The Octopus Hunter Book

The literary thriller is far from dead as Grant Stewart aptly proves in The Octopus Hunter--a top-notch characterisation, with crisp, cutting style. The echoes of the great literary thriller writers may be found here but Stewart is very much his own man, and this gritty adventure is totally individual in style. Stewart's hero, Robert Maidens, has grown disillusioned and bored with his unexciting life in England. Drawing out all his savings, he moves to Albania where his savings are worth considerably more, making him a man of leisure--and even his love life is looking better, with ex-pat Charlotte joining in this pleasant idyll. Soon, however, grim undercurrents beneath the placid surface make themselves apparent, and Robert's dream is transformed into something very different. The Serbs are committing atrocities in Kosovo and Robert's new world is under considerable threat. Is he prepared to kill to defend what he holds dear? Apart from brilliant atmosphere and detail, Stewart has created a vulnerable and troubled hero in Robert, fighting with himself to justify the changes in his character. Charlotte, too, is a memorable creation, and their relationship in the middle of this bloody world is impressively created. As are the drifters and mercenaries that Stewart's beleaguered protagonists encounter. Most of all, it is the overriding threat of violence that gives the novel its pungent flavour, with the author's language perfectly judged in conveying tension: And then it hit him: a woman. A woman caught naked in the dark by men with guns. He began to pour with sweat. He felt physically sick. She had her gun, and she had the hatchet from the living room table in her left hand, but she was shaking badly and didn't seem to know how she'd come to be holding these things. But worst of all she was standing in the open like target practice. --Barry ForshawRead More