Review: The Exile

When members of an elite Los Angeles police unit board a train to arrest a killer, they are not expecting everything to go smoothly. However, events soon spiral out of control and in a much worse way than they could have predicted. John Barron, the newest member of the squad, soon finds himself involved in a personal war with the killer. As the tension rises, events take a further turn for the worse and the action moves from America to Europe, with more players appearing on the scene. Will John Barron be able to uphold the law?

'The Exile' is truly an epic novel, weighing in at a heavy 702 pages. Divided into three parts, the story is told in distinct blocks. However, it appears that Folsom is trying to drag the story out for as long as possible, throwing in unlikely and unconvincing twists as the novel nears its conclusion. The first part of the story, set in California, is a thrilling tale of a killer's cat and mouse chase with the police, punctuated by bloody violence. The second part is also interesting, but by the time we enter the final stage of the novel, the reader may well start to think that Folsom could have wrapped up the story a lot earlier.

Nevertheless, he has created some powerful characters. Raymond Thorne, the killer, is interesting, with his multiplicity of personalities. John Barron' s battle with himself and the LAPD culture is also appealing. Furthermore, it makes a change to see Manchester as a setting for an American police thriller, however brief it may be.

However, 'The Exile' feels as though it could easily fit into a thriller world that is swiftly becoming dominated by 'The Da Vinci Code' and its imitators. Plenty of action, changing locales, violence and good guys on the run are the ingredients that yet again make up the cocktail known as 'movie blockbuster'. There is nothing inherently wrong with writing a novel with a movie script in mind, but at times, 'The Exile' feels unnecessarily flabby. Folsom could have shed several thousand words and had a much tighter novel with a sharper focus.

This said, there is no doubt that it is a fast, exciting thriller that is immensely enjoyable, especially if the reader can suspend disbelief at some of the more improbable twists and turns.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: The Exile