I read 'Off The Grid' by M.J. Kelly in one day over two sessions. So that tells you something, that it had me hooked! I just needed to find out what was happening and how it would end! Although to be honest, I had more or less guessed the plot line. The storyline is fairly obvious once the main character Ben Sharpe discovers who/why he is being photographed. The idea of electromagnetic noise was interesting but sometimes a bit 'too much'.
Still, this was an enjoyable book and I would read other novels from this author. Give it a go.
3.5/5
Honest review for an ARC

This book crosses several genres including adult fiction, mysteries and thrillers. I think it will interest a wide variety of audiences.

Ben Sharpe used to farm with his dad until Ben’s idea of expanding the farm ended in bankruptcy for his parents. Ben escapes to the city of Sydney, Australia to work for an insurance company.

During his daily train commute to work, he suffers from anxiety and migraines. One day he notices a man who seems to be following him taking pictures, a man he calls “camera guy”. Ben chases after him and during a struggle he manages to get away but not before Ben is able to retrieve a memory card from the camera. The images he sees cause him to quit his job to figure out what is going on. He tracks “camera guy” from the metadata on one of his pictures and determines he needs to go to an area around the Blue Mountains.

In that area he meets Levi and Derrick who are the people in charge of what one might call a small commune. Levi says he has determined that high levels of electromagnetic noise from all the electronic devices on the trains are causing his migraines, so he moved away from the city to find property completely “off the grid” which means no tv, internet, or cell phones. Levi says he and Derrick are doing research to determine “the exact problem and when that happens, we will tell the world.”

Levi encourages Ben to stay saying that they can help each other. After looking around and talking to some people, he decides to stay and help with farming the land.

Over time, Ben discovers that Levi and Derrick have lied to the community as he discovers data cables that wouldn’t be needed if they were totally off the grid. Something isn’t right and he is determined to discover what it is.

Stick with this somewhat complicated story and you will be rewarded by a surprise ending that I don’t think anyone will foresee. Thanks to Waterloo Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to its publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Review: There is a lot to take in here in terms of swallowing the story line as believable while moving on with the entertainment. Me, not so much. I have issues with foundational discrepencies and glossed over reality. The "I am going to find this place in the mountains" then finding it, coupled with constant uneasy feelings about the people running the show was uneeded forshadowing.

As a story line built within the context of electromagnetic experiments on unsuspecting victims, it was rather dull. The outcomes were predictable as it followed a patterned format. Hero-boy, genius girl, evil hench and Alpha villian. Ho-hum.

The writing is good, the creative is lacking. The third star is for the labrador.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

3.2/5