Review: The Poison Belt

The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I was so keen on reading this book that I got through Bookshout. I loved Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes but this book was nothing like the fine crafted Holmes stories. Much of it did not seem to make sense at all.

Basic story is a scientist has discovered something in the air after a comet has flown by. It seems to be more prevalent in the southern hemisphere but is spreading northward. He finds this not by examining the air but in the way that people are getting more irrational as time goes by. It is not something that can be registered with equipment, but only by logic. He quickly gets friends to join them and urges each to bring him an oxygen tank. One of these friends is a reporter and it is from his eyes that we are reading this. They seal up a room and as the 'poison belt' of air gets close to them they go into the room and seal themselves in and use the oxygen to make it through.

I guess I expect more logic to stories from Doyle. While I can take in the dated references to the time and handle them, the logic of all of this seems wanting. I could not suspend my belief that it was happening. One part was, I was reading what the reporter had written after everyone had died off. So you kind of know they did not all die.

While an interesting read it is not one that I would highly recommend. If you like the time frame it might be something to look at.

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Review: Coldwater

Coldwater by Samuel Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a copy of this book from Interviews and Reviews Website as well as the author (Samuel Parker) and publisher (Revell). What follows is an honest review.

It is very hard to talk about this book without giving away major plot points. The story opens with a man in a pine box struggling to get out. It is the start of many struggles that this man will go through in his life for the next few days.

Branded a murderer as a child and sent to jail, he is released as an adult and tries to live by himself at his home, venturing out to a bar once a week for a drink. This does not sit well with the locals, and they want him dead, so that is why we find him in a box in the opening.

Characters are quite well developed in this book, even the minor ones. There was no one sided character in the book. We got to see what made them tick and why they were the way they were.

The plot was excellent. When I thought that the author could not pull out a new twist to the story anymore, he still did. It was an excellent thrill ride through why these people were like they were. Nothing was out of place. Each new reveal went with the others. It was just well written. The only reason that I put it down once I started was that was bedtime, or I had work to do. It just latched on and would not let go.

One surprise to me was that the website that allowed me to request a review copy of the book is a Christian website. The books at this site are generally Christian books and Revell is a Christian publishing organization. With that I was expecting some mention of Christianity but it was just not there in the story straight out. As I thought about it, the story could seem a little allegorical. I cannot talk about why I feel that way because it would give away major plot points. But there is a big need for empathy and forgiveness in this story. The story revolves around if the main character will get them, but also the need for them from some of the minor ones.

I highly recommend this book with the understanding that there is a lot of death in it. For that reason if it was a movie (and I could see this becoming one) it would at least get a PG-13 rating. Drinking is done but not glorified. Sex is non-existent. If death bothers you this might be a book to avoid.





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Review: Angels Cry

Angels Cry by Tina Glasneck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
An interesting read. I received a copy to review and what follows is an independent review.

Angel's Cry deals with the undercover work of a cop and the seedier side of life. While undercover before, Lazarus falls in love with a woman, and then abandons her, leaving behind something he did not expect. Now three years later and back on the case, he comes across her working in a gentlemen's club. He wants to take her away but is not able to because he is deep in the case and would make them both targets if he did.

This is not book for teenagers or younger. There is a lot of murder and other material in it that would not be acceptable. I would recommend if you want a suspense story with a lot of twists and turns.



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