The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Dinosaur Lawyer
Because The Dinosaur Lawyer was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Mercelle
Judging by the cover, I wasn't going to read this book, but the OBC review urged me on when it mentioned that the author narrates an unfolding courtroom drama triggered by one person's belief that dinosaurs never existed. When I read the first ten pages, I didn't like that Clarendon got excited with the idea of an excellent meal at someone else's expense although he was overweight. Since I noticed no errors, I will conclude that the text underwent professional editing, but I won't read the rest of the book because it doesn't appeal to me. As it is, there's nothing I would change about the bit I read.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 4:19 am by Mercelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
I might have sampled this without the programme when I realized it wasn't a children's book because the subjects of dinosaurs and the law are interesting, and the book has exceptionally high ratings. I will probably read it on the strength of the sample because it seems well researched. It seems well edited in general, although I did notice a couple of errors. These were: "Clarendon wore new blue jeans and white socks, Maxim's butler had him remove ..." (comma splice) and "Clarendon is the Executive Director ..." (inexplicable present tense while everything around it is past). I particularly liked the way the start was action packed, an important quality in a thriller. I thought the descriptions of the characters could be improved. For example, the description of Maxim and Roman as "average-looking" is strange and ambiguous. Also, Tina says to Aaron: "Just because I pushed you away from dangerous cases to take an adjunct faculty position ...". Presumably, Aaron knows this, so it seems rather contrived and doesn't seem a believable way for this topic to come up in conversation. The OnlineBookClub review stated that this is full of interesting information, so that helped me with my decision.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 4:18 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sahani Nimandra
The Dinosaur Lawyer by Adam Van Susteren seems like a pretty intense read from the legal aspect. A lawyer, subjected to prove the existence of a dinosaur when his client is accused of forging dinosaur fossils. The official review was good, but I was wondering about the title, The Dinosaur Lawyer, which made me wonder if the lawyer had a dinosaur's personality. From the start I felt it was a dry read. It spoke of a very arrogant man who will do anything to get his way. It defined majority of the powerful people in this world. I'm sorry this read doesn't exactly interest me. I didn't encounter any hindrances while reading and I lost all my interest toward this read after reading the first five pages.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 3:33 am by Sahani Nimandra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. A book that debates whether or not dinosaurs exist didn’t seem that interesting to me. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I think the first chapter was supposed to add suspense, but it really was just kind of frustrating. Maxim and Clarendon’s discussion was hard to follow. There was an abbreviation used that wasn’t defined, and I wasn’t really sure what they were talking about. Maxim kept asking about P.G.O.A. support but didn’t say what for, and I didn’t know what the abbreviation stood for. I thought the next chapter with Tina and Aaron was a little more interesting, but not enough to draw me in. I did like the list of important people in dinosaur history at the beginning and the book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 2:43 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gravy
This one would not have caught my interest, mainly due to the genre, and the sample did not change my mind.
I didn't notice any errors, but I find the predictable fall back of using weight and baldness to indicate a character's nature or disposition to be lazy. And of course, being 'fat' the character must always be ready to eat, am I right?! Especially when it's paid for by somebody else! (This is literally stated twice within the first few pages. As I said, clichéd and lazy.) It also makes me question if there would be more such instances of generic/clichéd characterizations, and that, by itself, would keep me from reading the book.
There was a review for this book, but that does not have an affect on my opinion. Despite actually enjoying the style of the author, the lazy characterization and overall genre make me not want to read this.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 2:34 am by Gravy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Dolor
Without The First Ten program, I wouldn't have chosen to read this book because I find the topic ridiculous and debatable at the se time. The blurb, the official OBC review, and the first ten pages had not piqued my interest. The cover looks gloomy. I think there could have been better cover photo than what it currently has. The story in the first ten pages did not take off. Russian billionaire (Roman Aristov), his brother (Maxim), and the Executive Director of the Paleontology Group of America (Clarendon Miller) were gathered in a fifteen million-dollar Bel Air estate. I don't understand what P.G.O.A. initials mean. Here are the errors I noticed:
*fragmented sentence*
And you have always been so generous with us.
