Tito Ihaka returns and this time, it's personal. The profane Maori detective is called in to work on an unsolved murder which may or may not connect to the death of his own father. Politics and personal lives clash as Ihaka navigates the crime. His girlfriend and her son try hard to keep themselves together in the chaos, but Ihaka risks his relationship more and more by being party to the investigation. When the clash comes to a head, things will change, though for better or worse nobody can tell...

FALLOUT was a challenge to get through. The author has a style that was uncomfortable and thick. I was rarely clear on the exact happenings and activities of the novel. I'm still not sure what I read, to be completely honest. This book is not for the idle reader. You have to be deeply involved and interested. Otherwise, you will be as lost as I was.

I didn't much care for Tito Ihaka. He's a previously established character, so it isn't just based on a first-time description of the character. He is unkempt and rude, and I just didn't like him. This, however, was par for the course. I did not like any of the characters. They were not fleshed out enough, and those who were well described were uncouth and not fun to read about. A novel with poor characterization is not much fun, and when all the characters make me uncomfortable I don't want to finish the book.

FALLOUT turned out to be a lot of work for little reward. I personally didn't find anything to redeem it. I know this book was probably not written for a twenty-two year old American college girl, but it seemed interesting enough at first to get her hooked. It turns out it wasn't. I'm sure the audience who appreciates crime thrillers of this caliber will love it. For the rest of us, I suggest something a little lighter.