Review by kdstrack -- Guardian of Deceit

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kdstrack
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Review by kdstrack -- Guardian of Deceit

Post by kdstrack »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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In his novel, Guardian of Deceit, William H. Coles presents a story about a young teenage boy who confronts many difficult relationships while persistently pursuing his dream to practice medicine.

Darwin Hastings begins a new chapter in his life after his aunt’s health no longer permits her to care for him. Darwin leaves a home situation where a responsible adult loved him and cared for him, to enter a series of relationships where he must be the adult. His new legal guardian is his cousin, Luther Pinnelli. Luther does not waste any time or effort in making Darwin feel loved or wanted. Darwin also becomes Sweeney Pale’s emotional confidante when she falls in love with Luther. Later, we find Darwin protecting the secrets of Dr. Malverne who is helping him with his medical studies and internships. Several other situations arise where Darwin plays the part of an adult, advising and counseling others in their difficulties and guarding their secrets.

This story presents a long line of secondary characters. These all are very believable and we would not be surprised to have someone similar in our own lives. The personalities and difficulties these characters experience are so well described that they leap off the pages. Luther’s character as a rich football player using his money to live the good life while not caring about his nephew’s situation sounds like a report from ESPN. The fights and tension between the sisters, Carol and Helen, appear to be taken from real life. The marital problems of Dr. Malverne and Darwin’s marriage struggles reflect reality. All of these situations are extremely well done and seem to be more reality than fiction.

The only difficulty I had was with Darwin’s character. This is a young teenager who has faced numerous disappointments and losses in his life. He became an orphan when both parents died in a car crash. His loving aunt developed health complications and could no longer keep him. His cousin alternately ignores him and uses him as his personal slave. Despite all this, Darwin never complains, never gets depressed, has no plans of running away, and always perseveres. He is presented as a hard-working teenager focused, without fail, on his goal of becoming an internist. These qualities are admirable in a young person who has had a difficult life. I find it difficult for any young person to have such perfect reactions without some kind of moral or religious grounding. I think his character would have been more believable had he expressed more emotions such as occasional disappointment or anger for his present situation.

I rate this book 3 out of 4. It was difficult to bridge the gap between the characters. Darwin is almost too perfect in his attitude and reactions while the secondary characters, with all their weaknesses and deceit, are totally believable!

Any reader who likes adventure and mystery would enjoy this book. I found the book to be very well-written, holding one’s interest from beginning to end.

******
Guardian of Deceit
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[Valerie Allen]
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Post by [Valerie Allen] »

Well stated minus the spoiler alerts.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 (NKJV) :reading-7:
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