20 December 2014

Review #106: Niedermayer & Hart by M.J.Johnson



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
----Marie Curie

Similarly, for Jim Latimer, it was no time to fear for the mysteries waiting for him to unravel them in his life. Yes, Jim Latimer, protagonist of Niedermayer and Hart will strike you as a man who is brave yet scared to figure out the truth. M.J.Johnson, the author of this book, stunned our hearts and minds completely with his intense as well as alluring story.

Synopsis:
Jim Latimer reads of fellow photographer John Loxton's suicide in a daily newspaper. An old friend offers Jim an opportunity to take over Loxton's next assignment. He enters the orbit of Niedermayer & Hart, porcelain dealers with elegant headquarters in Hove. Jim's friends Ruth and Erich sense something isn't right and try to warn him. He is brought face to face with a terrifying manifestation of evil that had its inception in mediaeval Acre.

A band of unlikely vigilantes takes on an implacable enemy.

This is a story of friendship, courage and steadfastness, taking the reader on more than one journey before it arrives at its conclusion in the Berwyn Mountains of North Wales. More than just a fight for life - these friends are playing for the highest stakes of all.




I won’t reveal further than what is in the synopsis, all I can say is that yes, there are indeed two adventures- one in the deep, dark, past and another of recent times. Beware, both the journeys are quite dark and the author manages successfully to set the fear right into our minds and it will grip your mind till the book’s very end.

The characters are equally well-crafted, and Johnson moulds them out of compassion and flaws. The emotions depicted in every page are raw, utterly brilliant and striking. As the story progressed, I could eventually picture the characters quite vividly onto my mind, and immediately felt a liking for them. Fear will seep out of the pages of this book, so this story is not for those with a faint heart. The author simply astounded me with his narrative style which is dark and evocative, but the pace of the book is slow since the story develops at a slow rate and it takes time for us to fall into the niche of Jim Latimer.

The setting of the book is absolutely perfect, since the author described the medieval period in England quite intricately, thus taking us back into that time with his story. The author unfolded the mystery hidden behind Niedermayer and Hart layer-by-layer, occasionally gave us the glimpse of what is going to happen next and thus that will keep us on our very edges until it’s very end. And sometimes Johnson’s silence over what to expect next will keep us turning the pages of this book. It was a thoroughly engaging read for me, and the story filled up my mind with fear, danger, history, myths, loss and love.

Verdict: A must-read book which will constantly pull you into the deepest core of its underlying mystery and trust me, you won’t be able to pull yourself out of it, even after the end of this book.

Courtesy: I must thank the author, M.J.Johnson, for giving me the opportunity to read and review his book. 
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Author Info:
Martin was born in South Wales. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has worked extensively in all areas of the theatrical profession. He is married and has one son. 'Niedermayer & Hart', a supernatural thriller, is his first book. His most recent novel, a psychological thriller called 'Roadrage', is now available. He is working on a new book but he still isn't talking about this yet.
visit him here 

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2 comments:

  1. Thanks for writing such a great review for my book, Aditi. I am so glad that you enjoyed it. I'm sure you'll agree it's very different in both style and pace to my psychological thriller 'Roadrage'. My intention was to create a page turner that was also a ripping yarn. I have completed the first draft of the follow-up book to Niedermayer & Hart which I hope will see the light of day towards the second half of 2015. Thanks once again. Martin

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    1. My pleasure and I'm so glad that you liked my review :-)

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