CJ McKivvik's Review of The Defect

 

The Defect is an intriguing novel about a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility. The premise is somewhat frightening if it really happens (or perhaps it hasn’t happened but has come close?) I don’t want to give too much away, but as you read the novel you get more and more convinced that a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility really could happen even if security precautions are many. Jeff Bailey has written this novel that keeps you reading, and as it is based on his in-depth experience of working in a nuclear power facility we are under no illusions about the factual basis of the storyline. This is an obvious strength to the book, but it is also a bit of a weakness.

I say that because, as much as I tried, at times I got lost in the technical details, and wondered if all the detail was necessary. It’s a tricky balance to get right, and I think Jeff has gone to far to the technical side. Interesting all the same. It slows the pace of the novel, but obviously important.

That said, I think the story would be better told as a film. The need-to-know technical material and the relevant back stories can be communicated in some tight narrative – as in Save The Cat (the Pope in the Pool technique). That strips the storyline down into its key elements. A screenplay will challenge Jeff Bailey (should he choose to write it), to bring the duller technical elements to life, which I believe he can do .

To me, the most interesting and engaging part of the book was at the end, which almost seemed like a post-script. Again, I don’t want to give it away, you’ll need to read the book yourself.

If you like reading books that make you think, and you see the plausibility of fiction in the non-fiction world, then a story has done its job. You should read this story.

For more information on CJ McKivvik, go to his Home Page or follow him on Twitter,  InstaGram, Amazon,  GoodReads.com.

For more information on Jeff Bailey, go to his Home Page or follow him on Amazon.com, GoodReads.com and his LinkedIn Blog.

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