A fast-paced thriller set on the rough streets of Glashow, “In Servitude” has much going for it but the plot overruns the characterisation. When Grace’s sister is killed in a car accident, Grace is thrust into a miasma of shady deals and shady people. Debut author Kist writes energetically, with plenty of style, and the Glasgow locale is well drawn. Yet it was hard to warm to Grace, lurching around in polar emotional states and forever finding new hidden enemies. It’s hard to get right, the multiple betrayal plot twists, and authors like Harlan Coben make it easy, but here the hand of the author remans too blunt. A promising debut.
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