28 Pages by Allen Mitchum

Title: 28 Pages
Author: Allen Mitchum
Available at: Amazon

I was given a copy of this book by the author, who requested a review.

I thought the title of this book was strange and as I read, I kept wondering why the author picked such it because it’s certainly not very catchy. It finally became clear, and when the reader reaches that moment, the title becomes a perfect one for this book.

I loved this book. Some minor editing problems aside, it’s a well-written and well-told story that moves at a fast pace. It’s not just a really good debut novel – it’s a really good novel. Maybe I’m just a geek, but I was fascinated by the information about Saudi Arabia. I found myself wondering exactly how much of it is real and how much is fiction. You can tell Allen Mitchum is knows a lot about and loves the topic. It’s the kind of book that could keep conspiracy theory nuts going for years. It has all the elements I love in a political thriller: government corruption and coverups, terrorists, conspiracy theories, assassins, and people running for their lives.

Heather is a lawyer in Washington, D.C. Her job is what she loves and lives. She’s on track to become a partner and her life is going as planned. Until, that is, her sister is killed in the Bahamas. Heather discovers she really doesn’t know as much about her sister as a sister should, even a sister with a somewhat distant relationship. She has no idea what Lisa was doing in the Bahamas, or why someone would kill her by cutting her head off. It turns out she doesn’t even know what Lisa was doing for a living. Lisa’s murder is like the gate opening at the horse races – and Heather is off and running. The only problem is, she doesn’t really know who else is in the race, what their motives are or how they might run her off the track.

I had a hard time putting it down. I ignored a long list of other things I should’ve been doing today, just so I could finish it. If I say I fell asleep while reading it (I did), it’s because I kept reading way past my bedtime.

I thought the character of Heather was very well developed, but my favorite characters were Ancile Cole and Fadi Khaldun. I certainly hope the author is planning to make this a series and include at least some of the “28 Pages” characters. I’d definitely read more from this author, especially if it is a series and this is the first book in the series.

At $2.99 for the e-book on Amazon, this book is a great deal. Congratulations to Allen Mitchum for a smashing debut!