Adventure time

Precious ingots

The Gold Heist

by Phil Latz

Review by Robyn Haynes

Phil Latz was channeling action/adventure author James Patterson when he wrote The Gold Heist, a page-turning story that enthralls right to the end. The narrative action jumps between Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, all locations Phil is intimately familiar with, having lived and flown throughout the Asia-Pacific region as a helicopter pilot during his flying career. The deep insight he gained into the cultures he encountered adds authenticity to the novel, making plausible the flourishing of dark criminal elements at work within. Human resilience and resourcefulness in the face of great danger are examined in this novel. It shines a spotlight on what happens when people under pressure make bad choices, and is witness to the consequences of those choices. Weaving adroitly back and forth between the crime as it unfolds, and the crime’s investigation, the plot has two strands. Two main characters represent each narrative strand. Like all of us, they are flawed human beings, both struggling with personal crises. The novel opens with the first main protagonist, Samantha Fellows, a former policewoman and now private investigator, wrestling with the knowledge she is about to lose the family farm, the result of her dead brother’s drinking and gambling. Her troubles are further amplified when she is suspected of his murder. In her role as a private investigator, she is scrutinising the theft of sensitive files from a Sydneybased gold trading company, when things turn ugly. A company employee is run down, and Sam’s apartment is ransacked. Connecting the missing files with the gold heist, she flees to Singapore under a false identity to investigate and perhaps claim the reward for finding the gold. Mayhem ensues. The second plot line finds the other main protagonist, Brett Grant, mired in his own personal problems, accepting a job as a security guard in Indonesia. He becomes indebted to an Asian triad who ensnare him in their plans to hijack a helicopter carrying gold bullion, only to betray him once they have the gold. He draws on all his resources to survive.

Fast pacing and engaging characters are notable strengths of The Gold Heist. Action scene descriptions are gripping and the detailed exposition of the story’s locations are vivid. The novel appeals for its ability to transport the reader to exotic places where social attitudes and expectations may be different from their own. To this end, Phil conveys the intersection of cultures convincingly – not unexpected given his lived experience in Southeast Asia. However, overemphasis on Sam’s beauty seems superfluous to the storyline. She is a smart and sassy well-drawn character, which is far sexier than being a beautiful ex-model, for this reader. Similarly, descriptions of sexual encounters were a little heavyhanded and overt. A subtle ‘less is more’ approach would have served the story better in this regard. However, this is a minor point given that it is balanced out by the strong female characters in this book. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to readers of action-packed adventure. The Gold Heist is an enjoyable and rattling good read.

phillatz.com / $29.95