When I first read the premise of Street Siren, I was immediately intrigued by it. I haven't read a lot of books that take place in the 80's, so I was really looking forward to reading a book that I thought would take place in the seedy underbelly of London in the 80's. While it's apparent why this book needed to take place then, it's only because there are references to video tapes.

This book is extremely fast-paced. This is a short novella sized book, and once the story starts, it maintains an almost breakneck pace. Tom Batt is a screenwriter and the entire book has a very cinematic feel to it. I enjoyed the plot and I found it exciting, but there were a lot of moments I had to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy it. This book is definitely a page-turner.

However, I had quite a few problems with the characterizations in this book. My main problem with this novel is that it's really apparent these female characters are written by a man. There are far too many descriptions of Devlin's attractiveness and even when she's thinking of herself, it's through the male gaze. While I could excuse some of it because of her profession, I don't think any woman solely values herself through her looks. There are also some cringeworthy passages of a man wanting to be a knight in shining armour. It's not even done in a subtle manner, it's explicitly written as in this passage that takes place on page 11:

"Lewis scribbled down this information, but at the same time, he was mesmerised by this girl. Her big beautiful blue eyes, rosy red cheeks and full lips hypnotised him as she spoke. He always considered himself a knight in shining armour and couldn't resist a damsel in distress."

There are many other passages and scenes that evoke this kind of creepiness and I'm very sensitive to how women are written in media. This book is not a good example of a man writing female characters.

Overall, I found this book to be fine, but absolutely despised how all the characters were written. They were either vapid, caricatures, or just plain creepy. I'm not sure if I'll give Tom Batt another try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via LibraryThing. ( )

I enjoyed this short gripping story.
Well written ( )

I have been a member of LibraryThing's early reviewers group for some years now. I have received many pre-release eBooks and faithfully reviewed them but this was the first time I have received a physical book. What a delight it was to actually feel the paper pages, I'd quite forgotten the sensation.

When the package arrived and I pulled the paperback from the envelope I initially felt shocked, I had received an old second hand copy! But no, this was a brand new book that was artfully designed to look like a battered volume. Great cover.

The contents were worthwhile too. The story centred around a twenty-something year old call-girl, Devlin, and her desperation at the loss of someone very close to her who is brutally murdered.

The narrative is hard hitting and viscerally describes Devlin's vigilante response. Her foray into the world of adult film making in order to get her revenge is riveting. I mustn't spoil the tale by giving more details.

This is not for the faint of heart, but is a story well told in graphic detail.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this novel.





( )

I was sent a free copy of this book through Early Reviewers in exchange for a review. It should be noted that at just short of 130 pages and maybe around 30,000 words, this is a novella rather than a full-length book.

On the basis that all writing is to be encouraged, it is no bad thing for LT to be promoting this sort of self-published work.

The basic story of a woman revenging herself on bad men is not new either in books or films. The setting is a rather low-rent version of 1980s London, particularly the murky world of 'adult' films. I didn't spot any obvious mistakes in this.

On the credit side, the writing is clear and straightforward and there is good narrative drive. Characterisation is less good; our heroine Devlin is presented on the one hand as being street hardened and an experienced prostitute but is often shown as reacting in ways which hardly fit that persona. Perhaps this is intended to gain sympathy, but it means that she lacks credibility. More interesting as a character is the very corrupt policeman Lewis, and one wonders if the book would have been better if it had been written more from his point of view.

The blurb on the back of the book jacket is somewhat misleading. It says that the heroine tracks down each of those responsible and 'seduces them before...'. She does nothing of the sort.

Overall, there is a certain air of the story being written like a male teen fantasy. It would need considerable expansion and deeper exploration of motive and character to be improved. ( )