Okay so my first book by Lister and probably my last. Truly was not a fan of the writing style at all. Could not rate the book a one star though because somewhere among all of the clippy sentences I actually think there was a pretty good story in there. ( )

Traurig und spannend, jedoch ist der Schreibstil etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig. ( )

I had not read any of Michael Lister‘s books until Double Exposure, so I didn’t know what to expect. After reading the blurb on the cover: “… absolutely riveting! … squeezed every ounce of terror and thrills out of a dark night in the woods” I thought this book is one I would not want to read late at night. I can be easily spooked, especially if I am really drawn into the story. Not to worry.

There was one section near the end where I did feel the tension, but the rest of the story was mild as a thriller. I’m sure it could easily affect other readers quite differently. Although intended to add suspense, what broke the tension for this reader was how, in many places, the author wrote in clipped one word thoughts. It left much for one to imagine, which can be a good thing, but it also seemed to yank the reader through the story, the choppiness tending to keep one from fully engaging in the drama.

Remington James moves back to Florida after his father’s death and takes on the care of his ailing mother. He also picks up his camera again, something he had drifted away from in favour of the big income. While trekking through his father’s woodland (left to him) to check out his camera traps (hidden cameras set up to capture wildlife images when he is not there to do it) he discovers something unthinkable. Soon after, he finds himself in a dire situation. The rest of the story is the main character’s struggle to survive and all the dangers set against him.

Despite what I said in the second paragraph, Double Exposure does have its high points. Michael Lister has written a story that is gripping and action-filled. His main character becomes an accidental victim and is mercilessly pursued through hazardous circumstances. Never mind some questionable moments, this is a story that pulls the reader along just to find out what is going to happen next. If you enjoy thrillers, chances are you will like Double Exposure. ( )

Remington James is a successful but unhappy advertising executive when his father dies. He returns to his hometown to run his father's store and care for his mother who is dying of MS. While he is home, he decides to pick up the hobby, the passion, he gave up years ago, wildlife photography. He has set trap cameras in the woods of the Apalachicola River Basin in hopes of maybe catching the elusive Florida panther. As he is out taking pictures and checking his traps one evening, he discovers that he has caught not the panther on his camera, but a murder. And now the murderers are hunting Remington through the pitch black of the Florida woods.

If readers want to read DOUBLE EXPOSURE surfacely and minimally, they are in for a heart-pounding thriller. Lister's written a tight plot that doesn't allow one to slow down for even a second, just like his protagonist.

Lister created a powerful effect by being a minimalist in this novel. His protagonist is a photographer out taking pictures in the woods. Lister's prose mimics that process so you can hear the camera shutter click as you read:

Evening. Glow.
Dark figures.
Shot.
Explosion.
Bloom of blood.
Body dropping to the cold ground.
Death. Digging.
Fire.

And Lister's setting development carries you smack into the middle of Remington's Eden that is horrifically transformed into his Hell all in the course of one night. Remington reminds himself to "Use your senses. All of them." And Lister helps the readers to use their senses, all of them. Whether they are seeing the beauty of the landscape or the nightmare of a murder. Whether they are hearing life, or feeling fear. Readers will definitely be in the woods with Remington James on the most terrifying night of his life. But they'll have to listen carefully to hear nature's sounds over the thumping of their own hearts.

If you want to delve deeper, you will find a complex interweaving of theme, plot, character and setting that results in a magical reading experience. Remington is almost a unique character in crime fiction in that he comes from a functional family. His parents loved him and he loved his parents; while Remington doesn't seem conscious of it, the reader quickly learns that both parents taught him skills that made him a great man.

And of course, nature is a prominent theme as well as a symbol in DOUBLE EXPOSURE. The dark of night is essential to build up the suspense, but it plays a role also in the idea that man is destroying nature. So Remington's manic race is not just a race for his life, but a race for nature. Can they both make it out alive?

Brilliant.
Beautiful.
Must-read! ( )