Review of The Sower
Posted: 25 Jul 2021, 17:54
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Sower" by Rob Jung.]
If you love to play detective, you must try The Sower by Rob Jung! This mystery book will captivate you while testing your investigations skills. Despite being the second installment of the Chimera Chronicles series, the novel works as a standalone. There are some connections to the previous book, so the readers that enjoyed The Reaper will be delighted.
In 2009, a small community from Minnesota was appalled by the mysterious attack on Lorraine Blethen. She had an estranged daughter, Mary, a former drug addict that abandoned her son, Hamilton. Five years later, after the fail of the police, Hamilton hires a team of private investigators to find the assailants. Ronni Brilliant is not a conventional detective; she is a transgender person and former marine. Together with her colleagues, our protagonist decides that tracking Mary is their main lead. They believe that she might be hiding in plain sight, under the name of Magnolia Kanaranzi, a media mogul. Magnolia is in the middle of a campaign for the Senator seat, so she is busy scheming on various fronts. Who is Magnolia, and what will Ronni discover?
I loved how the author introduced the delicate topic of a transsexual character. Rob Jung managed to present the subject in a very natural manner and added details gradually. To give you an idea, that was the first mention of the LGBTQ connection: “As a “T” in that familiar string of letters, and a relative newcomer to the status of “W”, Ronni wanted to meet Kanaranzi.” Ronni was a very authentic character and presented the convincing struggle of a transgender person. This passage summarized her plight: “We want to be both. Feminine. Pretty. Caring. But we also want to kick ass. We want a man to want us, but we’re scared to be vulnerable.”
I also admired the elegant and cultured writing style. The alternating scenes added dynamic and made the book very engaging. Furthermore, it was my kind of mystery novel. The author gave hints and offered information, but let you draw your own conclusions regarding the investigations.
Only one thing left me a bit disappointed. After such a captivating plot, I expected a crescendo in the end. However, instead of a mountain, I found a predictable small hill. Nevertheless, the author provided closure for all the characters, so I didn’t consider the novel deserved less than a perfect rating.
The Sower gets a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because it was an excellent thriller book. It will appeal to people that love murder investigations and mysteries. Readers that enjoy LGBTQ-related topics should add the novel to their libraries. If you love to discover strong female characters in your books, then you should give it a try.
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The Sower
View: on Bookshelves
If you love to play detective, you must try The Sower by Rob Jung! This mystery book will captivate you while testing your investigations skills. Despite being the second installment of the Chimera Chronicles series, the novel works as a standalone. There are some connections to the previous book, so the readers that enjoyed The Reaper will be delighted.
In 2009, a small community from Minnesota was appalled by the mysterious attack on Lorraine Blethen. She had an estranged daughter, Mary, a former drug addict that abandoned her son, Hamilton. Five years later, after the fail of the police, Hamilton hires a team of private investigators to find the assailants. Ronni Brilliant is not a conventional detective; she is a transgender person and former marine. Together with her colleagues, our protagonist decides that tracking Mary is their main lead. They believe that she might be hiding in plain sight, under the name of Magnolia Kanaranzi, a media mogul. Magnolia is in the middle of a campaign for the Senator seat, so she is busy scheming on various fronts. Who is Magnolia, and what will Ronni discover?
I loved how the author introduced the delicate topic of a transsexual character. Rob Jung managed to present the subject in a very natural manner and added details gradually. To give you an idea, that was the first mention of the LGBTQ connection: “As a “T” in that familiar string of letters, and a relative newcomer to the status of “W”, Ronni wanted to meet Kanaranzi.” Ronni was a very authentic character and presented the convincing struggle of a transgender person. This passage summarized her plight: “We want to be both. Feminine. Pretty. Caring. But we also want to kick ass. We want a man to want us, but we’re scared to be vulnerable.”
I also admired the elegant and cultured writing style. The alternating scenes added dynamic and made the book very engaging. Furthermore, it was my kind of mystery novel. The author gave hints and offered information, but let you draw your own conclusions regarding the investigations.
Only one thing left me a bit disappointed. After such a captivating plot, I expected a crescendo in the end. However, instead of a mountain, I found a predictable small hill. Nevertheless, the author provided closure for all the characters, so I didn’t consider the novel deserved less than a perfect rating.
The Sower gets a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because it was an excellent thriller book. It will appeal to people that love murder investigations and mysteries. Readers that enjoy LGBTQ-related topics should add the novel to their libraries. If you love to discover strong female characters in your books, then you should give it a try.
******
The Sower
View: on Bookshelves
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