Lara ‘a Can’t Have What She Wants

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In her first novel, Lara ‘a Badiola, a young girl from Port Antonio, grows up in the slums of the Metapanthus in Spain. Her impoverished family lives in a tenement building next to a slumlord and bar. This is where she meets and falls in love with a boy called Paco. When the girl’s mother dies, her widower uncle becomes her legal guardian and, along with his gang, takes her in the trade of extortion and gambling. As they earn extra money, they also let Lara choose a profession for herself, which is an incredibly dangerous job as she tries to protect the welfare of the people around her from criminals.

Although it may sound like a horribly dangerous profession, in fact, it is a vital part of Lara ‘j’ s life. She loves animals, particularly cats, and she has a great compassion for ailing birds, especially at night when their screeching is unbearable. Although it is illegal to earn money by helping out animals in need, she does so anyway. Her illegal yet profitable business earns enough money to pay her way through school and allows her to concentrate on being her partner instead of being forced into service for a profit.

The story line is quite interesting, although perhaps a little too typical for many. For example, one scene shows Lara hiding behind a sofa as a gun-toting assailant barges into the bar. This is followed by her saving a blind child from a burning building and subsequently being told that she can look after the boy until his family can send him home. Throughout, there are moments when you could almost think she is a Bond villain (in a bikini) waiting for her big chance. There are also some excellent twists at points, such as when we find out that her partner, Paco, is actually a drug dealer. However, on the whole this isn’t really a great book; it’s more of a novelisation of a particular part of life than it is of an exciting crime thriller.

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