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Wednesday 3 January 2018

Book Review: Outsourced by Eric J. Gates

Last Updated: 12 July 2021

Outsourced by Eric J. Gates book cover

AD* | What's the most dangerous gift a fan could send to an author? And if that fan was a professional assassin?

New York-based writer Nic Stiles receives a strange package in the mail. It's not long before he realises what it represents will change his life... with deadly consequences. Others want the package's contents too, including a high-tech Intelligence agency who will stop at nothing to obtain it. ...and the sender wants it back! 

It's been a while since I had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into a good thriller, not least because I've really been struggling to find the spare time available to read over the last year or so. When I have had a chance, the books I've read were mostly ARCs or review copies sent to me by authors and publishers, so having the opportunity to pick a book of my own to read has been a pretty rare phenomenon recently.

However, with a New Year comes a new set of goals and a fresh perspective. I'm determined to meet my 50 books reading challenge in 2018!

Although I actually read Outsourced last year, what with one thing and another, I never actually got a chance to post my review. Of course, we all know how valuable reviews are to authors, and it's definitely a case of better late than never when it comes to reviewing! Plus, what kind of book blogger would I be if I read books then never reviewed them? Anyway, I digress. 

Outsourced is a fast-paced thriller hurtling through the pages at breakneck speed. There's nothing like a good thriller to get your blood pumping faster and to encourage you to do your best to read ever faster, and the book masters that perfectly. 

The writer, Eric J. Gates, is an indie author, yet this is one of those books that reads brilliantly - perhaps even better than some traditionally published novels. Indie authors tend to get snubbed by readers and reviewers alike, yet when you find a gem like this, it definitely makes everything worthwhile.

I was initially drawn to the book thanks to the promise of a unique and exciting plot idea - the concept of an author being able to write their own destiny. This idea fascinated me right from the start, meaning that I just had to carry on reading to find out what happened!

Of course, not every book can be perfect, and I felt that certain sections of the story seemed a little lacking in comparison with the nail-biting action sequences and clever storyline. Natural character development was another thing that let the book down as a whole, as the characters seemed doomed to either be stuck forever as uninteresting two-dimensional figurines or had massive jumps in their story arcs as opposed to slower, organic progression.

However, despite this, I enjoyed the story and relished the chance to get into something a little different than my reading norm of the past year. 

If you are looking for a thriller with a slightly different twist, Outsourced is the book for you!

Rating: 3 stars

Outsourced is available to buy now.

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* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Will you be reading the book? Let me know in the comments below!

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