Dangerous Games
Dangerous Games will grip the reader from start to finish. This is an absorbing story set in working-class contemporary urban Ireland. Young teenager Kevin seems at first an improbable hero, but as this fast-paced novel draws to an exciting conclusion, he displays both courage and resourcefulness when he becomes enmeshed in a dangerous plot concocted by his increasingly sinister Uncle Davey, recently released from prison, and his troublesome older brother, Adam.
Friendship, family bonds and the importance of positive adult role models are at the heart of this tale, but are dealt with in an understated and disarming way. Butler’s mastery in creating authentic dialogue is to be particularly commended, contributing significantly to the ‘unputdownable’ quality of a narrative that involves a gun, a tigerkidnapping and a pink getaway bike! James Butler has written plays for children and teenage audiences, but Dangerous Games is his début novel – I sincerely hope it will be the first of many.
