4 out of 4 stars
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Schism by Clabe Polk is the third installment of the Detective Mike Eiser series. The series centers around a Detective in a small town in Georgia. This book, like the others in the series, is a thriller which is difficult to put down.
Schism begins with Kat Thomas in Atlanta. She has a young son, named Jimmy, and is pregnant with her second son, named Quinton. Quinton’s father, Sylvester Brown, a member of the Westside Dragons, is killed by “Mad Dog” Lincoln, an up-and-coming member of the rival gang, Raven’s Claws. The loss of her future husband prompts Kat to uproot her life and children from Atlanta and move to Poplar Bluffs.
Years later, “Mad Dog” Lincoln is arrested by the ATF for the possession of illegal guns. In order to stay out of prison, “Mad Dog” Lincoln becomes a confidential informant to report the activities of the Raven’s Claws in Atlanta. The leaders of the Raven’s Claws become suspicious of “Mad Dog” Lincoln and banish him to Poplar Bluffs to start a new branch of the gang there.
Raven’s Claws in Poplar Bluffs are actively recruiting Quinton. Jimmy urges Quinton not to pursue initiation into the Raven’s Claws, but Quinton gets in too deep. The Raven’s Claws and “Mad Dog” Lincoln don’t want to let him go. A number of crimes follow, including theft, murder, and kidnapping. Detective Mike Eiser is tasked with solving these crimes, protecting the citizens of Poplar Bluffs, and punishing those responsible for the crimes.
Schism is a thriller which kept me up all night reading. The town of Poplar Bluffs truly comes to life through the vast array of characters. This novel separates itself from other thrillers in two ways. First, the perspectives of multiple characters are shared. This allows the reader to feel and understand the thoughts and actions of many characters. While it can be confusing when jumping around from character to character, Clabe Polk handles it brilliantly, making sure the reader knows exactly who to focus on at each point in the story. Second, slang is used when some of the main characters are speaking. The slang can be difficult to read quickly in some areas, but when read slowly the slang adds another layer to the characters. The character development is superb throughout the novel and by the end of the book, the characters feel like friends and family.
Schism starts out a little slow as the storyline is explained, but quickly turns into a novel that will keep readers up at night. Also at the beginning of the novel, there are some very minor editing issues. Most notably, the use of Westside Dragons and West Side Dragons.
The character development made Schism one of the better novels I have read in a long time. Therefore, I would rate Schism a 4 out of 4 stars! After finishing, I quickly purchased the first two installments of the series and am looking forward to reading them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.
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Schism
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