With Tooth and Nail
Riall Nolan
The Max Donovan Adventures
I am a fan of any adventure in Africa, so I was very happy to find Riall Nolan’s series the Max Donovan Adventures. I came across With Tooth and Nail and just clicked on it before realizing it is the second in the series. However, I don’t think this matters much as I believe the books can be read as standalone thrillers.
Riall Nolan’s local knowledge becomes apparent from almost the first page. The way he describes the beaches and the towns of Senegal, a West African country, you get an instant feel that he has visited these places and met the people. I particularly liked the way he described the different races, where they lived, and how they interacted with each other. I live in East Africa and see similar behaviors between the tribes that make up this part of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The retro 1980s feel to the book was subtly put forward with crispy witty dialogue and flashback hints to the Vietnam War, giving me a time and space to place the story without forcing it down my throat. Max is on holiday but, as is always the case, manages to find himself in trouble almost before he gets his shirt off to catch a few rays. He comes across a murder that leads him into all sorts of problems. The young lady he meets at the beach is an interesting person who lives an off-grid life that is very unusual and adds to the storyline.
With Tooth and Nail has a nice pace, always holding your attention. Max is almost an antihero, he has no special skills to help him in this adventure and so wanders along making natural mistakes and floundering around with only his basic wits to keep him alive. There are some nice comic scenes including the local colourful culture where Max finds himself in some strange predicaments. The way he describes the odd African logic that gets him into the situation is so African I could see him following the steps however strange they may be.
With Tooth and Nail has lots of twists and turns in a very exotic location that kept me interested throughout. His interaction with the local police was believable and well-written. You can tell Riall is an anthropologist as his interest in the characters in every scene is evident. He takes his time to make sure each character is explained fully, and their intentions known.
Max finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery suspense thriller. His desire to do the right thing ensures he gets accidentally embroiled with a high-level criminal with international connections. Max teams up with a local police officer to follow the clues and becomes more and more of a target as he clumsily clashes with the international criminal syndicate. He is forced to follow a grisly set of murders across Senegal and into the interior. As he gets closer it all becomes more personal, forcing Max to protect his own. He has to traverse river crossings and fight in a torrential rainstorm to survive. After being buried alive, he manages to survive. But the killer whose tail he is on is very cunning and always seems to be a step ahead of Max. You have to read With Tooth and Nail to get to the bottom of the story!
I enjoyed With Tooth and Nail and will read all of the series. The books are well edited with a fast-moving page-turning type of read. I place Max Donovan in the thriller genre so if you enjoy a good thriller from an exotic location then give it a go. It is well worth the read.
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