*run-on sentence*
Clarendon wore new blue jeans and white socks, Maxim’s butler had him remove his low cut hiking boots at the front door.
*lacking necessary comma (,)*
But it was found over a hundred years ago and the recovery methods weren’t as exacting as they are now.
You have a lot of money invested here and what if it turns out one of those wasn’t up to snuff?
I don't have further improvement suggestion for this book. The Dinosaur Lawyer by Adam Van Susteren is a #Courtroom #Drama that revolves around the story of attorney Aaron Baker who is hired by a Russian billionaire, Roman Aristov, to defend him in a suit brought on by his twin brother, Maxim. Baker must prove that the dinosaurs did not exist to exonerate Aristov from a defamation case.
#LegalThriller #Dinosaurs #Trial
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 2:10 am by Dolor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
I would specifically have chosen to check out this book because I've read and thoroughly enjoyed another book by this author. At first, the sample almost changed my mind because I'd started getting bored with too much explanations from Aaron to Tina Lee, but the fun picked up when Aaron met Roman Aristov. However, Aaron constantly reminding Roman that the case might be lost so many times even after he had made it crystal clear that he didn't mind, sounded a bit repetitive. I didn't pick up on any error but found this sentence awkwardly worded, "If both are minimal, why have you and P.G.O.A. concern?" Although I understand its meaning, I feel it will be better suited for a book written with old, Shakespearean English than modern day. A better alternative could be, "If both are minimal, why are you and the P.G.O.A. concerned?" The OBC review I'd seen had been a major supporting influence in my decision to read the book, thankfully as I've passed the part that may possibly have been a deterrent.
First Ten review added on March 24, 2019, at 1:58 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AA1495
Had I not sampled the book, I would not have read it. I usually read pure romance books. Further, the title revealed that the book may include a central theme revolving around dinosaurs and I usually have no interest in the topic of dinosaurs. However, the color combination of the cover (white text on a black background) caught my attention. Having read the sample, I liked how the author began with an interesting quote that made me think. Further, I liked how the author introduced Maxim and Clarendon. However, I was disappointed by the lack of a proper introduction. Specifically, I would have liked an introduction to the author to able to connect to his writing better. I found no major grammatical or formatting errors in the sample. However, I would have liked more spacing between paragraphs (preferably a gap of a line between two paragraphs to make the text easier to read). Since I do not read the genre usually, I will not be buying the book today.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 7:43 pm by AA1495.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
The title, The Dinosaur Lawyer, sounds like a children's book title. The cover art is bland and needs improvement. Aaron Baker is a well-developed character. In this story he is a lawyer trying to prove that dinosaurs did not exist. The premise of the book is interesting and I would like to know what facts the author uncovered about the existence of dinosaurs. Parts were very boring, however, like the discussion between Aaron and his fiancee, Tina, about the difference between statutory and common law. The official review rated this highly. I found several missing commas such as at location 336 where it says, "But I must tell you that this case may receive a lot of publicity and if I believe we are on the losing end, it could really harm my career." A comma is needed berween the words publicity/and. Because the story was not that interesting to me, I will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 4:38 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
unamilagra
Even before reading the sample, this is the type of book that would really interest me. I like a lot of trial books, and one with a concept as unique as having to argue against the existence of dinosaurs is very intriguing. Reading the first ten pages, I was very interested in the story line involving Maxim and Clarendon, but less so with the one involving Aaron and Tina, which was a little too "educational" for a first introduction to the characters in my opinion. That said, I still am really interested in how this story progresses, so I plan to read the rest of the book. I did not notice any errors in the section I read.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 4:20 pm by unamilagra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Yoli García
I do not read court dramas, so I would not have sampled this book without this program. The OBC review did not convince me to read it. The idea of proving in court that dinosaurs did not exist sounds absurd to me. I think a professional edited the book. I felt disgust while reading about the physical description of Clarendon, who is obese. I got bored reading Aaron’s discussion about the difference between common law and statutory law. I will not read the book because I am not into the genre and the storyline.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 2:59 pm by Yoli García.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. Quite frankly, the premise seems a bit cheesy, and for a scientist, there is quite a bit wrong about questioning pure scientific research (rather than supernatural type skepticism). After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I enjoyed how the traditional and stereotypical evil Russia is pressuring the normally confident scientist in the beginning. It is horribly stereotypical, but it definitely sets the stage with clear expectations of good versus evil moving forward in the book. That being said, this book really isn't for me. I'm not interested in legal thrillers, and I'm afraid where the questioning of dinosaur's existence is going to lead further in the book itself and during the trial. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 2:51 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sonya Nicolaidis
