So What Do I Do? (So What! series #3) By G.J. Griffiths

Review So What Do I Do? (So What! series #3)

I probably suffered by not reading the earlier books in the series before this one. There are a lot of characters and it was quite difficult to grasp what was happening, to who, and, for the most part, why. It’s very much a surface story (or should that be surface stories) with not too much depth, but that’s probably related to the large cast of characters. I didn’t love this book, but there was plenty of action going on.
If you’ve enjoyed the earlier books maybe you’ll like this one. The writing itself, with the aforementioned note on lack of depth aside, is fine. 265 The story begins in a sweet way with a pair of bird watchers. But it soon turns deadly with a bombing and a dead body. The author delves into the characters of Birch Green High School and their feelings about the horrific event. We also learn about their feelings about the environment and about each other.
The poor Hodgson Hide, a bird sanctuary, is destroyed once again. The beautiful bird paradise is ruined by a conspiracy theory and criminals. The author slowly unfolds the story in his unique way.
I liked the characters and the book was fun to read. 265 The author is to be congratulated on persevering and completing his announced trilogy of the So What books. With nearly forty named characters and a shaggy-dog style, the book appears to this reviewer to be a leave taking by the author of characters he has conjured in his imagination and from whom he is loath to part.

The many topics seem to meander: birding, teaching, the politics of school administration, larceny on the part of a councilman and a member of the gentry, juvenile delinquents and not so juvenile criminals, investigative reporting into genetically modified food and pesticides, a glancing reference to fracking, an incident with a male spider monkey, the noisome but darling children, the prospect of adoption--this reader's attention was sent to wander.

The writing is mostly correct and occasionally witty, as with a character's designer-stubbled chin. It appears to be strained at times as another character is described with an expression that always looked as though he'd swallowed a poisonous toad when he issued the words your mother. The author demonstrates by his brave attempts how really difficult it is to write well about tender or hilarious moments. Cliches creep in: male chauvinist pig does not strike me appropriate for use in a jocular manner and think globally, act locallyis almost cringe-worthy. Do you need, Omar? must surely be an error as is you're for your. The point of view or voice of this narrative is shakier than the focus of many a cinema verite documentary. Once the voice even changes from the first to the third person within a sentence or two.

What, indeed, should we do? 265
I felt as though I was sitting in front of a TV set, only I did not have control of the remote and the person who did was flipping through a hundred channels. Just when I became interested in a character, like the senior birdwatchers where the wife is struggling with a disability, the channel would change and I had to endure watching a selfish, chocolate-eating, fat, and rich woman play kissy face with her spoiled pug (too cliche for my taste). All details about a crime, one involving several characters with their flaws and variety of motivations, are known up front. The only question is how the arsonists will be caught and whether the real culprits will escape punishment.

The novel jumps inside the heads of small town folks, which, while the totality paints an accurate picture of how crimes of a few can affect, and be thwarted by, a cast of many, can simply become a chore to wade through. The result of having no protagonist is that the cast of 100s are underdeveloped, making it difficult for me to be thrilled or chilled when one is in danger (I'm thinking, now who is Carol, or was that Molly who....???). Since I could not immerse myself in this story, I found myself reading just to answer the question how and if the criminals would be caught whereas I would have preferred to have enjoyed the journey. The many roadside attractions could become novels in themselves....Molly who chooses to work part time so she can adopt a child, and perhaps become an activist in the bird hide cause...and Jean who must survive disability, and the loss of her husband while the school in which he taught considers not rebuilding the bird hide. Just those two threads could become a novel--yet they are lost in the crowd.

The writing delivered the story, but nothing more. However, I must praise the authors for all the work they must have put into weaving a tapestry of this size together in a way that made sense. Perhaps if I had read other novels in the So What! series, some of the characters would have been familiar and I would not have felt so underwhelmed. 265 First off I want to point out that I do not like the cover of this book and if I'd seen it in a book shop I would not have been drawn to it and that would have been a shame. However, I read this story on my Kindle having been offered a free copy by the author in return for an honest review and that's what you'll get.

I have read other books by GJ Griffiths and my first impression was just how much his writing has matured and of course I say that as a mere reader, I am no writer myself so I have no intention of sounding patronising when I make this observation.

The story is laid out in a style reminiscent to me of old Columbo episodes in that we witness the crime and then get caught up in the progress, or otherwise, made by the police and other characters in solving the crime.

The scene is set with yet another case of arson in the nature area of Birch Green High School and my initial thoughts were 'Oh no, not again' but the author successfully moves this story on in a more original manner than I anticipated.

