Heather’s Bookshelf: What Money Can’t Buy
Author: Joe Halliday
Released: 07/08/23
Genre: Adult Thriller
“‘I accept that we’ve chosen to get into a certain kind of life, and in that life everybody is only a shade of grey. You took the power of life and death into your own hands and judged whether or not it was right to hurt or kill. I’ve done the same. We make our choices, and we live with them.’”
“What Money Can’t Buy: Book 1 of the Harry Miller Trilogy” introduces Harry Miller, ex-British special forces, he’s now alone, broken, and consumed with guilt about the death of his brother. He’s been living a quiet life, hidden from the world when everything changes.
Harry’s hunted, drugged, and captured by members of ‘the Company’, a mysterious shadow company hell-bent on recruiting him for a mission. Harry’s not interested, but his history has come back to haunt him and he’s not given much of a choice.
Harry soon finds himself on a mission to Thailand in search of a human-trafficking operation working with Anna, a woman with a dark past who’s just trying to make enough money to make a better life for her and her daughter.
But secrets never stay secret forever, and this one will change everyone’s life. Will Harry and Anna find the truth or will it be too much for them to handle?
Trigger Warning: violence, human-trafficking, reference to prostitution, reference to rape and sexual assault, adult language, war-time violence/death, reference to pedophilia
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The story is told through a couple of POVs. The first is Harry’s, which reveals a lot about his character, background, history, and motivations. The second is of Noy, a woman being kept in Thailand as a sort of housewife against her will. Noy’s POV brings insight into the dangerous situation she and countless others find themselves in and to what Harry is soon to be getting into. The pacing of the tale is well done with flashbacks interspersed with action-packed scenes. The flashbacks helped with background development and emotional connection to Harry. The scene at his brother’s funeral was especially poignant. There are some exceptionally dark themes that occur in this story and while Anna adds a little relief, the tale would have benefited from a little levity now and again. There’s a big twist in this tale which is satisfying and makes a lot of sense, also pushing forward the story. The ending also wraps everything up nicely and feels like the ending of a single story (though I understand there are two more episodes to this series). I appreciate when an author knows they are writing sequels, but treats the premiere story as a standalone. There’s also a really touching moment at the end of the tale that kept me wanting to see what happens to Harry in the future.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An adult thriller with dark themes and strong familial undertones. Good pacing and action but could have benefited from something (or someone) breaking through the darkness.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Joe Halliday
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
