Review by Kaylee123 -- Sundown by Carl H. Mitchell

[Kaylee Elmer]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Sundown" by Carl H. Mitchell.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn by Carl H. Mitchell, is a dystopian novel set in New York in the near future. The story centers around Detective Nick Garvey, one of the few real police officers still around. The world is very different from today. Medical care has gone downhill, and crime is high. Police officers are no longer respected. An organization called The World Council is somehow taking over the world. After the vice president and four secret service agents are brutally murdered, Detective Garvey and his partner Tim are tasked with investigating the crime. While doing so they come across a myriad of other more serious issues, and it becomes unclear to the reader what Nick and Tim are left investigating.

What I disliked most about the book was how confused I got while reading it. There were so many characters, and it was hard to keep them straight. There were government officials, official and unofficial police officers, and bad guys. They just blurred together for me. They weren’t distinctive enough. It was hard to follow the already unclear storyline while trying to recall who a character was. It was also hard to keep track of all the different organizations: the World Council, the NYPD, the secret service, and the neighborhood cops. The members of these organizations blurred the lines between good and bad, which added to the confusion.

The part of the book I did actually enjoy was the children. They were some of the few characters that stood out. Nicole was Detective Garvey’s granddaughter. Half-Penny was a criminal who turned over a new leaf. Nathan was the son of one of the neighborhood leaders. The three kids are brought together by horrible circumstances, but their relationship brings a much-needed sweetness to the book. Reading about kids eating cookies together was refreshing amidst all the bloodshed in the story.

I would rate Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn 2 out of 4 stars. It was much too confusing for me to give it a 3 or a 4. It was a chore to finish reading because I felt like I barely knew what was going on. I wouldn’t give it a 1, though, because the premise of the story was interesting and I did enjoy Detective Garvey. If he hadn’t been so likable I would have had to stop reading the book.

This book was extremely violent. People who don’t like violence should not read it. It is also best suited for adults. People who enjoy books about police investigations would most likely enjoy it if they made sure to keep close track of all the characters.

I did find a few grammatical errors, but I believe the book was professionally edited. Sundown: Engineering Gives the Devil a Sunburn may not have been my cup of tea, but if it sounds interesting it’s worth giving it a try!

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Sundown
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