I have previously noted that Kindle copies by a number of authors can suffer from an apparent lack of proofreading but, in the main Mr Griffiths has dealt with this issue. He has also overcome the problems I have encountered previously in using language and punctuation that appeal to an adult audience as well as the the young adults I feel he is trying to attract. However, in my part of the world the terms 'smeghead' and 'plonker' are so last century as to be laughable when used by a villain who does not hesitate to use torture and even murder as a means to his own ends.Overall though the characters in this book are rather more authentic than I have found in others in this series. Oh I forgot to mention that it's one of several books based in this High School but it also works just as well as a stand alone novel.

GJ Griffiths is very keen on the environment and indeed gives a percentage of the sale of his books to relevant charities but I do feel that there are two tones to this book; the one following the narrative and then the one where the character Molly gets on her soapbox and delivers a lecture about a subject she feels strongly about when the whole tone becomes more like that of a newspaper article in perhaps The Guardian and may therefore lose a proportion of it's younger readers, but I may be wrong.

Whilst on the subject of Molly Shrimpton I do still find her to be a bit of a twee Miss Goody Two Shoes but I am glad that she now has her husband Oliver to balance the scales somewhat.

Overall a great read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good crime novel and I look forward to the next book by this author. 265

So What Do I Do?... is a book written with an ensemble cast, with no lead characters or protagonists. As such, it is necessary to explore this intricately woven plot through the points of views of several characters. To be fair, the author does pick certain characters to carry the story, such as the school teacher, his wife, the two detectives, and the two ruffians.

The author delves into many of the characters with details as to their desires, their ambitions, and their perceptions of the world as he tells the story.

Ultimately, though, while a book with an ensemble cast of characters could work, the subject matter (the bombing of the bird-watching hut, the resulting delayed death of the school teacher, and the web of deceit that unfolds when the two ne'er-do-well villains attempt to escape the long arm of the law) wasn't interesting enough for me to remain seized by the plot of this book, if it were to be told from several perspectives and also include other personal stories unrelated to the bombing.

I applaud the author for trying something different, for making the lives of those in the book as normal as possible, while dealing with the rapidly unfolding series of events that span out from a tragic event that takes but a few seconds, and making sure everyone has their say. The characters feel, act, and stay authentic, in a British setting. However, as a mystery, it just wasn't taut or unnerving enough for me to stay invested.

265 The third book in the So What series starts off with Gil Hodgson, whom readers were introduced to in Griffiths’ previous novel. This time, we are offered a closer peek at his personal life when we are introduced to his wife, Jean. It’s been five years since Hodgson’s Hide was built, and as the story opens, it is here we find the couple as they take part in a bit of bird watching. They aren’t alone, however. They are unknowingly in the company of some troublemakers, and Griffiths has shown a bright spark of storytelling brilliance with this introduction. He starts the story off with more than a little intrigue, and succeeds in keeping the pages turning from the beginning all the way through to the end.

Hodgson’s Hide, a once beloved nature corner, and Birch Green High School, which is interested in becoming an academy school, both seem to be in danger at the hands of some rather unscrupulous partners; half of which are interested in exacting personal revenge, and the other looking for financial gain. The plan goes awry, setting off a domino effect of one crime committed after another.

Griffiths uses some of the most entertaining phrases such as; “In contrast to his brother-in-law Sherwin’s lack of tallness had more of the Dumpty about it. But this “egg” was of the hard-boiled type, with a shell that cracked easily, having no time for fools.” These creative gems are sprinkled throughout his engaging prose, delighting the reader while giving an already imaginative story even more color.

This tale holds a bit more mystery than those before it, and shows Griffiths’ talent for intrigue. It’s an interesting puzzle, one that is not so much a ‘whodunnit’, but ‘how’dtheydoit’. The pieces are created incredibly well and fall into place nicely. This story rolls along at a very pleasant pace with many surprises along the way…including possibly one of the best bad guy confessions ever written, and a very satisfying ending.
265 So what do I write? I’m torn with my review of this book. I really liked certain parts, but others felt out of place. On the positive side, I loved the humor in the story, from the woes of a new teaching acclimating himself to his class, to a spider monkey saving the day. I found myself relating to the characters, the good and the bad. They make you laugh and cry. The author describes some characters in colorful, poetic detail, for example: “His stringy stature had something of a heron about it, the way he appeared to withdraw his neck and often stand poised, thinking, weighing up things, his beady eyes staring, waiting for a catch of some sort.”

Now on to the negatives. By telling us who engineered the fire and the reasons behind it, and showing us who carried it out, the author took the “thrill” out of thriller. I would have liked to have been kept in the dark, and discovered clues along with the detective. Not only in the beginning does this happen, but in various places throughout the story, the author gives away what is about to happen before the scene unfolds, taking away its suspense. This got better near the end, when there were a few surprises that happened real-time.

Throughout the story the author also promotes multiple causes for the preservation of nature and wildlife, for the wellbeing of children, adoption, care for the elderly, and more. I applaud him for his efforts, but they were isolated bits of conversation that were not tied in well with the main story.

