• October 31, 2011

The Pull of Gravity by Brett Battles

The Pull of Gravity by Brett BattlesIt’s hard for someone who has little faith in himself to ask someone else to have it in him. – Jay Bradley

Following a career in the Navy, expat Jay Bradley finds himself in the Philippines working as a papasan at The Lounge, a go-go club in Angeles City. He takes his job to watch over the girls in the club seriously, but gets especially close to young Isabel, who reminds him of the step-daughter from his failed marriage.

Like most of the girls working the clubs of Angeles City, Isabel dreams of meeting a man who will sweep her off her feet and take her away from the life of a club dancer – and “escort” – on infamous Fields Avenue. When businessman Larry Adams comes into their lives, suddenly both Jay and Isabel are complete. The three of them form a bond – Larry and Jay as friends, Isabel and Larry as lovers – that seems too good to be true.

And of course it is. Told primarily in flashbacks, the book opens and sets the scene with an older Jay returning to the Philippines to sell his part-ownership in The Lounge, as well as to track down Isabel to find closure about the events that ripped their lives apart, and cost Larry his. (That is not a spoiler.)

For most people (I presume) the seedy world of the sex-trade in the Philippines is about as foreign as it gets. Author Brett Battles, however, manages to paint such a vivid picture of Angeles City and Fields Avenue the reader not only feels as if they were there, but actually has a feeling of comfort about what should be an uncomfortable locale, coming to both love and hate the place as much as the characters. Battles also pays such amazing attention to character development I honestly not only felt as though I knew these people, but I legitimately cared about them. Reading the flashbacks about how their lives unfolded – and knowing something ominous was going to happen to destroy it – became an exercise in both love and dread.

The Pull of Gravity is a candid look at love, loss, and healing, and though it is undeniably a very different work than Battles’ previous action/thriller novels such as the Jonathan Quinn and Logan Harper series, it stands as irrefutable proof that a talented author isn’t hemmed in by a genre… a good writer can just flat out write, and The Pull of Gravity is just flat out good.

The Pull of Gravity is available for $2.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Brett Battles lives in Los Angeles and is the author of the acclaimed Jonathan Quinn series, including The Cleaner (nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller 2008, and the Shamus Award for Best Debut Novel), The Deceived (winner of the Barry Award for Best Thriller 2009), Shadow of Betrayal, The Silenced, and Becoming Quinn. Battles is also the author of the Logan Harper series, Little Girl Gone and Every Precious Thing, the Project Eden series, Sick and Exit 9, and the standalone novel, The Pull of Gravity. To learn more about Brett, visit his website.
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6 Comments

  • Vbouncer

    November 17, 2011 - 4:44 PM

    This is not your normal Brett Battles book!! It’s got all the making of a great story, action, adventure, romance, intrigue, and murder of all it set in the most unlikely of circumstances. Brett takes us into the underworld of the Philippine GO-GO bars and what happens there. Can you really find love in such a place and what happens when someone does. It’s a struggle for the girls living the life and it can even be a struggle for the locals that live there ex-pats included. While not the exciting adventure of a Jonathan Quinn novel it does have its hero and heroine. After reading it the first time I actually went back and read it again a second time, I picked up some nuances that I missed the first time. If you are a fan of Brett Battles and The Cleaner series I would highly recommend this book, as the style of writing is there. The story is that of a struggling Go-Go bar and its ladies, this bar is frequented by foreigners looking for quick love and to some they even find it. It tells of one such girl and her struggles from a small village to the hectic nightlife of the bustling sex trade.

  • Kristen

    October 31, 2011 - 5:44 PM

    I love it when an awesome book is on sale at such an amazing price! Thanks for another stellar recommendation!

  • Orlando

    October 31, 2011 - 5:02 PM

    I am a huge fan of Brett Battles, Jonathan Quinn, series. To put it simply, the man can write his ass off. Highly recommend his work to anyone who loves a good mystery. James Bond and Jason Bourne be damned, the Cleaner is what the world has been waiting for!

  • Sabrina Ogden

    October 31, 2011 - 4:36 PM

    I have this on my kindle. Sounds good!

    • Elizabeth A. White

      October 31, 2011 - 6:00 PM

      I think you are really going to enjoy this. The Quinn books are fast paced and fun, no doubt, but this one hits a little deeper and really sticks with you.