| Tony Heyes reviews Camera Shy
by Matthew Parkes
"The
story grabs the reader from page one and as it unfolds and develops the
interest never flags..."
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| Camera
Shy is the story of Jack Ballam, a mean, moody and magnificent James
Bond- type agent. An ex-mercenary, he has done his share of killing and
is prepared to kill again in the service of the state. He works for the
AFIS, the Australian Federal Intelligence Service, an organisation so
secret that not even the Sydney Police Force has heard of it. The tale
opens with his being required, in the line of duty, to seduce a
drop-dead gorgeous male model who is making his film debut. The model,
Tane Caton, has recently ended his relationship with an international
assassin, Gary Hale, who uses the fashion house he owns as a cover for
his more grisly activities. The AFIS are unsure whether Caton knew of
these activities, so Ballam’s task is to find out by becoming Caton’s
lover and, at the same time, to flush the assassin out into the open.
According to the AFIS’s psychological profile Hale is a jealous
psychopath who will be enraged at someone else’s moving in on what was
“his” territory. Stephen O’Brien, Ballam’s superior, feels that Ballam
is ideal for the job – good-looking, gay, cynical and with a heart
impervious to love, he will carry out his brief efficiently and
expeditiously, using Caton, sacrificing him if necessary and tossing
him aside when the assignment is complete. But, as we know, the well-laid plots of mice and men gang aft a-gley. Although the seduction goes (vividly and raunchily) according to plan, Ballam playing Caton like a fish and reeling him in effortlessly, Caton turns out to be far from the airhead Ballam assumed him to be. Soon, Ballam finds his heart is unaccountably engaged. The more he learns about Caton and his history, the more involved he becomes and the less inclined he is to sacrifice him to achieve his objective. This complicates the assignment immeasurably. How is he to trap the assassin without Caton getting hurt? How will Caton react when he realises that Ballam’s initial interest in him was simulated? Can Ballam convince him that he was not simply using him? Matthew Parkes resolves these issues with consummate skill and many humorous touches. His descriptions of the various shifts in the relationship between the two “lovers” are totally believable. The story grabs the reader from page one and as it unfolds and develops the interest never flags. The characters are all economically but truthfully delineated, none sounding a false note, whilst the book, suspenseful to the last, builds up to a thrilling climax. It would be easy to question some of the premises of the novel but such are Mr. Parkes’ abilities that one’s involvement in the story and suspension of disbelief are total. He has the talents of storyteller and a psychologist and uses them both to gripping effect. “Camera Shy” is a thoroughly enjoyable, page-turning read. I hope that this won’t be the author’s only venture into the novel form and look forward to his next book. |
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