Solitary photojournalist John Wallace struggles to consciousness to find he has been bound and blindfolded by a masked man who is preparing to hang him in his own living room. Forced onto a chair with a noose around his neck, Wallace briefly reconsiders his mostly lonely life before the chair is kicked out beneath him and his world fades to black. Then he gets lucky and manages to escape his … escape his apartment, just ahead of his assailant. Bloody, barefoot, and with at least one broken rib, he has no choice but to run for his life. With no idea who would want to kill him, he makes it to the hospital and files a police report, but it soon becomes clear that as far as the authorities are concerned the only threat to Wallace’s life is himself, and he is placed under suicide watch.
When his would-be killer strikes again, Wallace realizes he will have to figure out who is hunting him and stop him on his own. The pendulum of fate swung briefly in his favor, but it’s only a matter of time before its momentum carries it to the other side . . .more
Pendulum is a thrilling, heart-pounding read with many twists and turns. I read many different genres (outside of my won historical mystery) and this a great, modern day thriller with overtones of The Firm (I could absolutely see Tom Cruise playing the lead with a LOT of his usual, full-speed running;-). Some intriguing technology-based plotting which made me think about these possibilities in real life. “High octane” is a good descriptor of this book.
Pendulum, by Adam Hamdy, is for those who like their coffee black and their thrillers blacker. No cream or sugar in this tale, it describes the non-stop, murderous pursuit of John Wallace by a killer who hangs his victims and posts artificial suicide notes to hide his tracks.
The adrenaline fueled pace begins when Wallace wakes up with a noose around his neck, and ratchets up from there. Hamdy paints a bleak portrait of a man, crushed by life’s disappointments, who is thrust into unimaginable horror and a flight for his life. It took me awhile to warm up to Wallace, but eventually, his grief, determination, and grit got under my skin and I found myself rooting for him as he tries to figure out why he’s being hunted. And it’s not just Wallace – he discovers a bloody trail of others who have been victims of murder, framed to look like a suicide. But what’s the connection? Through the icy winter streets of London and New York, Wallace follows a cold trail of those who weren’t as lucky when the hangman came calling and the tan noose tightened around pale skin.
It’s rare, the novel that has me in that stomach-clenched, have-to-turn-the-pages space, but like the noose, this story wound its way into my gut and pulled tight. Warning: it’s an R-rated tale, with sex and plenty of violence. I chose the bonus Booktrack version of the audiobook, and while I enjoyed the narrator’s British accent, I’m still trying to decide if I liked all the extra sound effects. At times they pulled me out of the story, and other times set the mood, pulling me deeper into the depths of mankind’s degeneracy. Despite the depravity, It’s a well-written, brilliantly conceived story, with more than its share of unexpected twists. Personally, I’m a fan of dark chocolate, so enjoyed the descent. Dark is the other side of light’s coin. Death reminds me of life’s fleeting nature, and makes me appreciate the moments when the sun shines on my face through filtered leaves.
Bottom line, if black is how you like it, you’ll savor every drop and order up the next in the series.
I liked the book but it was very long. Over 500 pages! The writing style was engaging. I would recommend it.
The plot was good, but the book was way too long, and I began to lose interest after a couple of chase scenes that were almost identical to each other.
It caught my imagination almost instantly and I really found it very hard to stop reading. I really didn’t want it to end, and in fact it did continue with the sequel in the book Freefall. Delighted to have found this new author.