Heather’s Bookshelf: Street Siren
Author: Tom Batt
Released: 10/16/22
Genre: Crime fiction novella
“Devlin couldn’t contain herself any longer. That was it. There was no doubt Roxy was dead. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she almost hit the floor, but Lewis was quick to react, catching her fall. He held her close as she screamed out in tears.”
“Street Siren” introduces Devlin Hunter, a young woman living in 1988 London. She’s happy, living with her best friend Roxy as they both work as escorts.
When Roxy is found murdered, Devlin’s whole world implodes. And when she is informed Roxy’s murder was recorded as a snuff film, she’s thrown back into the world of drug abuse. But a chance encounter reveals a connection between Roxy’s death and a local adult entertainment studio.
Devlin sets out to infiltrate the company by pretending to be an adult actress. She acts on her own, against the advice of the local police and the lead investigator, Lewis. She quickly finds connections between the employees and images from the snuff films, exacting her own form of revenge. Will Devlin succeed in her mission, will the police catch her first, or will the evil of the world beat them both?
Trigger Warning: violence, sexual situations, sexual assault (including with a teenager), adult language, reference to rape, references to pornography, reference to prostitution
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The main protagonist was complex, flawed, and dark. She had a very sad past and her losing Roxy was truly heartbreaking. Her self reflection about how disappointed Roxy would be in her choices was also quite sad. In opposition to that was the absolute satisfaction of her revenge plan coming to fruition. The tale is super fast paced and a quick read, which kept me flipping pages, but didn’t get me as invested in the characters I should have been. Besides her connection to Devlin, I didn’t feel much about Roxy dying and I wish I would have been more invested in Detective Lewis and his role. The bad guys in this tale were absolutely disgusting, but I wish they were close to as complex as Devlin or at least hinted as an element of not 100% evil. There were also some instances of flipping POVs within dialogue and some “telling” of plot elements that I think would have better revealed by being shown during the story. I also felt as though the setting could have been developed a little more thoroughly. 1980s London could be such a vivid time and place as evidenced by the book’s cover, I just didn’t feel it was reflected in the story. There was a bit of a twist reveal near the end that felt authentic, though the ending was a little too formulaic for me.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime novella featuring a flawed protagonist with a vendetta against some of the worst people imaginable. A quick paced plot loses some detail along the way.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Tom Batt
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Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
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