Review of Double Down

[Kennedy NC]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Double Down" by C J Axlerod.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Double Down by C. J. Axlerod is an enthralling mystery book. The book begins with Brian unfriending his friend, David, as he feels betrayed by David talking to his crush, Karen. Unfriending David is not the only thing he does, as he proceeds to kill his friend too. The next chapter of the book introduces us to Alex Cole, a hotshot actor. Alex is shot, and a letter containing an express warning is left behind at the scene. Things get crazier when a member of an audience points a gun at Alex during a show.

In a bid to ensure Alex’s safety, Diana suggests that a man named Aaron Peterson should be hired as Alex’s doppelganger to represent him in public in order to keep Alex safe. Aaron’s resemblance to Alex is fascinating, as it confuses even the best of people, except Diana. Aaron is hired and trained to be Alex’s double. However, Diana starts to have double feelings about him and feels that he has some hidden person who she does not like at all. What is Aaron’s secret? Is Diana just being paranoid about Alex’s safety? Who is the shooter?

This book would amaze any reader. Unravelling mysteries is something I honestly yearn to do with every book. I felt excited when I started reading this book. After reading the book's first line, ‘All Brian could feel was hate.’, I yearned to read more of the book. Double down is a 250-page book consisting of 34 chapters. The author employs a host of great literary devices in bringing this work of art to life. The book contains flashbacks used at various points to elaborate on the reasons for the characters’ behaviours. The book is narrated from the omniscient point of view, making it possible to read the minds of different characters and understand their actions and decisions.

The use of irony in this book is superb. There are traces of dramatic, verbal and situational irony. The discovery at the end of the book was shocking because I thought everything had been revealed, and I knew more than the characters did. I did not find a lot of errors in this book. The author ensured that the book was professionally edited, and this encouraged me to continue reading. I had my eyes glued to the book and was ever willing to find out what the next page holds.

The book was terrific, except for the fact that I could guess who the killer was from an early part of the book, and this turned me off a little. It could just be that I have read too many murder mysteries, so others may not regard this as a negative point. I could not find anything else that did not sit well with me in this book. Therefore, I rate it four out of four stars. I did not rate it lower because it was an exciting and thrilling book. I recommend this book to lovers of murder mysteries and lovers of fiction in general.

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Double Down
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[Ghulam farid 1]

I rate it four out of four stars. I did not rate it lower because it was an exciting and thrilling book. I recommend this book to lovers of murder mysteries and lovers of fiction in general

[marta baglioni]

The first line is catching, indeed. This book seems too chaotic for my liking, though. Thank you!

[Ekezie1998]

Unravelling mysteries is something I honestly yearn to do with every book. Great review.

[Hani97]

I think I found what I was looking for, puzzles and other things that make you ask questions such as who, where, when, they add an element of excitement and suspense, thank you.

[Reader 14]

Doppelganger ideas seem nice to have here looks a lot like you are in LA and murder went wrong.

[Kibabcock]

I absolutely love a good mystery and what you put in the review makes this book sound like a good option for me. I don’t mind knowing who the murderer is early in the book as long as the story continues to be interesting. I really look forward to reading this book. Great review!

[Nonso Ok]

Spoils the whole fun if I am able to guess who the bad person is from the beginning.

[Richard Onyebuwa]

Sounds to me like an interesting read. I do hope the characters in this book are connected and not some random addition to the plot though. I mean how is brian and his misdeed with david connecting to alex and his doppelganger sharade? Well reading the book is only one way to find out.

[kirthana_shivakumar]

This looks very interesting. It's also one of my favourite genres so I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the review!

[19blueofficial]

I look a good mystery book and the book cover really captured me. Nice review!

[AmberLiz]

I read a fair amount of thrillers, but I'm intrigued by this one. I'm curious to know if I would be able to guess the killer as well, as I feel I can do that somewhat easily at times too, but I still enjoy the book if it is well written.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a terrific crime thriller that mixes drama and humor in a story full of twists. Thank you for your great review!

[Immaculate06]

I love the book cover design, the chess piece gives an idea of what the book involves. Good plot. Thanks for your review.

[eman_66]

such an amazing book. The story, the suspense everything is on point. It is the type of story that I always wanted to read.