Firstly I thank Tom Minder and his publishers for letting me have an advance copy of this book which will be available to purchase from 01 April 2021.

There is a suggestion that you should never shop when you are hungry because you are likely to purchase more junk food. That message also applies to reading this book as it is full of scenes where large amounts of tasty but naughty food are consumed. Be warned, it will lead you to the fridge or to your nearest takeaway.

The Ferret is a relatively light weight but lively story about a young man from Utah who tries to rebuild his life after being involved in a corrupt business scheme. I found it entertaining in a straightforward way, with a few laughs thrown in. I imagine that Tom Minder is aiming at the teenage or young adult male market where a modest 153 pages might encourage those who do not want a long read.

I found the text simple to read and the narrative was easy to follow with a few little twists to keep the reader interested. Louie is believable as are most of the support characters. The storyline includes information on witness protection, modern construction, labour organisation, American Football and in particular, the Mormon Church or more accurately the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

As a practicing Christian, I am aware that no church is perfect and there will be wrong-doers everywhere. And whilst I would be uncomfortable with some of the LDS beliefs, I am also aware that the Church includes thousands of sincere, charitable and extremely hard-working members. I cannot help wondering what they will think of their church being portrayed in this book as running corrupt and violent businesses.

Putting those concerns to one side, I found The Ferret a quick easy read for which I have awarded four stars.