Book Reviews
BURN OUT ~Good story from debut writer ~ Tracey Hohenstein.
Ms Hohenstein has given us an interesting and developed plot that moves the story on with a good pace. She sprinkles the book with lots of surprises and the suspense keeps the reader engrossed. I don’t know the area in which the book is set but from her descriptions, Tracey has spent plenty of time on her research and this certainly shows with her writing.
I liked her characters and could engage with them – they are believable, with several strong main characters, and gives most of them a slight quirk showing that mankind is never perfect!
This book will appeal to fans of mystery and suspense, with a spot of romance thrown in and it is a quick read – I believe I took only three evenings.
When the ending came I was slightly taken aback – but Tracey has left us with a good cliff-hanger (there is plenty that is not fully explained), so a sequel might well be in the offing?
I really dislike Amazon’s star rating system as I want to award this book 4.5 stars. So I’m giving it 4 stars but really it deserves 4.5.
Well done, Tracey – now let’s have the next one please!
~~~
Set the Night on Fire~Libby Fischer Hellman ~ A Thrilling Sixties Trip and More!
Libby Fischer Hellmann's first stand-alone novel, Set the Night on Fire was a great find. The novel set in the sixties and present is part historical, part thriller and part family drama. Ms Hellmann portrayed the 1960's with its often naïve anti-Viet Nam War protestations perfectly.
Our main character is Lila, and when her father and brother are killed in a house fire...it sets off an horrendous chain of events that finds Lila on the run from an unknown killer.
Lila's parents and a small group of friends were involved in 1968 with anti-war demonstrators who decide to blow up a Chicago store in order to make the government sit up and take notice. Innocent bystanders are killed and her father is arrested and sent to prison. Forty years later on his release, anyone who was connected to the group of friends are targeted and picked off one by one by an unknown assassin - including Lila...
The plot is very well developed and I found myself looking forward to each instalment eagerly. Ms Hellmann has some wonderful characters; well-fleshed out and perfectly believable, even down to the perpetrator(s) trying to kill her. And it is these characters that bring the whole story alive. Add to that Ms Hellmann's vivid and colourful Chicago pulsating through the text and you have a wonderful thriller.
The pace is great - never letting up, and I paticularly enjoyed the final thrilling couple of chapters. I have to say, if you're looking for a novel with finely drawn characters, a good sense of time and plenty of action you could do no better.
Authentic, well-crafted and a great adrenalin rush. A perfect read for losing yourself in.
Well done.
Ms Hohenstein has given us an interesting and developed plot that moves the story on with a good pace. She sprinkles the book with lots of surprises and the suspense keeps the reader engrossed. I don’t know the area in which the book is set but from her descriptions, Tracey has spent plenty of time on her research and this certainly shows with her writing.
I liked her characters and could engage with them – they are believable, with several strong main characters, and gives most of them a slight quirk showing that mankind is never perfect!
This book will appeal to fans of mystery and suspense, with a spot of romance thrown in and it is a quick read – I believe I took only three evenings.
When the ending came I was slightly taken aback – but Tracey has left us with a good cliff-hanger (there is plenty that is not fully explained), so a sequel might well be in the offing?
I really dislike Amazon’s star rating system as I want to award this book 4.5 stars. So I’m giving it 4 stars but really it deserves 4.5.
Well done, Tracey – now let’s have the next one please!
~~~
Set the Night on Fire~Libby Fischer Hellman ~ A Thrilling Sixties Trip and More!
Libby Fischer Hellmann's first stand-alone novel, Set the Night on Fire was a great find. The novel set in the sixties and present is part historical, part thriller and part family drama. Ms Hellmann portrayed the 1960's with its often naïve anti-Viet Nam War protestations perfectly.
Our main character is Lila, and when her father and brother are killed in a house fire...it sets off an horrendous chain of events that finds Lila on the run from an unknown killer.
Lila's parents and a small group of friends were involved in 1968 with anti-war demonstrators who decide to blow up a Chicago store in order to make the government sit up and take notice. Innocent bystanders are killed and her father is arrested and sent to prison. Forty years later on his release, anyone who was connected to the group of friends are targeted and picked off one by one by an unknown assassin - including Lila...
The plot is very well developed and I found myself looking forward to each instalment eagerly. Ms Hellmann has some wonderful characters; well-fleshed out and perfectly believable, even down to the perpetrator(s) trying to kill her. And it is these characters that bring the whole story alive. Add to that Ms Hellmann's vivid and colourful Chicago pulsating through the text and you have a wonderful thriller.
The pace is great - never letting up, and I paticularly enjoyed the final thrilling couple of chapters. I have to say, if you're looking for a novel with finely drawn characters, a good sense of time and plenty of action you could do no better.
Authentic, well-crafted and a great adrenalin rush. A perfect read for losing yourself in.
Well done.
