Book Review – Salvage by Duncan Ralston

4 out of 5 stars.

I would like to thank Forsaken and Patchwork Press – Cooperative for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

‘Salvage’ is a great Mystery/Thriller and ghostly supernatural tale all rolled into one. I’m not one to bandy about the “a gripping read” cliché a lot, but I really was hooked by this book from the first few chapters.

I also loved the Canadian setting as, for me, this was a nice change from what I usually read. And it was fun to have to Google a few words and phrases I wasn’t too sure on. We might both speak English in Australia and Canada, but our dialects are different and sometimes throw up a doozy.

I have to say I feel a little cheap not giving it the full 5 stars, but there were just a few moments where I felt it went from a detailed story to let’s just skip over the basics, back to a detailed story. That and the fact Owen couldn’t remember his early childhood and hadn’t been allowed near a bible, yet had excellent recall for phrases from it? These are personal niggles and something others might not even notice or be affected by. But I just wanted to mention them as being the reason this didn’t get top marks. Though, I will say here and now that if I gave half stars, ‘Salvage’ is definitely a 4 and a half out of 5.

All in all a good mix of mystery and some ghastly ghosts to add a few plot twists. Although some parts of the story had some gruesome details, they were well placed, in keeping with the story and tame in comparison to horror genre books. There is nothing wrong with a bit of gore in your story line as long as it’s in context and not just thrown in there to be sensationalistic.

Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. Although not a true crime tale like ‘Human Remains’ by Elizabeth Haynes, I found this book just as gripping and suspenseful and so would say that people who enjoyed it would also enjoy ‘Salvage’. And anyone who is a fan of mystery/thrillers with a bit of a supernatural twist, they would also enjoy this book.

Would I buy this book for myself? Quite probably. I don’t have a huge collection of mystery/thrillers that don’t have a ‘cosy crime’ undertone but I could see this book joining the ranks. I mean, it’s not technically a crime fiction… but it also is. Can you tell I’m trying to explain myself without giving away any spoilers? 😉

In summary: A well-paced, suspenseful read set in Canada’s rural towns and with a bit of a supernatural twist that will pull you in and keep you entertained throughout the whole story. I highly recommend people give ‘Salvage’ a go.

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO