Featured Official Review: Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2 by Kim Ekemar

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Melchi Asuma
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Featured Official Review: Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2 by Kim Ekemar

Post by Melchi Asuma »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2" by Kim Ekemar.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Kim Ekemar is indeed a great storyteller. I say this because of how masterfully he ties up the first story and how tactfully he revives it in the second book. I will have to say that while The Lost Identity Casualties (the first volume) is easily a stand-alone novel, the second one (Where the Bones of a Buried Rat Lie) is not.

Matthias Callaghan wakes up in a hospital in pain and all stitched up. He does not remember anything until his wife (Juliana Cross) comes to visit him. His memory then comes back to him slowly until he remembers how he came to lose his face and ten fingers. The first novel details his plan to make his assailants suffer and regain his fingers and get a new face. The second novel then raises the question, 'What happens in the happily ever after?' His enemies (including Mr. Flint and Charles Rathbone) realize the extent of the damage caused by Matthias and decide to seek revenge. Matthias soon realizes that he is not yet out of the woods and has to get his life together by getting a new career and settling all his 'past life' debts. However, it is never that easy neither is it ever that straightforward.

As I mentioned earlier, Kim Ekemar is a great author and narrator. The narration he employed was compelling, powerful, and suspenseful. He switched between the first-person narration and the third-person narration to give us the feeling of knowing exactly what Matthias thought and how his thoughts influenced his actions. The writing was wonderful, a feat that I highly credit and praise the author for.

The plot was also very well crafted and developed. Despite starting the first story from the middle, all events were described chronologically. The character development was also done well. It was easy to match all the characters to their personalities and even imagine their would-be physical descriptions. Such was the power of the vivid and accurate description employed in the story.

The only thing that I disliked was the fact that the author started a few stories and failed to follow them to completion. For example, what happened to Thumps and Allan in the second novel? However, I have the remaining books in the series to try and follow these stories. These books were very professionally edited as I found no grammatical errors. Thus, I have to award the book (Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2) the highest rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It should be enjoyed by lovers of crime thrillers, adventure novels, and books featuring personality loss and discovery.

******
Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2
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MA
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Post by Nerea »

I agree, the author is a great writer and has a unique narration style. I read volume one of the series, which is gripping and suspenseful. I hope to get the opportunity and review volume two of the series. Thanks for the review.
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Post by Kathleen Wolfe »

Well I have never read a book where a person loses his face but I am curious. I hope the author ties up those loose ends you mentioned in his next book. Thanks for the review!
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Post by Amy747 »

I cant imagine how traumatic it would be to lose ones face. The face is such a big part of most peoples identity of who they think they are.
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Post by Ariel9420 »

I cant imagine how traumatic it would be to lose ones face. The face is such a big part of most peoples identity of who they think they are.
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Post by gatuguta2030 »

Melchi Asuma wrote: 31 Jan 2020, 08:37 [Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2" by Kim Ekemar.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Kim Ekemar is indeed a great storyteller. I say this because of how masterfully he ties up the first story and how tactfully he revives it in the second book. I will have to say that while The Lost Identity Casualties (the first volume) is easily a stand-alone novel, the second one (Where the Bones of a Buried Rat Lie) is not.

Matthias Callaghan wakes up in a hospital in pain and all stitched up. He does not remember anything until his wife (Juliana Cross) comes to visit him. His memory then comes back to him slowly until he remembers how he came to lose his face and ten fingers. The first novel details his plan to make his assailants suffer and regain his fingers and get a new face. The second novel then raises the question, 'What happens in the happily ever after?' His enemies (including Mr. Flint and Charles Rathbone) realize the extent of the damage caused by Matthias and decide to seek revenge. Matthias soon realizes that he is not yet out of the woods and has to get his life together by getting a new career and settling all his 'past life' debts. However, it is never that easy neither is it ever that straightforward.

As I mentioned earlier, Kim Ekemar is a great author and narrator. The narration he employed was compelling, powerful, and suspenseful. He switched between the first-person narration and the third-person narration to give us the feeling of knowing exactly what Matthias thought and how his thoughts influenced his actions. The writing was wonderful, a feat that I highly credit and praise the author for.

The plot was also very well crafted and developed. Despite starting the first story from the middle, all events were described chronologically. The character development was also done well. It was easy to match all the characters to their personalities and even imagine their would-be physical descriptions. Such was the power of the vivid and accurate description employed in the story.

The only thing that I disliked was the fact that the author started a few stories and failed to follow them to completion. For example, what happened to Thumps and Allan in the second novel? However, I have the remaining books in the series to try and follow these stories. These books were very professionally edited as I found no grammatical errors. Thus, I have to award the book (Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2) the highest rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It should be enjoyed by lovers of crime thrillers, adventure novels, and books featuring personality loss and discovery.

******
Callaghan, vol. 1 & 2
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
True.Kim Ekemar is a fantastic writer.He has authoured a gripping narrative in this book.
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Post by Dickeys42 »

I cant imagine how traumatic it would be to lose ones face. The face is such a big part of most peoples identity of who they think they are. that makes my stomach very sicken.
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Post by Jona00baka »

I have never read this book but the review is well crafted. It is horrible to lose a face and 10 fingers. I can imagine the pain. Thanks for amazing review
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Post by MayWanawan »

It is such a tragic incident for him to lose his face and 10 fingers although I don't know how he lost his face and fingers. But the story is quiet fascinating and thrilling, its a story about revenge the author did a pretty good job.
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Post by Marvin85 »

Matthias' story is fascinating. What makes it look thrilling is the author's unique narrative style. However, the writer has to conclude his stories in a perfect fashion. I would like to try these volumes.
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Post by Haywhyre7 »

Wow..To lose one's face and ten fingers. I would like to read to find out how he regained those back and what what kind of assailants remove a man's fingers.
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Post by ankzd07 »

The first thing that caught my attention was that our protagonist lost his face and ten fingers; and I was like, "wait, what?" Can't wait to read the novel to know more! Thanks for the review! :)
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Post by Anngladys »

Kathleen Wolfe wrote: 06 Feb 2020, 09:18 Well I have never read a book where a person loses his face but I am curious. I hope the author ties up those loose ends you mentioned in his next book. Thanks for the review!
Yes, I haven't either. It sounds traumatic!!!!!
Oh dear. I'm curious but I'm not even sure I want to read it now!!!
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Post by Anngladys »

Haywhyre7 wrote: 22 Jul 2020, 04:43 Wow..To lose one's face and ten fingers. I would like to read to find out how he regained those back and what what kind of assailants remove a man's fingers.
What kind of assailants? I can only imagine - the very awful, heartless kind. Oh my!
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Post by Anngladys »

Dickeys42 wrote: 21 Jul 2020, 13:21 I cant imagine how traumatic it would be to lose ones face. The face is such a big part of most peoples identity of who they think they are. that makes my stomach very sicken.
This is so true! Sch a big part of someone's identity. And then the fact that without fingers, one can hardly do anything for oneself. What kind of a life is that now??? Oh dear. This book is crazy-sounding.
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