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There are currently 23 member reviews
for Hunters in the Dark
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Bonnie B. (Fairbanks, AK)
Complex Character-Driven Thriller
'Hunters in the Dark' is a very noir thriller that takes place primarily in Cambodia. Robert Grieve is an Englishman who is dissatisfied with his teaching career and his place in life. Simon goes to Thailand during his summer vacation and wins $2000 in a casino. He then travels to Cambodia and meets Simon, another Barang (white man). Despite a warning from his cab driver that Simon is not a good man, Robert spends the night at his house and, after carousing with opium and alcohol, finds himself on an outbound boat the next morning. His backpack containing the money is not with him and he is dressed in Simon's dapper clothes. Where is the ship headed and what will happen to Robert? The book explores these questions in a very character-driven and thrilling way.
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Jane H. (Prospect, KY)
Hunters in the Dark
This took a little bit of tenacity to get through the first 60-75 pages, but if you'll be patient you'll be handsomely rewarded! Highly reminiscent of Graham Greene novels, this book was a very different type of thriller. Once I got into the meat of the plot, I was hooked. The characters, many of whom only made brief appearances here and there, were well developed and the plot tied them together very nicely at the end. Not having visited that area myself, I found the infinite travel details a little distracting, but in the end, they contributed to the overall "feel" of the story. My only criticism would be, editorially, I would tighten up the first part of the book to make sure the reader is hooked earlier on. I can count on one hand the number of books I have not finished and this one was well on the way to being another of those if the plot hadn't kicked in when it did.
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Vicki R. (York, PA)
Cambodian Thriller
"Hunters in the Dark" is a thrilling read. Robert is a naïve British English teacher on a summer pilgrimage to Cambodia when he comes into a large sum of money. He questions where his mundane life is leading him and decides to disappear for a time. Unfortunately in Cambodia, Robert's new found riches do not go unnoticed. This leads to many twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. The author also goes into a lot of pictorial detail about Cambodia and the way of life there. So if you like thrillers with very descriptive prose you will enjoy reading this new book by Lawrence Osborne.
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Eileen P. (Farmington, NY)
Ghosts of the Past
The past is ever present in this intriguing book set in modern Cambodia. Decades after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, atrocities of that era still resound, and as they mingle with more ancient beliefs in ghosts and karma an interesting dynamic is created in a nation trying to find its place in the world. Using shifting viewpoints and a number of different storylines, Osborne creates a steamy atmospheric novel with a compelling storyline. The beginning is a tad slow, but it is well worth making your way through it to get to the heart of the story.
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Vicki O. (Los Angeles, CA)
It was all about the writing!
I had a very time hard getting into this book. And even when I finally did, I didn't really care very much about the collection of characters. But, I was almost mesmerized by Osborne's precise and elegant writing style. He captures Cambodia's atmosphere so well that I could almost feel the sweltering heat of the jungle. His characters are brilliantly described and his comments about human nature are spot on. I'm glad that I experienced Osborne's suspenseful novel, but I wouldn't seek out another one of his works.
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Norman G. (Washougal, WA)
Actually Three Stories
The first 125 pages meandered and made me wonder when will the book actually begin. I felt as if I was reading a philosopical travel book by a member of the hippie generation. Part two picked up the pace and actually started to bring the book to life, but the final section dove back into the lives of two very uninteresting characters. Only one person, Duluth, rings true, and is not mind numbingly lost.
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Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL)
Too many words...
Why say "It was a dark, rainy night" when you can add so many descriptors to change the statement into a literary masterpiece??? This was a very difficult read for me, even though the locale was a big draw. Robert was not a likable character and his "whatever" attitude just grated on me...Davuth, however WAS interesting but was used indifferently. The ending was too neat...full circle, no resolution. Disappointing all around.
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