This book features three main protagonists:

Dave – a young man who works as an accountant and is the live-in partner of a movie star. He is fearful that his relationship is precarious and that the love of his life is going to leave him…  They live in an affluent suburb of Glasgow, Scotland with a cat named George.Amelie – beautiful and a few years older than her boyfriend, is now taking a break from the spotlight. She likes her fame, yet abhors the things that go with it. The paparazzi, the lack of personal freedoms, the instant recognition. Also, she is trying to get over a traumatic event she experienced with a stalker.

Damaris – a young girl who lives next door to Dave and Amelie. Her parents pay her little attention, so she often visits next door when Dave is out tending his garden. He feels sorry for her loneliness and tries to be patient with her and play with her.One day turns into a nightmare when police are pounding at their door. It would seem that Dave is being charged with sexually interfering with his young neighbour!  He knows he is innocent and cannot fathom how the charges came about. How could she accuse him of something so vile?Dave and Amelie’s lives are forever altered by this turn of events and as we follow them through their nightmare, we are frustrated, saddened, fearful, and distraught.  This type of accusation is damaging no matter how innocent the accused.

Also, with Amelie’s high social profile, the case will garner a lot of publicity…  Dave’s reputation will be forever sullied.

When Dave is imprisoned – with sex-offenders, his life becomes a living hell.

My first Michael J. Malone read. Lucky me.. he has a backlist for my future reading pleasure.

“There’s no smoke without fire” is an old adage that most people seem to believe. Muck slinging, however ill-deserved, is oftentimes believed by those who are discontented in their lives and are envious of the victim of the libelous accusations. This book highlights the sad trend of crowd psychology. When that crowd psychology includes envy and avarice – it is a deadly combination.

All of the main characters in this novel were fully-fleshed out and the reader empathized with all three.  The plot was fraught with injustice upon injustice, and the reader cannot help but be frustrated and distraught over the character’s plight.

The novel covers themes of wrongful accusation, guilt, envy, betrayal, avarice, resentment, and parental pressure.

With excellent pacing, an absorbing story, and a highly satisfactory ending,  “A Song of Isolation” is a superb thriller.

Highly recommended!

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Orenda Books via Edelweiss.
ISBN: 9781913193362    ASIN:  B089V729C2     305 pages

Michael J. Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work includes Carnegie’s Call; A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage; The Bad Samaritan and Dog Fight. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines and After He Died soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, Scotland.

Twitter: @michaelJmalone1

Instagram: @1michaeljmalone