Title: Borderline,
ISBN: 1 904744 79 6
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Category: Crime Fiction

There are many qualities required of a novel writer such as ability with words; the creation of believable characters; an ability to bring the reader into the action, to the exclusion of his surroundings; facility with humour, colour, drama and plot, etc… This novel is unique in my experience in that it is set in both Gambia and Chechnya and deals with a plot to sell weapons-grade uranium to the Chechen resistance… Eugen M. Bacon can certainly write. She has a fine grasp of language and some of her sentences are a pure joy. I had the feeling more and more as I read this book that she would make a fine short story writer. Her command of language, the lightness of her touch and her somewhat convoluted thinking would be admirably suited to that field. Indeed her powers and style might also work well in the field of literary fiction... here she is giving us a thriller. A thriller containing the elements of terrorism, state policy, corruption, prostitution, AIDS, violence and infidelity…
(Tregolwyn Book Reviews, United Kingdom)

I've enjoyed Borderline enormously. As always, Eugen is a wonderful storyteller with characters as strong as ever.   (Amazon, UK)

A powerful novel with passages of beautiful narrative and description. Borderline is an interesting read with an intriguing storyline.   (Amazon, UK) 

An entertaining thriller written by a gifted writer with a unique and original style. The first of the dual plots reveals the brutality of the conflict of Chechnya. Bacon has created some harrowing and enduring images, and unveils a cold and relentless main character. The sickness of the assassin’s mind is starkly illustrated by his description of two bombs as his ‘babies’, moments after a mother suffers the loss of her infant child in a bomb attack in a crowded market.

 The second sub-plot is in a lighter and deftly humorous style, where Bacon paints a vivid canvas of characters, meandering around in the African sun. This part of the book reveals that Bacon has a rare talent for creating theatrical, and meltingly sexy, women who connive and run rings around their equally scheming but considerably less ingenious male counterparts.

I can’t help but think that both of the plots were worthy of development into a thriller in their own right. Sometimes the sombre tone of the Chechen story is not compatible with the somewhat anarchic African story. Bacon certainly has the ability to make a story move swiftly and progressively...  Borderline is certainly an enjoyable read, which leaves the reader wanting to sample more of the creative output of this intelligent and perceptive writer. Her range of ideas and mastery of both narrative and conversation bodes well... It is rare to witness someone who is capable of writing so convincingly in such contrasting styles. I think that we can look forward to some very inspiring material from Bacon...

http://www.public-library.co.uk/reviews/borderline.htm

 A skillfully plotted thriller with two converging themes: a cold hearted killer in Chechenya and a light-hearted African maze of double-dealing. Bacon is a rare talent, she can conjure up a host of highly believable characters in very varied settings. Her lightness of touch is especially effective in the African part of the stort, with some memorably sexy ladies running rings round their equally conniving but less bright male companions. The Chechen part of the story has a hard edge, with some evocative and tragic descriptions of the aftermath of a bomb attack. I have to wonder whether the two stories would have been better developed in separate books. Maybe some tigher editing would have helped. Overall this is a very gifted writer and I am keen to read more of her work.

http://www.public-library.co.uk/reviews/borderline.htm

The detail in this book was extraordinary. The author managed to take me from the crisis in chechnya to the dealings in an african country and made it look real. The story had unexpected twists and turns that made it a hard book to put down.
http://www.public-library.co.uk/reviews/borderline.htm

I enjoyed how descriptive the writing was and how Eugen kept the suspense
going until the end. I couldn't predict, even a little, what was going to
happen.  I was impressed with how much Eugen knew about Chechnya and including
their language and food was an authentic touch.  I also really enjoyed the
quirky ending.

Reader, Australia