Reviews

A Smudge of Gray by Jonathan Sturak

shai3d's review against another edition

2.0

Before I put my name in the hat for this book, I did read a few reviews to see if this was a book that I could do justice too. And most readers gave it high marks. I am only sorry that I don't agree fully with them.

This book is all about connections. The connections between the police detective and the killer and where the lives of their family intersect. I found this part of the story to very interesting. The strange ways that lives interweave even without our knowledge.

There were a few things that I really didn't care for however. The one of least importance is the overblown descriptions. I want to be able to build a scene in my mind not be told all the details insignificant or not. I could have overlooked this however if I felt that the book had no heart. Even when there were scenes of a personal nature, I got the feeling of coldness. There was no one to relate too.

I feel that this author has been touched by greatness but needs refining. I would definitely read his next book and I am sure that a lot of my readers will absolutely love this book but I just couldn't get behind this book. For a book to be great,it has to effect me emotionally and this book didn't.

I rate this book a 2.3.

I received this book at no charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. No monies have or will exchange hands.

whiskeyorwine's review against another edition

1.0

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately that feeling only lasted two pages. I tried on several occasions to get into this story but could not get past the overly exaggerated descriptions. There was an extreme amount of run-on sentences. And Sturak made the common mistake of telling instead of showing. Page after page of telling me what I should think, feel or get from a scene makes me feel as if the author believes I am too stupid to figure something out for myself.

An example of this happens of Pg. 9. I don't feel it's a *SPOILER* since it's so early in. Det. Boise misses the cutting of his birthday cake in the first paragraph so of course I can figure out that he felt he had something more important to do. However 4 paragraphs later, in case I didn't come to the right conclusion, Sturak writes "As his hand clutched a black BIC Round Stic Pen, he seemed more worried about filling in the suspect's blood type than eating the cake the captain had ordered for him in the break room."

lorihenrich2021's review against another edition

3.0

This was pretty good. I didn't see the ending coming at all. Someone is killing people associated with court cases involving the mob. The detective assigned to the case works hard to solve the case to the detriment of his family. The suspect works hard to keep his family in the dark when it comes to what he really does for a living.

Quick read. Good characters and well developed plot. It kept me interested for page one.

shells's review against another edition

4.0

It starts with the cover of the book. I couldn't stop touching it. It was soft and smooth and almost supple. I realized soon after I began reading that I was feeling Trevor's leather shoes. At least, I like to think so.
I was offered this book as a free copy from the author himself. I had read his previous work, Clouded Rainbow, and found myself almost mesmerized by the world he brought to life. A Smudge of Gray didn't disappoint.
He writes in such a way that inanimate objects, like buildings and streets seem to take on a life of their own. This life always reflects the mind and mood of the character traveling through this world. The story is short but has impact. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get to it in my reading pile. And again, the ending didn't disappoint. I love that Sturak doesn't leave his stories with conventional or expected endings. I love that there are always questions left unanswered, and potential for more story.