rather volcanic character herself - hot-headed, impetuous and unpredictable. When she discovers the body of her boss and married lover on The Inch she makes a decision which soon sees her life spin out of control. She is not always the easiest person to like and yet her mercurial nature makes her an irresistible character. For all her capriciousness however, she is not in control here and what follows is a chilling tale of obsession as Surtsey becomes both a target and a suspect. The Inch though, still has its own part to play; people may have become used to its portentous presence and the occasional quakes but the tremors increase in magnitude and frequency mirroring the growing instability in Surtsey's life. There is a real sense of danger as to what both humans and nature are capable of as the book races towards its breathtakingly tense and compelling conclusion.
The superb characterisation is matched by vivid descriptions of Edinburgh and the enigmatic Inch, and by a high octane narrative which features a gripping mystery and an engrossing domestic drama, as Surtsey's devastating losses also lead her to discovering shocking family secrets which further threaten her already fractured relationship with her sister.
Though only a relatively short book, Doug Johnstone has packed the pages with complex emotions and unforgettable climactic moments. I raced through Fault Lines; it is imaginative yet wholly believable book and I was utterly captivated by this highly original, exciting psychological thriller. Highly recommended.
zog_the_frog's review against another edition
2.0
I like Doug Johnstone's work. I've read a lot of them. Some are memorable and some not so. This one was instantly forgettable.
I don't usually write spoilers in a review, but in this one I feel I have to, to help explain my low rating. In the first few pages I decided that there would be a "Boy's Own Paper" ending with the hero being chased across the new "Inch" island by a murderer while the volcano erupted in the background. There, that's the spoiler, because that's almost exactly what happened in the last 20% of the book. The previous 10% consisted of the denouement, with everything being explained apart from why the murderer had kidnapped the hero. Also, nobody will ever explain how she (the hero) could cut through the ropes binding her to the bed with a butter knife!
Not your best work Mr Johnstone. I liked the idea of the new island in the Forth Estuary, but other than that, it did nothing for me.
I don't usually write spoilers in a review, but in this one I feel I have to, to help explain my low rating. In the first few pages I decided that there would be a "Boy's Own Paper" ending with the hero being chased across the new "Inch" island by a murderer while the volcano erupted in the background. There, that's the spoiler, because that's almost exactly what happened in the last 20% of the book. The previous 10% consisted of the denouement, with everything being explained apart from why the murderer had kidnapped the hero. Also, nobody will ever explain how she (the hero) could cut through the ropes binding her to the bed with a butter knife!
Not your best work Mr Johnstone. I liked the idea of the new island in the Forth Estuary, but other than that, it did nothing for me.