The reviews all recommend this book highly, especially if, like me, a book with an academic side is your thing. I was interested in the story, and found the inclusion of the courtroom drama aspect even more appealing. However, had I not read the reviews, the drab and uninteresting cover may have put me off from having a closer look at this book. Nevertheless, the sample began promisingly and the part that captured my attention right from the outset was the opening quote by Thomas Jefferson. I paused and reflected on it way longer than I had expected to, and it put me in the right frame of mind for the story ahead. I didn’t notice any errors and have to say there is nothing not to like about this sample. It has the promise of intrigue, suspense, and treachery woven cleverly together, and all in all, looks like a fantastic read. I really like the characters which were all introduced in rapid succession and thing they will blend together to make this story amazing. Apart from the cover, which is disappointing, I’d say this is an excellent book to try, and I will be reading it for sure.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 11:24 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
OloladeO
Based on the cover and title, I would not have read the sample because I am not a fan of its genre, neither do I like court drama. From the sample, Maxim Aristov asked Clarendon Miller, director of the Paleontology Group of America, if he could expect their support in a case that his brother was bringing up against him. Clarendon assured him that if any paleontologist testifies against him, he would have hundreds of paleontologists attack them. They also planned to use the media to shape public opinion. Maxim wanted to know if they were willing to go through great lengths for him. The book seems edited. The OBC reviewer gave it a perfect rating, so I am sure that those who favor its genre would find it entertaining. As for me, I would not be reading the rest of the book for reasons I stated earlier.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 5:52 am by OloladeO.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Lorraine De Vos
If I had not read the sample or reviews, I probably may have passed on reading this book. The title looked like it was referring to an old man and the picture did not interest me very much. However I am absolutely delighted that I did read the sample and reviews as I discovered this book is amazingly well researched and written with passion. I will absolutely add this book to my reading list as I enjoy the author’s writing style and the storyline is unique and captivating. It does appear to be professionally edited - I only picked up on a missing word in chapter 4, paragraph 5, first sentence. The official review was very good, but I had already fallen in love with the book before even reading the review, so I doubt it could have changed my mind. I thoroughly enjoy that there are majorly fascinating professions covered by the characters and the baseline is about a well known controversial religious dispute even if the motive for the dispute in this book seems to not be the same. I have not read anything I disliked as yet, however I think the cover could be more appealing.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 5:22 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
va2016
The title and the cover are indicative of the theme of the book. There are 25 Amazon customer reviews with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The Amazon summary gives a good description of the plot and I liked it. Based on the above factors, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled the book, I found the first chapter that has the interaction between Maxim and Clarendon making me extremely curious, as Maxim seems to be a dangerous person with lots of power and money and pushing the levers in the research about dinosaurs. I am compelled to find out what would happen in the story, so I am going to read this book in full. I found the book to be professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked about the book is its extremely dangerous plot and thrilling story line. I could not find anything that can be improved with the book. I found one OBC review on the book, but my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on March 23, 2019, at 12:14 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
LV2R
The book cover and title were OK, but I wasn’t sure about reading the book. The Amazon Blurb clearly described the gest of the story as billionaire Roman Aristov hires attorney Aaron Baker to prove that big dinosaurs never existed. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to read the book or not. The first ten pages opened with Maxim Aristov talking to and making some kind of an agreement with Clarendon Miller, the Executive Director of the Paleontology Group of America. Aaron Baker was also introduced, as a professor, talking to his girlfriend Tina Lee about teaching law. I liked best that Aaron Baker is apparently teaching about law, but will soon be involved with a dinosaur case (known from the Amazon Blurb and the OBC review.) This seems to be setting up for an unlikely opportunity for Aaron to come along to grab and to change his life. The OBC review convinced me to read the book because the book gives readers a lot of things to think about and questions the facts, in general, we accept of as proof in the existence of dinosaurs. There are well-developed and likable characters and the reviewer learned many things about dinosaurs and wanted to find out more. The book seems to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. I even learned a new word -- a woman engaged to be married is “fiancée.” I wasn’t aware of that word before or had I just forgotten it?