Does this mean I didn’t like this story? Not at all. If you like stories about law enforcement tracking criminals, this may be the book for you.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 265 This eBook was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

A crime thriller from the high school: So What Do I Do? is the third book in the So What! series by British author G. J. Griffiths. Despite being part of a series it works as a stand-alone story meaning that anyone can read it regardless of whether they are familiar with the previous books.

So What Do I Do? is set in the north of England and centers around Birch Green High School. Do not be put off by the mention of school however, as the key characters are all adults. The story begins with the destruction of a bird hide on the school’s land. The hide was named after the well-loved ex-teacher, Gil Hodgson, who was there with his disabled wife at the time that arsonists targeted the area. Due to the harm caused to the elderly couple, the police are on the trail of the thugs that were responsible for this terrible act, and they are also determined to discover their motive.

This is not a mystery story in the traditional sense; there is no ‘whodunit?’ theme for us to work out. Due to the multiple character perspectives, the readers know straight away who the culprits are and why they commit such a horrific act. In fact, there are so many characters that any suspense is completely eradicated.

To be perfectly honest there appeared to be far more characters than were actually needed in order to tell the story. Having not read any other books in the series it is difficult to determine whether these extras were actually key persons within the general history of Birch Green High School – if that is the case, then that solves their presence within So What Do I Do?

Griffiths has differentiated between the intelligent and the dimwitted through use of dialect. Whilst this attempts to make things more realistic, it does take a while to get used to this type of language, thus slowing the pace of the overall novel.

Occasionally the author has attempted to be humorous, for instance a scene involving spider monkeys, however one would not go as far as to say it was ‘laugh-out-loud’ funny. It is also not much of a thriller; nevertheless the ending does become more exciting as we wait to find out whether the police force will capture the criminals before they can commit any more crime.

Overall, So What Do I Do? is a unique novel with some interesting characters who you will definitely wish you knew more about - an incentive to read the rest of the series, perhaps?
265 I read the first two books so was happy to see what was going on with the people from those books. This book talks about Birch Green High School in England and a nature corner on the school property called a bird hide.
They named it Hodgson's Hide in honor of a retired teacher everyone liked. It had been burned down twice before and funds had been gotten together from fund raisers in the community to rebuild. It is educational for the children and Gil Hodgson and his wife Jean love to come there to do bird watching. I did run into some terms I was not familiar with as this takes place in the UK and I live in the US. Fly tipping I thought, what in the world is that?? So thankfully the good old internet helped me out and told me that it is : Illegal dumping, also called fly dumping or fly tipping, or refers to dumping waste illegally instead of using an authorised method such as relying on kerbside collection or using an authorised rubbish dump.

I loved how the author had the slang down when the low life criminals were speaking. It made me feel I was watching tv and I could almost hear them talking.

There is a lot going on in this book find out how a large black spider monkey helps to capture one of the bad guys! Funny!

Good job Mr Griffiths 265

This is an alternate cover edition for B00ZX2A56O

This is a thriller of the 'Why’d they do it?' category and the book stands alone with its intriguing trail of catch-up between the police and the criminals. It's in the Columbo style of a mystery where you see crimes committed, and then watch all of the recriminations unfold around them while police detective Shantra attempts to piece clues together. Can he track down the felons?

A crime that goes badly wrong in its execution, and goes on to tragically affect the local school community, produces a trail of chaos. It’s a winding trail that the reader must try to follow and which two ex-pupils from the school take around Britain - only to end at its shocking conclusion. One pupil was once a vulnerable victim but is now a police detective; the other was his old bullying foe but is now a ruthless killer!

In So What Do I Do? we see the return of a few of readers' favourite characters. Constable Nigel Shantra returns as a detective, determined to bring to justice Kyle Crabbe, the psychotic adversary of his from the first So What! novel. And just what does a class of cheeky chimps, and a large black spider monkey, have to do with the traumatic events surrounding Hodgson's Hide - the legacy of retired Technology teacher Gil Hodgson?

When a conspiracy to defraud the local populace, devised by two apparently respectable but unscrupulous pillars of the community, goes disastrously wrong it results in an intriguing case for detective constable Shantra to solve. The traumatic events that ensue will prove to affect the haplessly incompetent pair of criminal perpetrators, hired by the swindling conspirators, as well as the teachers and pupils of Birch Green High School.

The recently promoted teacher, Molly Shrimpton, discovers that the pressures of helping newly qualified teachers to cope with unruly classes bear no comparison to the eventual strain that she and her colleagues experience when an ex-pupil of the school decides it’s time for payback. This bullying past enemy of Nigel Shantra and his brother, Adam, will prove to be far more ruthless and cruel than anyone could have imagined in order to achieve his criminal ambitions. But he is just as likely to turn his attention towards anyone who upsets his plans, with terrifying consequences for those who won’t comply with his wishes. So What Do I Do? (So What! series #3)

So