The Negotiator - Brooke Robinson

 

Second novel by Robinson out now from Penguin 

Police officer Tia recently failed her exam to become a negotiator: her dream job. But when a peaceful climate change protest at a London museum escalates, and one of the radicalised members takes Tia and others hostage, she realises this is her chance to prove she has what it takes.

Three years later, Asher is being released from prison for the part he played at the museum that day. He’s always maintained his innocence, but when someone starts threatening the survivors, leading one of them to take their own life, Tia isn’t convinced Asher is telling the whole truth. Refusing to have another death on her conscience, Tia begins to investigate

My Review

Robinson writes a gripping and tense drama based around a situation that not many do write about. There is a podcast I listen to where they hypothetically talk about what happens the day after the film ends. In this instance, the film would end with a crescendo and a round of applause. Here Robinson, continues the narrative showing us both Tia and Asher time after while flitting back to the fateful day in question.

This duelling narrative structure at the beginning can be a bit confusing, yet it does not dumb down for the reader, which is a credit to the author, who treats her readership with the credit they deserve.

Observant and making a social comment within the dramatic structure, Robinson crafts a high paced grounded realistic story for our time that will have readers gripped throughout.

The Negotiator is out now from Penguin books.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton (Compulsive Readers) for a copy of book in return for my honest review