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 11:53 pm by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
psychopathycathy
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book as I am not sure this is my genre, although I do like how, at the end of the blurb, second person perspective is used to speak to the reader directly. After reading the official review, I have changed my mind. I liked the writing style, and I thought the humor was a prominent yet subtle addition, such as at the end of chapter one when the book commented on Clarendon's weight. I did not read the official review but that did not affect my decision. I thought the sample was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 11:51 pm by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CataclysmicKnight
I really had no idea what a dinosaur lawyer was when I saw the title of this book. My first thought, from the title alone, was that this was a children's book to introduce kids to what lawyers do, or some crazy book where actual dinosaurs need real lawyers. As such, I probably would've passed this book up if it wasn't the book of the day.
I really liked the Amazon description, although I was curious how any of it would be a court case. This is made clear in the second chapter, and the initial plot came off as more humorous than tense: one brother is taking the other to court over libel from a Facebook post about him, and the main character is defending the one who made the post. It does sound like this will lead to a wild ride if it'll somehow explain how "big dinosaurs" aren't real, but I'm not hooked enough to purchase a copy of the book. I also wasn't a fan of how a few things came off as the author blatantly teaching lessons about the law or various other topics in the first couple chapters, and I worry that means that the dinosaur aspect will feel the same.
I didn't notice any errors, though, and the writing is smooth!
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 10:36 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
I enjoyed the discussion between Maxim and Clarendon. It signifies corruption and exposes the way people exploit others for profit. Also, the question hanging over the existence of dinosaurs is so intriguing. I think the most interesting thing for me at this point though, was the list of people at the very beginning that serve as a backdrop to the storyline. It was fascinating to see that a few bones and fossils turned into a “dinosaur”. It makes me very curious to find out more about this subject. I enjoyed the review because it explained that this book is heavy on legal matters. I don’t know that I’m up to reading something so complex right now, but I did find the book to be exceptionally well edited.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 9:22 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
sarahmarlowe
The cover is fairly attractive. It looks like a book with a law-based plot. The title really caught my attention, though. Wow. I would have certainly picked it up based on that. I don't think Aaron knows what he is getting into, arguing that dinosaurs never existed. Even though he is backed by a multi-millionaire, it seems he is up against people who are willing to kill in order to keep their secrets. I liked Aaron and his girlfriend, Tina. They seem to be characters that would carry a story. The descriptions of the antagonists made them seem smarmy and amoral. Very good for bad guys! The book is well-written, and the dialogue is natural. There were a handful of grammatical errors, mostly dealing with commas. This one is from Loc 311: "In order to win our lawsuit, we would have to prove that the fossils he possesses are in fact frauds." There should be commas before and after "in fact." I won't be reading this book primarily because it just isn't a topic I am interested in reading. I have not read an OBC review of this book.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 6:53 pm by sarahmarlowe.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
revna01
