3 out of 4 stars
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Katseye is the suspenseful mystery thriller and the second book in the Kat’s Gift Series created by Harriet Redfern.
The members of the Sampfield Manor’s household staff are, once again, in a state of agitation. James Sampfield Peveril, the refined and reserved squire of the manor, announces the imminent arrival of Ryan Urquhart, his cousin from Australia. Their apprehension, however, pales in comparison with how Merlin ap Rhys, the charismatic and talented Welsh jockey who rides star racehorse, Tabikat, feels. Someone is sending him incriminating videos and explicit still images that may jeopardize his relationship with Sadie. His attempt to uncover the origin of the photos takes him through the world of digitally altered images and at the other end of a murder investigation.
Meanwhile, James receives an unexpected call from the indomitable current owner of Katseye, another Irish racehorse and half-brother to Tabikat. Katseye is being sold to Arturo Ardizzone, an Italian aircraft manufacturer, who has recently appeared on the news concerning a terrible crash of one of his advanced aircraft.
This is an exciting and suspenseful continuation to the first book in the series. It has forty-one chapters and an epilogue, and is told in the third-person perspective. The plot is unraveled in consistently-steady pacing and is developed by introducing seemingly endless twists and turns that culminate in a satisfying ending. The shift from one subplot to another makes the story even more suspenseful.
Scenes and settings are described in vivid detail while the feelings and emotions of the characters are realistically portrayed. The addition of new characters, with their own fairly-elaborated backstories, makes the story more intriguing and the dialogues are natural and fitting for each character. The book drops numerous hints of an equally interesting and suspenseful third installment.
Needless to say, I enjoyed this book immensely. It features a multitude of themes including hatred, revenge, criminal activities, secrets, and a bit of yellow journalism.
The part I like most is the depiction of how computer, internet, and modern technology in general are being used for evil purposes such as digital alteration of photos, propagation of fake news, and character assassination through social media. The sad fact is, these things are becoming more and more common in real life.
However, other readers may find the multiple subplots a bit bothersome and the aviation jargon, though necessary in the story, may be quite confusing. Moreover, the use of vernacular requires careful and slow reading. Finally, there are noticeable errors within the entire book which include grammatical (just to good to be true instead of too good to be true and could not have take place instead of taken place) but are mostly typo errors (like Caldesi Island instead of Caladesi Island and Domink Katz instead of Dominik Katz).
Except for the errors, I love everything about this book. It is interesting and suspenseful. I, therefore, rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy suspense and thriller novels. It is, however, strongly recommended to read the series in proper order.
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Katseye
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