The internet is not exactly lacking in book reviews, so thought I’d try to give a bit of a twist to my meagre musings: talking about the book before I’ve finished. I’m starting with Bulldog Drummond, by Sapper (a pseudonym required because the author was a serving member of the armed forces).
I’ve read the prologue and first chapter, which have a great deal of promise – the pace is fairly zippy for introductory material, and the writing style is a bit old-fashioned, but enjoyable, with plenty of depth of character. It reminds me of the Jack Reacher novels somewhat, but while those are great page-turners, they can clunk along with clumsy exposition, and leaden dialogue, and can sometimes be as clichéd as using the word ‘leaden’ to describe dialogue. Here, Drummond is a recently demobbed officer looking for adventure in civilian life, and in a separate strand we’ve been introduced to the archvillain (I think) which I’m hoping will give an over-arching structure to the novel…
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