What would you do if one morning your entire world was suddenly changed by the delivery of a letter informing you that you were one of the beneficiaries of a wealthy person’s enormous fortune? Whatever you might imagine, it might not all be as wonderful as you think, because even just the hint of all that money is just a small pebble thrown into a large body of water … the ripple effects are enormous. That’s what seven strangers discover in The Token, the newest offering from Sharon J. Bolton. When each of them receives a mysterious letter with a unique token inside it, they can’t imagine why. And even though they’re told not to tell anyone else, inevitably, word gets out. But there doesn’t seem to be a connection between any of them. In fact, the only thing they seem to have in common is that they have nothing in common!
Blurb:
Seven beneficiaries. Seven people who stood to gain a huge amount of money, for a reason none of them yet understood.
Seven strangers receive a mysterious note informing them of their impending inheritance of billionaire Logan Quick’s fortune. They each receive a token and soon embark on a doomed cruise where they will have to conquer their own demons, and each other, for a chance at the money.
But someone on this boat has something to hide.
Can the survivors work out the truth… or are they destined to drown?
My Review:
From the very first pages, this book draws you in, even if it’s just as you try to figure out who’s who! But once you do, you’ll be hooked! Why have these seven seemingly random individuals been ‘chosen’ and who is Logan Quick?
Holly, Tara, Cheryl, Sabri, Robin, Craig, and Tug couldn’t be more different. They’re from different areas, different walks of life, all with different careers (or lack thereof in some cases), all facing a variety of challenges and problems. They all receive the news of a possible windfall in different ways too. There are those who think it can’t possibly be true – it must be some sort of scam. Others consider the possibilities, while others still are forced by circumstances to work out how this huge sum of money will change their lives.
It soon becomes apparent that it’s impossible to keep the news a secret, and as soon as word spreads, so does the feeling that being the owners of these mysterious tokens might possibly put them and their loved ones in danger – again, due to their varying circumstances, the various types of danger that they face all present in different ways. But it just goes to show that regardless of your situation and how others might perceive it, if you feel that you’ve been put into a precarious position, your own feelings are very, very real, and your fear cannot be considered to be less than anyone else’s.
I loved the alternating chapters that slowly unfolded each character’s story for us, building the tension at the perfect pace, and giving the opportunity to decide who might be making good or bad choices. Sharon Bolton throws in multiple twists, so most of the time whenever I thought I’d really got to grips with a character and their motivation, I discovered I was completely wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and twisty rabbit hole that this led me down, and the fact that the social commentary angle really made me think long and hard about wealth, as opposed to simple financial freedom and the choices that many people feel their forced to make when it comes to having money or not.
It was also a really interesting look into how those ripples were so far-reaching. Although the letters and tokens arrive addressed to each of the seven individuals, with strict instructions, they’re certainly not the only ones impacted. Their immediate families, friends and colleagues can’t escape the allure and they all have their own ideas on how they can benefit from the inheritance. Eventually, the group are forced to meet up to try and create a united front, not only against the world and the media which seem to be turning against them, but also against Logan Quick himself, who may not be the benevolent benefactor that he portrayed himself to be. But human nature prevails, and trying to get a group of seven people to all agree is easier said than done, and then there’s that annoying reality check, when things don’t go according to plan …
An addictive thrill of a read! Thank you to Compulsive Readers for an awesome Blog Tour.
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