Book Review : Sam Hawken - The Night Charter (2015)

Pre-Order THE NIGHT CHARTER here (released on 12/08/15)

Lee Child's trademark character Jack Reacher is one of the most polarizing creations in genre fiction. Finding an avid reader who actually likes Reacher at least half as much as Child likes how own character is nearly impossible, but yet we all begrudgingly reading him because, let's face it, Child can write pretty good.  Is there a healthy alternative to the fast-food, self-involved approach of the Jack Reacher novels? There is hope, friends. It's still early to declare a winner in this evolutionary war against this giant of mainstream literature, but Sam Hawken's action heroine Camaro Espinoza is worth looking into and she's at her very best in her upcoming first novel appearance THE NIGHT CHARTER.

So, THE NIGHT CHARTER picks up one year after the events of FULL THROTTLE, which are not that important because they're not available for you to read right now *. Basically, what you need to know is that Camaro is wanted for questioning in multiple homicide cases through the United States and ran away to Florida where she's running a charter boat for high sea fishing tourists. He life is as straightforward and predictable as she wanted until the day Parker Story shows up at the pier looking for a charter. Camaro's life is going to be turned upside down again because she's badass, self-reliant and that she really cares about people, even complete strangers.

Camaro Espinoza is a more challenging and fulfilling character than Jack Reacher because not only her motivations for constantly risking her life are never clear, but they're intriguing. That's because Sam Hawken is very good at that dialogue thing. It conveys complex, sometimes veiled emotions. For example, Camaro's relationship to Parker is deliciously murky. He plays the fatherhood angle on her, claiming that he's trying to make money to support his 14 year old daughter and Camaro tells herself she's only doing it for the daughter, but both parties are deluding themselves. There's something between them that goes beyond their own conscious thought and Sam Hawken relies on the reader to find it. 

Otherwise, I'm pushing the relationship to Lee Child's writing so hard on you not because Hawken is a copycat, but because he writes the same brand of thrillers that's lean on needless description and self-indulgent characterizing. Every unspoken words and bad memories are filtered through the present, which makes for loaded and fulfilling scenes. Writing good action thrillers is an art and not every authors possesses the right skill set to write a good one. THE NIGHT CHARTER is something very precise, a contemporary evolution of the pulp novel, starring a more realistic hero(ine) dealing with extravagant, yet not implausible issues. It's not what you typically get from a novel, but it's what makes its appeal. It is unique and well-executed.

I've enjoyed the Camaro Espinoza of THE NIGHT CHARTER a great deal more than her previous iterations, but I believe it's because her evolution his palpable. I've jumped right into a character I understood and witnessed her fall into similar patterns, only to react differently. Not that you need any introduction to THE NIGHT CHARTER. It's a self-reliant thriller that's best enjoyed in three or four frenzied sittings. It is deceptively complex and layered for what it is, although I wouldn't call it an emotionally complicated novel. Camaro Espinoza is the evolution of the action thriller. Only requirement for enjoyment is to sit down with the book and tune reality away. The time where you needed to deal with a narcissistic vigilante to enjoy an action novel is over.

* They will make depth pieces worth getting into in a near future, though. If you enjoy THE NIGHT CHARTER.