This has been the #TFBookClub choice for November/December 2018 South Wales: Evidence of ancient occupation is etched all across the country, the long-abandoned first and the almost-echo of tramping feet, attempts at conquest defeated by the stubborn landscape and the gleefully untamed people with their sullen, savage ways…… And not much has changed in the 21st Century. The snow is closing in on this landscape, just a couple of days before Christmas, with that echoey, dampening feel of a snowfall, flurrying around the characters (these untamed people with their sullen, savage ways) as they plough their way through the inhospitable setting of South Wales, from Aberystwyth to Caerau via the B249 (which actually seems to be a road in Germany, but no matter…). Now, it has to be said, that most of the characters are pretty objectionable, and the scenes of violent murder and torture (yes, certainly the violence is graphic at times) are hard to read. But the tamping of the environment through the echoing snow means the horrific scenes (which include elderly folk and a dog) and a load of swearing, are manageable. This is fiction. The characters are given individual names but are referred to more in terms of their monikers, to wit “The Law”, “The Hitchhiker” etc – this is an age old alienation technique used by Berthold Brecht in the early 20th Century, who didn’t want the audience of his work to identify with the characters; he wanted them to be purely receptive to his message through the storyline and not get involved in any emotional way. So, I didn’t warm to any of the characters, and I suspect that was deliberate. The story mainly takes place on a single day, 22 December, 2007. There is a horrific murder of elderly Mr and Mrs Lewis at Ridgeback Farm and police officer Lissa, who appears under chapters titled “The Law“, is determined to make her mark. She is the lady police heroine of her own drama, part Clarice Starling, part battling star of her own theatrical imagination. Billy Fisker and Riley Finn are soon identified as the “perps” of this heinous and blood spattered crime. The story is decently put together. “The Hitchhiker” (called Lee) bags a lift from the district nurse when the snow comes down. They retreat to a desolate and run down pub – “Y Seren” (Welsh for The Star), at a place called Halfway – where there is another nurse looking after an elderly man (“The Old Man“). The old man, it transpires, has a very chequered history. In the defunct bar area is another, younger man, who grudgingly allows the district nurse and the hitchhiker to shelter. He is clearly, however, not the erstwhile resident publican…. Nurse Ratched and Lisbeth Salander are clearly role models for some of the characters, adding a sharpness to the storyline that is laden with, and reliant upon, images of winter, cold, darkness and a snowbound terrain. It is a very readable thriller, with smooth and easy to read prose.

I read the synopsis for ‘Halfway’ and it certainly sounded like the perfect kind of read for a dark winter’s evening. I was curious to find out which direction the story was going to take and I couldn’t wait to start reading. I have to say that I did enjoy ‘Halfway’ but more about that in a bit. Each of the four main characters got on my nerves a bit and as a result I can’t say that I took to any of them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though because it meant I could keep more of a distance between me and them. I got the impression that each of the characters were hiding their own little secrets and on occasion, I did think that they wouldn’t be able to tell the truth if their lives depended on it. I must admit that it took me a little while to get into this book. Initially it confused me as I couldn’t see how the main characters could possibly be connected to each other. With a little patience and a little time, it all became clear as the saying goes. I read this book in a couple of bursts rather than on a reading binge. I had to take a little time after putting the book down, to remind myself what I had just read and how that affected the story. That has more to do with fact that I was tired rather than the book was overly complicated. I think that ‘Halfway’ is well written. I love the way in which the author sets the scene. She uses such powerful descriptions that I could literally picture the scene in my head as it were. The characters seemed to come alive and jump off the page. I found that I felt every emotion that the various characters felt and to say that it was an emotional rollercoaster of a read is an understatement. I literally felt as though I was part of the story myself. Reading ‘Halfway’ is very much like going on a very scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty. There were also several unexpected surprises along the way that had the same effect on me as would a punch to the gut. I felt that I had had the stuffing knocked out of me and I was actually lost for words, which doesn’t happen all that often I can tell you. In short, I did eventually enjoy reading ‘Halfway’ and I would certainly recommend it to other readers, but particularly to those readers who like more of a slow burn sort of book. I can’t wait to read what B. E. Jones comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

The hitchhiker is running away from something and just wants to find a safe place, the law wants to make a name for herself and not be stuck uselessly behind her desk forever and the old man knows something is very wrong but his deteriorated mind won't allow him to form the right connections and express his fears. Seeking refugee from the blizzard they all end up at the Halfway Inn together where is soon becomes clear your chances of survival might have been higher outside in the storm! The prologue gives you a glimpse of how the day ends for the three characters, its intriguing and you certainly want to find out what happens and what events lead to this point. Chapter one takes you back to the beginning of that day and the chapters are shared been the hitchhiker, the law and the old man. It's a slow burner from then on until its explosive climax, whereas I personally prefer to have twists spread throughout the book rather than all crammed into the end. I know that it is necessary to lay all the different threads throughout so they can get tangled up in order to deliver that ending but I found the build up a bit tedious. I also didn't like any of the characters I wasn't rooting for any of them, they are all untrustworthy and I had a feeling of unease constantly, but maybe that was the point? I won't go into detail about the ending (I don't want to ruin it) but I will say it is not for the faint-hearted. For me it was a classic case of the perils judging a book by its cover but the blurb sounded irresistible! Thanks to NetGalley and the Little Brown Book Group UK for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.