Review of Double Down

[Joy Chukwuka]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Double Down" by C J Axlerod.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Double Down, written by C.J. Axlerod, is an interesting and captivating crime novel that tells the story of Alex Cole and Aaron.
Alex Cole is a handsome Hollywood superstar and grade-A actor who lives a life of luxury, comfort, influence, and affluence in his West Hollywood home, surrounded by people who love him dearly. His main concern was how to stay relevant in Hollywood as he grew older—that is, until he was mysteriously shot by an unidentified gunman. His world is turned upside down after the shooting, and to ensure his safety and protect his life, he has to take drastic measures, the greatest of which is to bring Aaron, a total stranger, into his life to act as his double.

I found several positive aspects to this book, one of which was the author's brilliant way of showing the underlying fears of the characters, especially as Aaron's true nature gradually began to unfold. I enjoyed how the author drove home the moral lesson that celebrities, especially actors, are not who they are onscreen, and how unfair it is for their fans to expect them to live their lives as if they were onscreen at all times. I love how the author drives home the message that no matter how hard we try, we can only be ourselves; the most we can be of others is to mimic them and try to be them, but we can never be them. So it is better to live our lives as us instead of trying to be someone else. Among other things, I extremely enjoyed the author's brilliant use of irony throughout the book, especially at the end.

The only negative aspect of Double Down for me was the crashing end. I feel that in order to cause a plot twist at the end of the book, the author rushed the ending and crash-landed the book. However, some people may consider this a good thing and may even appreciate and enjoy the end of the book.

I give this book the highest rating; I'm rating it 4 out of 4 stars because not only was the book captivating and interesting, it also seemed to have been professionally edited, as I found very few errors in it. Also, the characters' conversations were realistic.

I recommend this book to adult readers, especially thriller, crime, and suspense enthusiasts, as well as to all who love to read good books.

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Double Down
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