Maxim has invited P.G.O.A. head, Clarendon,to his mansion in Bel Air to discuss beginning a campaign to besmirch paleontologists' reputations and disprove the discovery of dinosaurs. Clarendon is obviously intimidated by Maxim, who makes his intentions clear that he would resort to killing those who stand in his way. The first ten pages paint a nice scene of the mansion library and Clarendon. I also liked the sinister character build up of Maxim and his wild agenda. I would not change anything so far. I really like the title and cover which look very professional. The OBC reviewer noted the underlying themes of this book as well as the extensive research topics. Courtroom drama and overly scientific fiction novels don't really fit my desires right now, so I'll pass on this one.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 6:01 pm by revna01.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
cpru68
Aaron Baker is in the middle of a sibling fight about to go down in a court of law. He agrees to respresent Roman Aristov who has publicly shamed his brother Maxim by calling him a collector of fake fossils. This has incited a defamation lawsuit that Aaron has tried to persuade Roman to congenially get out of with an apology. Steadfast to fight, Roman also wants to prove in court that the T-Rex and Brachiosaurus never existed.
I liked the combination of law and science in the opening of this. The author wastes no time setting up the conflict between the two warring brothers.
I am not going to be finishing this one as I usually read non-fiction, and this didn’t grab my attention enough to want to finish this.
In 39 percent of the sample, I did see a missing comma in this sentence: “Okay, but this will be expensive and I’m not sure we can win.” A comma is needed after expensive. Other than that, I did not see any other errors, and the review seemed to indicate this was professionally edited, so I would have to agree.
I probably wouldn’t have found this one on my own search without the online book club, so I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages. I will send it out on my social media for others to look into.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 5:35 pm by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Camille Turner
I would not have sampled this book without the program because I'm not interested in reading a legal thriller about people who don't believe dinosaurs existed, which is the plot impression I got from the cover, title, and Amazon blurb. After reading the first ten pages, I'm not sure if the book was professionally edited or not, as I found one sentence I believe to be punctuated incorrectly. It reads, "Clarendon wore new blue jeans and white socks, Maxim's brother had him remove his low cut hiking boots at the front door." I believe there should be either a semicolon or a period after "socks." My impression has stayed the same as I'm still not interested in the story, so I won't buy the book today. I didn't really like anything in these first ten pages, but I wouldn't improve anything either because I'm sure the book will appeal to readers who like this sort of genre/theme. The book starts with Clarendon, who works for P.G.O.A. (a company affiliated with dinosaur research), sitting in Maxim's huge estate. Maxim is a wealthy Russian who wants to know that the company will do whatever he wants (discrediting scientists and even murdering them) to help him win what I believe is a court case. It seems the court case will be about discrediting certain dinosaur research.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 4:56 pm by Camille Turner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
The title made me think this was a children's book. I picked this book up as soon as I read the OBC review. Aaron Baker tries to prove that dinosaurs never existed. That must be an interesting case. However, I was disappointed that this was the 3rd book in a series. I don't feel right to start with the 3rd book, so I decline the chance to further read this book. The sample started intriguing. Maxim Aristov and Clarendon Miller seem to be really determined to hide something. Meanwhile, Aaron Baker tells about his first day of teaching. I found no grammar mistake.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 3:48 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'The Dinosaur Lawyer' is a book written by Adam Van Susteran. The title, blurb, the OBC review, and the customer reviews in Amazon did a good job of convincing me to give the book a try.
