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nahyee's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and ReAnimus Press for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication of this title is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2018.
Dave Barlow, an almost 30-year-old financial advisor in Colorado Springs who has an obsession with Bolivia, narrates this story, which starts with two bullet holes in his new car followed by his attendance at his 10-year college reunion where no one recognizes him and he doesn't appear to exist. This set the whole plot in motion and had the potential to be a really good book, but it moved much too quickly into being unbelievable.
As events unfold, it is clear that someone is out to destroy Dave's life - personally and professionally. We get a clue very early in the book regarding who the culprit might be, but even though Dave is telling the story, he doesn't seem to come to the same conclusion as the reader. This book also employs the unfortunately often used plot line that the police are too busy and/or incompetent to solve crimes so the narrator must do it himself because he has more motivation to solve the crime himself. The issue here is that Dave doesn't have any background that would lend itself to him being a superior detective. I'm not saying financial advisors aren't smart, but they're not detectives. And Dave does a lot of law-breaking while he's gathering evidence, which would never hold up, and that doesn't seem to factor in at any point in the book. In addition, Dave withdraws a large sum of money from his bank account at a time in the story where it would be necessary for him to have readily available cash. Without spoiling anything, we're told at one point that he has now lost the money that was left in his car, but the amount he would need to buy all of the things he buys is probably more than would comfortably fit in his wallet. He just seems to have an endless supply of cash, and I couldn't reconcile that.
Another challenge I had with this was the character development, which was pretty much non-existent. The characters were completely unsympathetic and no one had any back story to speak of. The reader has no idea of how the characters got where they are in the present day. We learn a little bit about Dave's history only in that it is necessary for us to understand what's happening to him now (although I'm not sure that constant references to PTSD advanced the story at all), but there is no depth to the characters and I don't feel bad or good about any of them. I didn't care if Dave ever found out who was behind his troubles. I was curious about the motivation behind them, but it certainly didn't drive me to keep turning pages until I finished. I finished when I finished. I really wasn't in any hurry.
The writing style left a lot to be desired. I know this author has been nominated for awards for some of his science fiction work, and I haven't read anything of his before, but the writing style in this feels amateurish and stilted. And there were several instances where it seemed like he was trying to be funny or use innuendo that just fell flat. As I mentioned earlier, the author seems to be obsessed with Bolivia. There are 10 separate references to fleeing to Bolivia, heading to Bolivia, what do you think of Bolivia. Because clearly if you want to escape your current life, Bolivia must be the place to go?
Finally, this could do with a huge editing job because the details around where Dave is driving and what Dave is seeing are all too much. I believe in authors setting a scene, but if you don't live in Colorado Springs, you won't get many of these references and they're too much detail for anyone who doesn't live in Colorado Springs and has no frame of reference. Every time Dave got in the car to drive somewhere, I felt like I was reading Mapquest.
"I swung by my house to get my workout clothes and then drove up Centennial and then across on Vindicator to a strip mall anchored by a Safeway."
"Bruce lived in a neighborhood called Holland Park, on the west side, a few miles north of the parking lot I was in. I got onto I-25 and got off where Fillmore climbed to the west, one of the steepest major roads in the Springs. I made my way north through an idle construction zone, keeping watch for anyone following me. To the north, Centennial Boulevard swung downward in a gentle curve through the Holland Park neighborhood. I passed Hans Brinker and Amstel without seeing any windmills or dikes. Next was Amsterdam Drive and I took a right. One of the houses near the intersection had tulips growing in the front yard."
And then there were the weather reports: "The day was moderate, partly cloudy. White, puffy clouds, not thick, dark, lowering clouds." I really don't need that to set the scene.
All in all, if you're a fan of this author, you might enjoy this book more than I did. Otherwise, I recommend taking a pass.
Dave Barlow, an almost 30-year-old financial advisor in Colorado Springs who has an obsession with Bolivia, narrates this story, which starts with two bullet holes in his new car followed by his attendance at his 10-year college reunion where no one recognizes him and he doesn't appear to exist. This set the whole plot in motion and had the potential to be a really good book, but it moved much too quickly into being unbelievable.
As events unfold, it is clear that someone is out to destroy Dave's life - personally and professionally. We get a clue very early in the book regarding who the culprit might be, but even though Dave is telling the story, he doesn't seem to come to the same conclusion as the reader. This book also employs the unfortunately often used plot line that the police are too busy and/or incompetent to solve crimes so the narrator must do it himself because he has more motivation to solve the crime himself. The issue here is that Dave doesn't have any background that would lend itself to him being a superior detective. I'm not saying financial advisors aren't smart, but they're not detectives. And Dave does a lot of law-breaking while he's gathering evidence, which would never hold up, and that doesn't seem to factor in at any point in the book. In addition, Dave withdraws a large sum of money from his bank account at a time in the story where it would be necessary for him to have readily available cash. Without spoiling anything, we're told at one point that he has now lost the money that was left in his car, but the amount he would need to buy all of the things he buys is probably more than would comfortably fit in his wallet. He just seems to have an endless supply of cash, and I couldn't reconcile that.
Another challenge I had with this was the character development, which was pretty much non-existent. The characters were completely unsympathetic and no one had any back story to speak of. The reader has no idea of how the characters got where they are in the present day. We learn a little bit about Dave's history only in that it is necessary for us to understand what's happening to him now (although I'm not sure that constant references to PTSD advanced the story at all), but there is no depth to the characters and I don't feel bad or good about any of them. I didn't care if Dave ever found out who was behind his troubles. I was curious about the motivation behind them, but it certainly didn't drive me to keep turning pages until I finished. I finished when I finished. I really wasn't in any hurry.
The writing style left a lot to be desired. I know this author has been nominated for awards for some of his science fiction work, and I haven't read anything of his before, but the writing style in this feels amateurish and stilted. And there were several instances where it seemed like he was trying to be funny or use innuendo that just fell flat. As I mentioned earlier, the author seems to be obsessed with Bolivia. There are 10 separate references to fleeing to Bolivia, heading to Bolivia, what do you think of Bolivia. Because clearly if you want to escape your current life, Bolivia must be the place to go?
Finally, this could do with a huge editing job because the details around where Dave is driving and what Dave is seeing are all too much. I believe in authors setting a scene, but if you don't live in Colorado Springs, you won't get many of these references and they're too much detail for anyone who doesn't live in Colorado Springs and has no frame of reference. Every time Dave got in the car to drive somewhere, I felt like I was reading Mapquest.
"I swung by my house to get my workout clothes and then drove up Centennial and then across on Vindicator to a strip mall anchored by a Safeway."
"Bruce lived in a neighborhood called Holland Park, on the west side, a few miles north of the parking lot I was in. I got onto I-25 and got off where Fillmore climbed to the west, one of the steepest major roads in the Springs. I made my way north through an idle construction zone, keeping watch for anyone following me. To the north, Centennial Boulevard swung downward in a gentle curve through the Holland Park neighborhood. I passed Hans Brinker and Amstel without seeing any windmills or dikes. Next was Amsterdam Drive and I took a right. One of the houses near the intersection had tulips growing in the front yard."
And then there were the weather reports: "The day was moderate, partly cloudy. White, puffy clouds, not thick, dark, lowering clouds." I really don't need that to set the scene.
All in all, if you're a fan of this author, you might enjoy this book more than I did. Otherwise, I recommend taking a pass.
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