Review of The Raven Conspiracy

[RachelGarlock]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Raven Conspiracy" by Michael Spratt.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Looking for a light-hearted crime novel, The Raven Conspiracy is a great choice to check out a new author. This story walks you through a small beach town detective working with the FBI to solve a recent crime spree and catch the perpetrator. While this is a “who dun it” story, the writing focuses on the characters with excellent character development. The writing dives into a small-town perspective where the whole town pairs closely with their deputy. By the end of the book, you are invested in the various quirky characters who fill the book with humor.

Overall the book is well written and planned out. The author takes note to create a likeable lead character who works throughout the book to try and introduce the FBI agents to the small town, easy-going lifestyle. Two dogs are an integral part of the deputy’s team, which is a plus for any animal lovers.

While this book was an entertaining quick read, it had areas for growth. The author uses the character first and last names interchangeably, which can be confusing at times. Often this occurs within the same sentence forcing you to have to rethink who they are referring to. Little focus is placed on the detective work, clues and crime solving with the primary focus being more light-hearted on the characters activities. Once you reach the end of the book, it is a walk through the detective work that was unknowingly completed where only small portions link back to events discussed earlier in the book. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the events and clues represented in the end of the book being shared earlier in the story.

For the reasons mentioned above, I have decided to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book was enjoyable with engaging characters, but I deducted one star for the reasons listed above. I recommend this book to someone looking for a light read with strong character development. Great choice for a beach read with all of the focus on the joys of a small beach town!

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The Raven Conspiracy
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