Trouble

by michael-gilbert

MICHAEL GILBERT'S NOVEL, TROUBLE.

Genres: Mystery

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Edgar Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Michael Gilbert fan for many years. This is one of his best novels, intricately plotted, told from multiple points of view. In this book, Gilbert provides a slice-of-life look at Great Britain in the 1980s---a Russian, possibly a Soviet agent, attempts to bring a load of high explosive into London for the IRA's intended Christmas bombing campaign while feuding security agencies attempt to disrupt the plan. These efforts play out in the context of feuding youth gangs---white and Pakistani---with outsiders attempting to inflame the situation.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set against racial tensions in 1980's London, Parole Officer Anthony Leone is tasked with keeping tabs on two gangs of boys - one group Pakistani, and one group English. Taking on the fight of their fathers, the two sets of boys hate one another for their color as much as anything else. Leone is soon pulled into a bigger investigation when authorities realize that what looks like troubled youth may be a part of a bigger plot. Leone is in the best position to monitor the boys, while the police force, the army, and even special forces all team up to avert an attack on their country by the IRA.

This book delivers tension in spades. It's a well laid out mystery, though at times the sequence of events gets confusing, as does keeping all the characters straight. In part I think this happens because of Gilbert's extreme commitment to keep the identities of many of his characters hidden for a bigger unveiling. What you don't understand won't hurt you, though, as the major players and sinister plot become clear in the end.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex plot that goes on for sometime as we wait for the parallel plot lines to converge. Focus is on the conflict between two groups of boys whose adolescent conflicts feed into England's racism.