4 out of 4 stars
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While The Millionaire's Cross by Sal Nudo had an obvious slow beginning, with, what seemed to me redundant details regarding needless background of the main character, Alex's brother Trevor, and his boyfriend Chad, the novel quickly became a striking page-turner; I do not say that lightly!
The Millionaire's Cross is a story of three young men; the main character Alex, his brother Trevor, and Trevor's boyfriend Chad, who happen upon a once in a lifetime opportunity to receive five million dollars from an elderly man who offers to pay them for knocking off his sick wife, who will supposedly not live much longer anyway.
While everything points to an opportunity for a "perfect murder," Alex quickly sees the unfathomable amount of money as a way to help he and Trevor's sick mother, and possibly seek medical assistance to help Alex's wife Emily become pregnant. However, Alex quickly turns from a man who appears to be the family guide, and the sensible thinker of the bunch, into someone who clearly thinks of nobody but himself.
After an unexpected and brilliant turn of events with the elderly man, David, who offered the money to Alex, Trevor, and Chad, Alex seeks the opportunity to keep the five million dollars a secret from the others as long as he is able...The end is not only dark and disturbing, but follows a set of brilliant cliff hangers at the end of each chapter, which keep the thrill seekers wanting more as they turn each page.
Any fervent and diligent reader would gain almost instant empathy for any one of the characters in this novel, even if it is not with the main character. While I honestly have few complaints about the content of the book, as a lifelong book junkie and avid reader, who guiltlessly develops relationships with each of my characters, I came to pity Alex, who seemed to have so much going for him, and chose to throw it all away for the sake of quick cash. I was simply disappointed anytime I was forced to put the book down! However, what I am NOT saying is there are no negative aspects regarding the characters or the novel itself.
For starters, Trevor, Alex's brother is one of those young men who most of us avoided in high school: strange, awkward, depressed, and eccentric, like his brother. All three of the characters spend much of the novel intoxicated, which is a bit tasteless and crude. After all, wild and carefree...or careLESS lifestyles are not necessary in constructing a good book. I surely could have done without the details of Alex and Emily's sex life, and I strongly believe that Alex and Trevor should have been there for their parents a lot more than they were. Other than these flaws, along with a handful of foul language, I have no complaints. Grammatically, the author proves to be well read with an impressive vocabulary and knack for proper grammar and punctuation, without any noted errors.
Overall, I surely recommend this novel to any diligent reader who loves suspense, cliffhangers, unexpected surprises, along with room to lightly predict the inevitable. I give The Millionaire's Cross a shining 4 out of 4 stars!
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The Millionaire's Cross
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