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A review by travelseatsreads
The Helpdesk by S.A. Dunphy
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Helpdesk follows the lives of James and Bella, who have one of those incredibly rare perfect blissful lives, all until James makes an error on his work PC and needs to call the company’s IT Helpdesk. Charlotte picks up the phone and soon all three of their lives begin to collide and all sense of control goes out the window.
The blurbs sets the reader up for a rollercoaster thriller about the dangers of hacking, cyber security and the effects it can have, however the book reads more like a slow-burn character study of Bella and an examination of the concepts of power and control. While not necessarily a bad change of trajectory, I do feel it leaves the reading expecting a different type of book which sets up certain expectations.
Shane writes in his afterword that he originally intended to follow the helpdesk plot line but felt the need to follow Bella’s narrative, while some readers will enjoy this, I would have preferred a deeper exploration of the helpdesk plot and less of Bella.
Overall, I think it was an enjoyable read, maybe just not what I was expecting. I think if readers go in with the expectation of a slower character driven suspense novel they will take far more enjoyment from it.
As a side note I’m a huge fan of Shane’s other writing and his gripping writing style does pop up throughout this book. For those who would like to explore more of Shane’s writing I’ve a list of books of his below which I could not put down!
What I Liked
•How Dunphy looks at the concepts of power, greed and control
•Multiple POVs which added tension
Read If You Like
•Unlikeable Messy Characters
•Character study based suspense
Must Read Books by Shane/SA Dunphy
•Boyle & Keneally Series
•Dave Dunnigan Series
•Stories From The Margins Series
•Wednesday’s Child
•Last Ditch House
•Hush, Little Baby
•Will Mummy Be Coming Back For Me?
The blurbs sets the reader up for a rollercoaster thriller about the dangers of hacking, cyber security and the effects it can have, however the book reads more like a slow-burn character study of Bella and an examination of the concepts of power and control. While not necessarily a bad change of trajectory, I do feel it leaves the reading expecting a different type of book which sets up certain expectations.
Shane writes in his afterword that he originally intended to follow the helpdesk plot line but felt the need to follow Bella’s narrative, while some readers will enjoy this, I would have preferred a deeper exploration of the helpdesk plot and less of Bella.
Overall, I think it was an enjoyable read, maybe just not what I was expecting. I think if readers go in with the expectation of a slower character driven suspense novel they will take far more enjoyment from it.
As a side note I’m a huge fan of Shane’s other writing and his gripping writing style does pop up throughout this book. For those who would like to explore more of Shane’s writing I’ve a list of books of his below which I could not put down!
What I Liked
•How Dunphy looks at the concepts of power, greed and control
•Multiple POVs which added tension
Read If You Like
•Unlikeable Messy Characters
•Character study based suspense
Must Read Books by Shane/SA Dunphy
•Boyle & Keneally Series
•Dave Dunnigan Series
•Stories From The Margins Series
•Wednesday’s Child
•Last Ditch House
•Hush, Little Baby
•Will Mummy Be Coming Back For Me?