Doug Cornelius .com

Roger Smith has written a gritty, violent thriller full of deeply-flawed people trapped in bad luck and the violence of Cape Town, South Africa.

Some books slowly weave a tapestry of ideas. Mixed Blood is not one of those books. It’s rapid roller coaster with scenes quickly moving through the ups and downs of his cast of characters. The background and flaws of the characters are fired with the staccato of a machine gun into the narrative.

You probably won’t like any of the characters. Most of them are bad people. Jack Burn is bad gambler willing to kill. Benny is gang member who places little value on human life. “Gatsby” Barnard is evil cop, ruling the streets with violence.

Even not liking the characters, you do care what happens to them. They are flawed, but incredibly human. Several are either fighting for survival or for a chance at a new life. Will they find redemption or death of both? You will keep turning the pages to find out.

There is lots of death and violence in the book. It’s gripping, but not for the faint of heart. If it sounds good, you can read the first chapter of Mixed Blood (.pdf) on line and see if you like it.

Mixed Blood is Roger Smith’s debut thriller. I read his second, Wake Up Dead, back in January. The publisher was nice enough to send me this copy.

This marks book number 29 on the books I’ve read so far in 2010 on my quest for 52; a book a week.

Looking for a page-turning crime thriller? Wake Up Dead is violent crime story, full of bad people doing bad things.

With a book title like that you shouldn’t be expecting puppies, ponies and rainbows.

Two meth addicts on the streets of Cape Town decide to carjack a Mercedes. They pull ex-model Roxy and her husband out of the car and shoot him in the leg, leaving behind the gun in their meth-induced haze. Roxy decides on a quicky divorce and uses the gun to end her marriage. “Till death us do part.”

That opening leads us through the steamy underbelly of Cape Town, South Africa. The action is unrelenting as Roger Smith peels back the story like the layers of an onion. The story drives you forward as each vignette has you wondering where it will take you next. The characters are interesting enough to keep you involved. None of the characters are likeable. Each is deeply flawed, if not down-right psychopathic.

This is Smith’s second book. His first, Mixed Blood, has been optioned as a movie. Reading Wake Up Dead, it felt like a Guy Ritchie movie. Criminals coming together because a misfortune of events pulls them together. The murder and mayhem ensues.

The publisher provided me with a copy of the book in the hopes that I would review the book. It was very good, so I am willing to spread the word. The book goes on sale February 2.

If Wake Up Dead sound interesting, you can also read read the first chapter of Wake Up Dead (.pdf) on the Roger Smith Books website.