A disappointing second novel which does NOT work well as a stand-alone.
When Sheena Kamal blasted onto the scene with her debut, Eyes Like Mine, in a brutally brilliant shot of Canadian noir she introduced her damaged and uncompromising lead protagonist, Nora Watts to the world. In a stunning debut a deeply troubled Nora was taken from her job as a research assistant at a small private investigations firm in downtown Vancouver in search of the daughter she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago and was forced into confronting the memories of the horrific rape that left her pregnant and the ruthless predators responsible on Vancouver Island.
Firstly, I would advise readers NOT to tackle this follow-up novel as a stand-alone as without knowledge of the hefty backstories of the characters involved and an outline of the events of Eyes Like Mine the story is unlikely to be fully enjoyed or make complete sense. Kamal neither summarises or conveys the gist of Nora’s situation sufficiently enough to make this clear or details exactly why she has unfinished business with a violent gang.
A year on from the fallout of Eyes Like Mine which saw ex-alcoholic Nora take a life or two, albeit in self-defence, she remains as prickly as ever as she slowly recovers from near-drowning and a gunshot wound. Still residing in the insalubrious surroundings of Downtown Eastside she is temporarily resident in the Kitsilano home of her former boss, trusted friend and political journalist, Sebastian Crow, as he spends the remainder of his battle with terminal cancer compiling his memoirs with the aid of Nora and her devoted dog, Whisper. As Seb spends his last days living in the past a watchful Nora is taken on her own journey when she is approached by a veteran claiming to know her late father when he served in Lebanon with the US marines, all of which is news to Nora. However it is his mention of “trouble in Lebanon” and that Samuel Watt’s suicide has always bothered him that sends Nora in search of the truth behind his death and from Vancouver to the gritty streets of her father’s now neglected childhood home of Detroit. As Seb encourages Nora to get to know who her father really was without the blinkers of childhood on she must first retrieve the only memories of his life contained in a shoebox by her estranged sister, Lorelei, which aside from a few faded photos consists of five postcards from an address in Detroit and forms the first piece of her puzzle.
Amid the depressing atmosphere of a once vibrant city now faced with mass desertion and thriving industries gone to seed, the hopeless spirit of the Detroit inhabitants chimes with Nora when initial answers aren’t forthcoming with Harvey, Sam’s adopted brother, decidedly hostile. Surrounded by urban detritus what Nora does manage to discover from the few marines who knew her father is enough to cast serious doubt on his having committed suicide. Abandoned by her birth mother at an early age, Nora has nothing but a removed interest for her natural mother but as she delves into Sam’s history she makes some shocking discoveries about her Palestinian mother, Sabrina Awad. Slowly it emerges that her mother’s sudden disappearance from family life was inextricably linked with her father’s violent death a year later that landed Nora and Lorelei into the failing system of foster care. But for tenacious Nora, she must first face down whoever is following her every step of the way and escape several brushes with death and tackle the mystery of the man in the park in a blazing Angel’s Night showdown. Resilient and highly flawed, Nora does not shy away from confrontation, which makes her an unenviable proposition for her opponents but firstly she must work out who all her enemies are, well aware that the her involvement in Bonnie’s case has left a legacy of unfinished business.
Simultaneously a second thread of the plot is unravelling with ex-cop, ex-security agent and Nora’s old sponsor throughout AA, Jon Brazuca. Still regretting his compulsion to help Nora during her first struggle and the months it took him to kick the habit again brought on by his involvement he is after an easier and simpler life. When he is hired by billionaire playboy Bernard Lam to look into the fatal overdose of his twenty-five-year-old and four-months pregnant mistress, Clementine Chan, with the express mission to uncover her dealer and follow the supply chain upwards in order for Lam to take revenge, it presents the opportunity for a payday to retire upon. But with Clementine’s death due to cocaine laced with a synthetic opiate more potent than fentanyl called “Wild Ten”, the stakes are high and secrecy paramount for those involved. When the trail leads straight back to the enemies he and Nora made in their first outing he must once again decide where his loyalties lie. It is Brazuca’s story which offers far more in that way of intriguing investigation and in all honesty I think this element of the plot was substantial enough to support the novel alone. Removed from Nora’s day to day life after the events of the first case he is caught in a race to locate her before her enemies catch up with her.
Overall I was far less enamoured with the plot of this story, which seemed flimsy in comparison to Eyes Like Mine and also proceeded as a slower pace with far less dramatic action. Nora’s story felt drawn out and despite being an engaging protagonist I was far less interested in her discoveries pertaining to Lebanon and Beirut. Disappointingly the energy of the first book was missing and it was Jon Brazuca’s investigation that I was focused upon and remained keen for the unfolding drama to get back to as Nora’s lacklustre heritage story was of little personal interest to me. When both characters cases conveniently led back to the gang behind the first investigation it felt awkwardly contrived and like Kamal was groping for something bigger to tie It All Falls Down together.
