2 out of 4 stars
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The book Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles chronicles the life of Darwin, a sixteen-year-old from Pittsburgh who is sent to live with his pro-quarterback Cousin, Luther. The book travels through about ten years' time, from Alex starting high school in a new place, to finishing up his residency at a hospital. Along the way, the book documents the stories of Darwin's acquaintances, from his Grandmother, Doctor that he sat next to on the plane from Pittsburgh, and the chief of security at Luther's estate. There characters in the book experience a lot of conflict, which makes for an interesting read.
In the beginning, we find out Darwin's parents were killed five years previously in a car accident, leaving Darwin a considerable amount of money to live. Without giving too much detail, Darwin's cousin Luther makes it a struggle for Darwin to receive this money, so he has to find different ways to procure money to take the path to become a doctor. The initial storyline focuses on the conflict between Darwin and Luther but moves rapidly to various topics throughout the book.
I enjoyed this book, but it left me wanting more. I felt the author tried to develop too many characters and did not provide many resolutions to the conflicts presented. Whether or not this is intentional and left to the reader to make conclusions, I am unsure, but I did not care for this writing method. The pacing was very strange, with the author dividing the book into multiple uneven sections. The beginning section was over half the book, with the remaining four sections divided into the second half, which I did not like regarding the detailing of the story.
There was some suspense in the book, with some interesting storylines. For instance, the head of security works on a murder case, involving the main housekeeper of Luther's estate. The murdered person involves multiple characters of the book only previously connected to Darwin, including his girlfriend Helen, Luther, and Lazlo, the chief of security.
I think what I disliked the most about this book was how boring the main character was. Darwin definitely showed courage and fortitude in his struggle to become a doctor, but there were no imperfections with him, to humanize him. He worked hard, did his best, and got what he deserved. There was no internal conflict of Darwin that would have helped me connect with him. The novel itself was well written and would be a good afternoon read for the average reader. I give this book 2 out of 4 stars, for its' lack of character development, irregular pacing, and unexciting word choice.
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Guardian of Deceit
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