Mystery, thriller, crime novel — it will be hard to fit Charles Dyner’s The Back Room into one single category or genre, a work that undoubtedly reveals the author as an ingenious storyteller. When a book begins with a six-year-old character playing the role of a drug-pusher, readers know they are in for a solid treat, but Dyner skillfully leads them into a world where characters turn around, make life changing decisions, and set out on a path towards redemption. A young man set for a life of crime becomes the head of a flourishing business, corporate lawyers team up to fight crime on the streets, and a Jew is torn between choosing freedom and his loyalty to the family.

Dyner’s characters are solid, well-sculpted, and compelling in a dangerous sort of way, but the most fascinating part is how these characters evolve into their better selves. In a very intriguing way, the author already makes the reader develop some kind of sympathy for James, the kid who is slapped, beaten, kicked for no other reason than that he finds himself at the mercy of drug dealers, and they will want to know what becomes of this character as they turn the pages. The plot in The Back Room is packed with action and it moves really fast. The author has carefully created a powerful sense of mystery and suspense with the use of subplots and cliffhangers. The humor is biting and the images the prose evokes are powerful enough to make readers feel like they are part of the action. I’d gladly recommend this one for a fun read.

The Back Room is a contemporary fiction novel by author Charles Dyner which encompasses a varied ensemble cast. Covering a variety of different social classes, from Harvard and Yale graduating lawyers to a childhood drug runner, and varying ethnicities and religions, such as a Chinese-American table tennis star and a Russian hacker, Dyner’s story weaves a tapestry of intrigue as to how these unlikely characters come together in the mysterious Back Room of the novel’s title. Beginning in part as the life stories of these characters, the narrative takes us through their trials and tribulations before the real action and high octane thrills begin. More than just cultures will clash as The Back Room reaches some very unexpected conclusions.

Charles Dyner has created a powerfully masculine story which will not suit all readers, but is sure to satisfy fans of male-driven fiction, action, adventure, spy genres and the like. The socio-political element of the novel is intriguingly balanced and richly diverse, with colourful dialogue throughout. There is not a great deal of description, which enables the present tense action and dialogue to speed along and keep the plot moving, which is suitably complex and well planned out to accommodate so many lead characters. The Back Room holds much of its mystery until the final section, but fans of thriller fiction will not be disappointed if they stick with it to the end. Overall, I’d say that The Back Room is recommended for action novel fans who want a fast paced roller coaster through crime and intrigue.