The first ten pages of the book leads me to believe that it is a legal novel. Mr. Roman Aristov has made a Facebook post claiming that his twin brother Maxim’s collection of dinosaur fossils are fake. Maxim has filed a defamation case against him. Roman employs Aron Baker to fight his case and disprove the existence of dinosaurs. I like how the author has given a list of important facts concerning dinosaurs in the beginning. I found some errors. For example, The author had written, “I stalled for a little bit while I thought about it and only after class..” instead of “I stalled for a little bit while I thought about it, and only after class..” Hence, I do not think that the book is professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I love the premise.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 3:43 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
I definitely would have picked this book up because the plot is so unique! I think it could be cool to read about someone playing devil's advocate. The first ten pages were professionally edited. I liked the easy flow of the writing. The fact that Clarendon mentions that maybe this dinosaur deal will make people question other things, makes me intrigued to find out just how big of an impact this will have on the book's world. I am very excited to read the rest, I did not even need to read an OBC review.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 3:36 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jessacardinal
I have not seen any previous reviews of The Dinosaur Lawyer. I would most likely pass by the book in a store after a quick glance at the title and cover. There is nothing specifically in need of any improvement with either the title or cover, as my previous comment is nothing more than personal preference based. I am sure those attracted to reading legal-based works would be interested in The Dinosaur Lawyer. I am pleasantly surprised that I am interested in the plot after sampling the first ten pages. Therefore, this is a book I am considering reading from beginning to end in the future. I did notice a misspelled work (gooud) on page one. However, I am unsure if it is actually misspelled or if it is supposed to represent the accent mentioned further on in the sentence. It seems there are several subplots about to take flight and I like this idea the most. Some readers, myself included, may be distracted by an overabundance of descriptive writing. This is what I like least about the sample. However, some readers appreciate a lot of details so I may not recommend making any changes.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 2:18 pm by Jessacardinal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CinWin
As "The Dinosaur Lawyer" by Adam Van Susteren opens, we meet Maxim Aristov, a billionaire who is attempting to discredit some recent dinosaur findings. He is requesting the support of Claredon Miller, the Executive Director of the Paleontology Group of America. In chapter two, we meet our protagonist, Aaron Baker. His finance and he are discussing their previous day's doings. She is a doctor in the ER, and Aaron is currently on leave from dangerous law cases, and has an adjunct faculty position at the local college. He does, however, have one current case that he is planning on taking this very day. Thus ends the first 10 pages. I would not have chosen this book by its cover. It looks like a novel about an old lawyer. However, after reading a sample and an onlinebookclub review, I decided to finish it. It has a very interesting premise - proving dinosaurs never existed. I am enjoying how the author is developing his characters. It is not fast-paced, but evenly-paced, which is a plus. Another plus for me is that it is a series book, and I love those! I don't have any recommendations, as the sample was very good. There were no typos in the first 10 pages, so I think it was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 1:56 pm by CinWin.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mai Tran
This seems like a thought-provoking book. However, I’ve never been that interested in dinosaurs, so I wouldn’t have read this book if it wasn’t for the program. The book seems professionally edited, but I'm not too fond of the writing style because I don’t enjoy reading long conversations. It also makes me sad to see two twin brothers planning to fight each other in court. I won’t continue to read this book.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 1:47 pm by Mai Tran.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cristina Chifane
Even without the first ten program, I probably would have been drawn by the title and cover of this courtroom drama. Since it has some interesting premises, I would have liked to check the novel. However, I would have started with book 1 in the series. Besides, The Dinosaur Lawyer has favorable editorial and customer reviews; 88% of the 24 customer reviews give the novel 5 stars. Although the overall topic is interesting, the sample didn't impress me too much. For example, the dialogue between Tina and Aaron didn't manage to keep me tuned in maybe because of some redundant lines. I only noticed one missing comma: "Goodnight (,) Aaron. See you for dinner." (36% of Sample) I generally like legal thrillers; nevertheless, there were some legal explanations I couldn't fully understand in the sample. I'm wondering how the lawsuit between Maxim and Roman will progress, but the sample didn't make me curious enough to continue reading. I'm sure others will enjoy it, though, especially considering the 4-star OBC review.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 11:35 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