Increasing seeming focused on geopolitical events and organised crime I was underwhelmed by It All Falls Down and frustrated by Nora’s preoccupation with her past, hence I doubt I will be reading future novels in the series. Not only is the plot much less cohesive and the threads of Nora and Brazuca knitted together is an artificial and clunky manner, I feel that future stories actually need to take the character of Nora someone and develop her. Whilst Kamal writes impressively and Nora Watts remains an unforgettable and fascinating heroine, I felt less emotionally moved by her plight and with a third novel apparently detailing Nora’s attempt to reconnect with her estranged teenage daughter in Toronto and once again running from the enemies she made in her sizzling debut I feel that Sheena Kamal must show she has more strings to her bow than one stunning storyline that is dragged out in every future outing in the series.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Firstly, I would advise readers NOT to tackle this follow-up novel as a stand-alone as without knowledge of the hefty backstories of the characters involved and an outline of the events of Eyes Like Mine the story is unlikely to be fully enjoyed or make complete sense. Kamal neither summarises or conveys the gist of Nora’s situation sufficiently enough to make this clear or details exactly why she has unfinished business with a violent gang.
A year on from the fallout of Eyes Like Mine which saw ex-alcoholic Nora take a life or two, albeit in self-defence, she remains as prickly as ever as she slowly recovers from near-drowning and a gunshot wound. Still residing in the insalubrious surroundings of Downtown Eastside she is temporarily resident in the Kitsilano home of her former boss, trusted friend and political journalist, Sebastian Crow, as he spends the remainder of his battle with terminal cancer compiling his memoirs with the aid of Nora and her devoted dog, Whisper. As Seb spends his last days living in the past a watchful Nora is taken on her own journey when she is approached by a veteran claiming to know her late father when he served in Lebanon with the US marines, all of which is news to Nora. However it is his mention of “trouble in Lebanon” and that Samuel Watt’s suicide has always bothered him that sends Nora in search of the truth behind his death and from Vancouver to the gritty streets of her father’s now neglected childhood home of Detroit. As Seb encourages Nora to get to know who her father really was without the blinkers of childhood on she must first retrieve the only memories of his life contained in a shoebox by her estranged sister, Lorelei, which aside from a few faded photos consists of five postcards from an address in Detroit and forms the first piece of her puzzle.
Amid the depressing atmosphere of a once vibrant city now faced with mass desertion and thriving industries gone to seed, the hopeless spirit of the Detroit inhabitants chimes with Nora when initial answers aren’t forthcoming with Harvey, Sam’s adopted brother, decidedly hostile. Surrounded by urban detritus what Nora does manage to discover from the few marines who knew her father is enough to cast serious doubt on his having committed suicide. Abandoned by her birth mother at an early age, Nora has nothing but a removed interest for her natural mother but as she delves into Sam’s history she makes some shocking discoveries about her Palestinian mother, Sabrina Awad. Slowly it emerges that her mother’s sudden disappearance from family life was inextricably linked with her father’s violent death a year later that landed Nora and Lorelei into the failing system of foster care. But for tenacious Nora, she must first face down whoever is following her every step of the way and escape several brushes with death and tackle the mystery of the man in the park in a blazing Angel’s Night showdown. Resilient and highly flawed, Nora does not shy away from confrontation, which makes her an unenviable proposition for her opponents but firstly she must work out who all her enemies are, well aware that the her involvement in Bonnie’s case has left a legacy of unfinished business.
Simultaneously a second thread of the plot is unravelling with ex-cop, ex-security agent and Nora’s old sponsor throughout AA, Jon Brazuca. Still regretting his compulsion to help Nora during her first struggle and the months it took him to kick the habit again brought on by his involvement he is after an easier and simpler life. When he is hired by billionaire playboy Bernard Lam to look into the fatal overdose of his twenty-five-year-old and four-months pregnant mistress, Clementine Chan, with the express mission to uncover her dealer and follow the supply chain upwards in order for Lam to take revenge, it presents the opportunity for a payday to retire upon. But with Clementine’s death due to cocaine laced with a synthetic opiate more potent than fentanyl called “Wild Ten”, the stakes are high and secrecy paramount for those involved. When the trail leads straight back to the enemies he and Nora made in their first outing he must once again decide where his loyalties lie. It is Brazuca’s story which offers far more in that way of intriguing investigation and in all honesty I think this element of the plot was substantial enough to support the novel alone. Removed from Nora’s day to day life after the events of the first case he is caught in a race to locate her before her enemies catch up with her.
Overall I was far less enamoured with the plot of this story, which seemed flimsy in comparison to Eyes Like Mine and also proceeded as a slower pace with far less dramatic action. Nora’s story felt drawn out and despite being an engaging protagonist I was far less interested in her discoveries pertaining to Lebanon and Beirut. Disappointingly the energy of the first book was missing and it was Jon Brazuca’s investigation that I was focused upon and remained keen for the unfolding drama to get back to as Nora’s lacklustre heritage story was of little personal interest to me. When both characters cases conveniently led back to the gang behind the first investigation it felt awkwardly contrived and like Kamal was groping for something bigger to tie It All Falls Down together.
Increasing seeming focused on geopolitical events and organised crime I was underwhelmed by It All Falls Down and frustrated by Nora’s preoccupation with her past, hence I doubt I will be reading future novels in the series. Not only is the plot much less cohesive and the threads of Nora and Brazuca knitted together is an artificial and clunky manner, I feel that future stories actually need to take the character of Nora someone and develop her. Whilst Kamal writes impressively and Nora Watts remains an unforgettable and fascinating heroine, I felt less emotionally moved by her plight and with a third novel apparently detailing Nora’s attempt to reconnect with her estranged teenage daughter in Toronto and once again running from the enemies she made in her sizzling debut I feel that Sheena Kamal must show she has more strings to her bow than one stunning storyline that is dragged out in every future outing in the series.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.