After the Fall by Ellis Grayson: Book Review

 2.25/5

This book was sent to me by the author to review. The opinions presented are mine and mine alone. It has not been swayed by the author.

After the Fall, let's just say that it is a mixed bag. It starts with a really good introduction that draws the reader in, containing enough action to make you curious. The overall plot and storyline are good, they show a lot of promise. Then you start noticing the unpolished, seemingly unedited work. Paragraphs that cut off midsentence and pick up in a new paragraph to finish the sentence. Commas and periods that are missing or misplaced. Paragraphs where 4 or more people are speaking in one, when each person speaking, should be a new paragraph. Its editing that could really help make the book better.

On the character front, it has a great villain, which is a huge plus. As for the rest of the characters, they are very shallow, not deep. I struggled to connect with any of them. No real background is given, nor description for the characters that would allow an image to form. Another thing that was distracting, was that every time a flashback, change of venue, or perspective happened, it was announced as "Flashback" "Someone's Perspective" "Outside this place". As an author this is not necessary, let the change or shift happen and be explained through the writing itself, the shift should be obvious enough or explained well enough that it is clear. 

It did also have some good twists along the way and a great climatic moment. After the climax, it dragged on, when it should have been condensed, and been winding down. Some parts of the book were a bit cheesy as well, not really seeming to fit how a person would act, or speak. 

Overall, I see promise, but a lot of work is needed to polish it and make it seem complete. 

Book Review- Debbi Mack- Identity Crisis

Debbi Mack- Identity Crisis (Lulu 2009) 3.5 Stars

Attorney Sam McRae is now looking into the disappearance of one of her clients, who had been the victim of a domestic abuse. Melanie Hayes is being looked for by the Mob, which is putting Sam in a tough spot. Her life in danger she must find Melanie before the Mob. In order to locate Melanie she must become allies with a private investigator who is on the opposing side of her case. She finds herself doing things she never imagined, including breaking and entering into a strip club.

This is a debut novel by Debbi Mack and was sent to me for reviewing. I did enjoy this book. The main character was interesting and well-crafted, making her easy to follow in the story. The plot was good and made for an easy, but good read. I did find that it had a bit too much fluff in it, especially for such a short book. By fluff I mean that we were sometimes given more information than we needed, and it did slow things down. That being said though, it was still a pretty fast-moving book, with a good flow to it. I also found that the villains in the book were great, love the whole mob thing. It did have several good twists, not unpredictable, but decent enough. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Tom Rob Smith- Child 44

Tom Rob Smith- Child 44 (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.5 Stars

The war has just ended and the Soviet Union’s citizens live in fear. They are to believe that regular crimes do not happen, but people are still arrested. Those who are arrested rarely survive and are believed to be either spies, or disloyal to the fundamental beliefs of the country. When an MGB officer, Leo Demidov discovers that a murderer is on the loose nothing will stop him from hunting down this ruthless serial killer, not even demotions, denouncing, and having his life thrown amuck. He will do whatever it takes to bring this madman to justice.

I found this book to be a rather slow read that took a while for me to get into. It has a great plot and wonderfully created characters, some of them are even wonderfully villainous. The author though has a wordiness about him that slows down the pace of the book and although it creates a vivid image in your mind, it can take away from the interest of the reader. I loved the last 150 pages of this book though as they really are a gripping read and some of the twists thrown in are great. That being said I wish that the author had found a way to cut a little bit of detail to keep the pace going and make it a less slow read. I also found it very interesting to get some incite into the Soviet mindset and I think that Smith does an amazing job of getting the paranoia across. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the books involving the post-war Soviet Union.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Quinton R. Wall- The Seed of Hope

Quinton R. Wall- The Seed of Hope (The Pragmatic Programmers 2009) 4 Stars

I was very impressed by this well-written debut novel. The author, Quinton R. Wall, sent me a copy of this in e-book form for review purposes and I am glad that he did. The Seed of Hope is the first in a series surrounding the Talent Tree that gives people special talents that revolve around skills that they already have within. Charlie Parker has been looking forward to receiving his talent and entering the garden that his father works in as a Keeper. Getting his talent though, may not be as easy as it sounds. His journey will take him places he could have only imagined and stretch his young body and mind beyond what any child should have to.
The first thing I noticed was how beautiful the dedication was. The Seed of Hope had an excellent introduction that commanded my attention, by then it did slip back into a slower section that was needed for background information. Once the main adventure began though it never let up, putting the book down was very difficult. Not being a huge fantasy fan, I was surprised to find myself enjoying the book as much as I was. I appalled by how cruel two of the boys were to poor Gideon, I felt so bad for him, but that is how children are. The characters were amazingly well put together and they flowed from the page like they were real.
I would recommend The Seed of Hope to fantasy lovers of all ages, but particularly middle reader and young adult level readers. A well-earned four stars! Here is his website,
http://quintonwall.com

For more of my reviews check out my website. http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html