I might have picked this book up as the title was rather intriguing and I like books that involve history. Having read the sample I won't be continuing with the book as the plot is a little slow. The sample deals with several men discussing a plot that involves investments and sounds shady. Then the action turns to Aaron Baker and his fiancee discussing some legal issues. The writing is very good and I didn't find any grammar errors. Those who like legal mysteries might like this book. I found the plot a bit slow. I have not read any other reviews of this book.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 11:29 am by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ObsessedBookNerd
Had I not read the first ten page of the book I would not have read this story based on the title, genre, cover, blurb or reviews because I don't enjoy reading legal thrillers. I also don't enjoy reading books with law, science, and math as main topics to the story. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. I like that the author gives a history of dinosaurs and their discovery at the beginning of the story. I dislike that I couldn't connect with the characters. In the first chapter, it is about Mr. Aristov and Clarendon having a discussion. Basically, Mr. Aristov wanted to know what Clarendon and the P.G.O.A. would do for him. In the discussion, destroying the reputation of anyone who testified against them, raising money, and even murder was discussed. The second chapter is about Aaron and Tina. Aaron is a professor/lawyer teaching Law and Tina works at the hospital. Mr. Aristov wants to recruit Aaron for his case against his brother but Aaron doesn't think it would be a good idea. The book did seem professionally edited and I found no spelling or grammatical errors. I am not going to buy or read the whole story because I was bored while reading the sample. I didn't like that I could not connect with the characters or the story. The math, science, law and medical content also turn me from reading this book. I also like to read a series from the beginning but even though it is the third book I was able to follow the story. Overall, I will pass on reading this book but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys legal thrillers, drama, science or history.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 10:31 am by ObsessedBookNerd.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
This is an attention-grabbing title and I like the cover art of the book. It reminds me of a John Grisham book. I would have picked this book up based on the title. The book begins with a meeting regarding the authenticity of paleontology artifacts. It seems like a fast-paced thriller. I haven’t read any reviews of this book yet but I think I would like to finish this book. Based on the first ten pages, I believe this book was professionally edited because I didn’t see any errors. I like that the book is about a lawyer and the legal system and it was written by a lawyer. I am a lawyer and sometimes legal thrillers are not very accurate regarding the legal system. Since this book is written by a lawyer, I think it will be accurate. I will finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 9:59 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gali
I wouldn't have sampled the book on my own, as it isn't the type of books I enjoy reading. I didn't change my mind after sampling the book. I like the premise of the book. While a legal thriller challenging the existence of dinosaurs sounds original, I'm not really interested in the subject matter. A billionaire hires Attorney Aaron Baker to disapprove the existence of dinosaurs. As a lover of dinosaurs, I protest on their behalf… Although I didn't notice any glaring errors, the writing was too stiff to my taste and the pace too slow. As the book didn't engage me, the writing wasn't to my taste, and the storyline does not interest me, I won't buy and read the book. The official review further turned me off the book by mentioning its repetitious and technical sections.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 9:39 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
desantismt_17
This book’s title made me curious. The description didn’t quite hook me. While the dinosaur debate sounded interesting, I’m not much for courtroom dramas. Before sampling, I was considering reading. After sampling, I may just give this a try. The book appears professionally edited. I noticed no errors. I really didn’t expect to be drawn into this as it’s not a genre I really enjoy. Nevertheless, the opening conversation between Clerandon and Maxim just hooked me. The idea of disproving the existence of dinosaurs like this just made me want to know how on Earth this book ended, not to mention what happened along the way. I also found the writing solid. It’s not said outright, but it’s more than clear that Maxim has power and money and that he knows how to use both. I’m just curious. I have no improvements to suggest at this time. The OnlineBookClub.org review was positive and aided in convincing me to try this book.
First Ten review added on March 22, 2019, at 9:34 am by desantismt_17.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 39%
The Dinosaur Lawyer earned a score of 39%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 39% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
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