Here's the thing: I didn't not like this book.

In fact, I was definitely hooked at the beginning. A man at the end of his rope, Ian Bledsoe, ends up on a Greek island to reunite with his childhood best friend, Charlie. But as more and more events transpire, Ian thinks Charlie may have invited him there to play their childhood game, Destroyers--only this time, it's not pretend.

It's a fascinating premise. But my problem was how long it took to play out. Bollen has a wonderful writing style, but I felt like the book simply went on too long--a problem I didn't have with Orient, Bollen's book that was equally long but I found far more enjoyable. The twists in The Destroyers are definitely surprising, but by the time I got to them, I just wasn't as invested as I wanted to be. ( )

Lots of nice little hooks that kept me interested in this slow-boil of a story which wasn’t all that surprising, but was entertaining. At the heart of it are two childhood friends; one rich and one super rich - Ian and Charlie. Neither are starkly black villains, but neither are snowflake pure and so we know that something is afoot when Charlie doesn’t admit to knowing one of the bombing victims and there aren’t hordes of tourists clamoring for his private boating services. If you read enough of this kind of thing you know Ian is being maneuvered more than he is taking advantage of a friend. You know that Charlie’s business is a front and that his disappearance could be of his own doing. Then there are killings and dropped hints that go nowhere. The pacing isn’t perfect, it lags a bit in the middle while Ian fumbles around and tells a lot of lies.

Also - guys. Please. Take note. Womens’ bodies aren’t that mysterious. Check out an anatomy book before writing the following -
“Her breasts expand and contract with each breath.” - p 161

Uh. No. Lungs expand and contract with each breath. Rib cages do. Breasts are just along for the ride. We don’t breathe with them, boys. He wrote this again later on, but I didn’t note it.

A woman has just stood up and turned around to face Ian - “Her face and vagina are competing for my attention…”

Oh. No again, Christopher. The lady parts in question are her labia. Vulva would also be acceptable, but the only way you get to see a vagina is with a speculum.

Sigh. Really. Oy vey. ( )

After his wealthy but estranged father dies, leaving him no inheritance, Ian steals $9,000 from a family account and travels to Patmos, Greece, to ask a rich childhood friend, Charlie, for a job. Charlie agrees to make Ian second-in-command in his chapter business, but then disappears, leaving Ian to work out what Charlie has been up to and where he has gone.

This novel was very long, but mostly gripping. I struggled with the fact that "Sonny" was a female character, and also with the excessive use of strange and complicated descriptions, similes and metaphors, e.g.:

"Light moves aquatically across the ceiling, and dust motes Milky Way through it. The patio door is scythe-blade-streaked with glass cleaner."

There were many passages like this where it took me a couple of goes to work out what on earth the narrator was saying. I found the plotting fairly good, apart from a slight confusion as to

SPOILER

exactly when and under what circumstances Charlie and Miles agreed that Miles would murder Stefan.

All the characters were unlikeable, including Ian, who seemed to believe he had a real heart for the underprivileged, but regarded $9,000 as a negligible amount of money and had no interest in doing a decent day's work. Despite this, I found myself rooting for him as he investigated. A satisfactory ending. ( )