Trial Run was a twisting maze of mysteries, high-tech advancements, and intrigue, framed by questions about the nature of time and reality.

Normally, thriller-type books aren’t my thing, but the psychological aspect was enough to pique my interest.

And it definitely falls into the category of spec-fic. Why?

Read on to find out.

Plot

This is the type of book where the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. Just when you think you have a grasp on where the story is going, a twist hurls you in a new direction.

I love books that keep me guessing and reveal secrets with painful slowness, drawing out the suspense in a delicious way.

Trial Run accomplished this in two ways.

1. The story was handled in such a way that it hinted at who the “enemy” was, but it wasn’t until well into the book that the truth came out. And when it did, it caught me off-guard.
2. Several of the POV characters came with baggage from previous experiences. Instead of laying their stories out, Locke dangled carrots along the way, hinting and insinuating before pulling back the curtain to reveal the truth.

Setting

Taking place in the modern world, Trial Run would seem to have little to offer in the way of a unique setting.

One of the key concepts in the book was research and experiments dealing with out-of-body experiences, and ways to control and exploit those to subvert the restrictions of time and space. That gave the setting a spec-fic twist.

It reminded me of a bizarre sort of not-reality that often shows up in movies—an environment where nothing felt certain and everything was a shade out of place. The dream-like reality added a weird but cool dimension to our everyday world.

With the technical jargon necessary for the reader to understand what was going on and how certain things work, the explanations could have been drier and dustier than a California desert. But Locke skillfully wove the tech talk into the story in a natural, easy-to-understand way that I appreciated.

I need to mention that the descriptions, while adequate, often felt stiff and repetitious to me, lacking flow or the subtle cadence I prefer. But that’s just me.

Characters

One rap against thriller and fast-paced adventures that focus on the story is the lack of meaningful character development. This wasn’t a problem in Trial Run. My experience with thrillers is limited mostly to movies, but based on what I know, characters don’t stand out in interesting or uniquely compelling ways.

Not so with Trial Run. I was surprised and pleased by the level of motivation and personal struggles, resulting in fleshed-out characters that were much more than bland stereotypes.

From the back page description, I thought Reese Clawson would be the main character, so when the book started by jumping between several different POVs, it threw me off. The multiple character storylines made it feel chaotic.

I was annoyed at first, but I got used to it and the rapid POV shifts didn’t end up bothering me as the book progressed.

Conclusion

While not my typical reading fare, and not a story that struck a chord on a deep level, Trial Run took me on a wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like this type of book, you’ll want to dig your reader’s teeth into Trial Run, and even if it’s not up your preferred genre alley, I’d encourage you to check it out.

Because when time and reality take on new meanings, you never know what you’ll get.

I would rate Trial Run with four stars, which earns it a place on Shelf Excellent.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.