Synopsis: ‘Black Mail’ is an action-packed thriller about a seventeen-year-old rebel, Johnny Mallak, the biggest Darlis Diller fan in Germany, who finds himself on a dangerous journey in search of his idol; a journey where no one, not even Johnny, is what they appear to be. An exciting page-turner, ‘Black Mail’ merges computer crime, murder and music, not to mention the demon of rock himself, the Dhuul.

Review Dodging computer wiz kids with guns and falling in love are the least of Johnny’s worries with the police hot on his trail for murder and the press hungry for a satanic exclusive with the psychopathic Darlis Diller fan. Little did the Diller look-a-like know that replying to a missent email was going to cause so much destruction and chaos; yet, as every Diller fan should know, out of destruction comes success, “On the Dhuul’s head”.

Although the main focus of the story is Johnny Mallak and the musician Darlis Diller, the omniscient third person narrator provides insight into multiple narratives, neatly entwining the action and unfolding the events in such a way that keeps you reading on and fully absorbed. As a consequence, there are a fairly large number of characters to juggle, each distinctly characterised yet tough to follow at first.

Nevertheless, Feibel succeeds in tying together any loose ends, sustaining the pace of the plot throughout, while leaving the reader scope to work out for themselves the outcome of certain events. Even though this novel would clearly appeal to teenage readers with an interest in music, or at least the rock music industry, there is something universal about the themes: relationships, idolisation, and trust.

Ultimately, Black Mail  is an exciting read that is a good recommendation for reluctant male readers, as it has you hooked from the prologue.

2008-06-12