Review of Three Bullets
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T V Dharani
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Review of Three Bullets
[Following is a volunteer review of "Three Bullets" by Charles Alexander.]
Three Bullets by Charles Alexander is an action-packed crime mystery novel. It’s the seventh book in the series. If you have already sampled any of the books, you will know the characters. But let me give you an idea. Annie Steele is a cop turned private detective who loves solving cases. Her love for speed bikes is unparalleled. The story starts with an earthquake in Jamaica. Annie and her boyfriend Nick get stuck and end up helping people around them. But then, why is Nick in New York? Who shot him when he went to assist his brother? This is where the plot starts to unfold.
The story, as usual, runs around Annie’s nanobiotics and her enhanced abilities a lot. As Annie starts to dig deeper into the deaths of her boyfriend and his brother, she starts to unravel a huge scam of corruption at the UN headquarters. Why is there a trail of dead bodies, and how does this relate to Nick and his brother’s murders? Who is this psychopath who is killing everyone in the name of God? What does the scam have to do with the earthquake in Jamaica? It is all related, and you will know as you read the story.
The positives of the novel are its narration, plot, and characters. Those who are already familiar with the series will instantly relate to Annie and her adventures. The scenes are well described. The reader will imagine themselves roaming around the city as Annie does because of the narration and description by the author. The author maintained that edge-of-seat narration and kept the chapters crisp and breezy. They start at the right moment and end at the right one. I absolutely enjoyed some of the scenes, especially the theft of the car with the baby inside. I also loved her adventure on the roof of the antagonist’s security building and the following stunts. I loved the introduction of some new characters and some familiar ones for comfort. Mr. Alexander portrays his women as strong and emotionally intelligent beings in this novel. This is a purely woman-driven story.
There are some negatives about the story, which I felt could have been better. The antagonists are almost comical and lack the intimidating persona one would like to see when the plot gets tighter. There are a few scenes where the psycho kills people so easily. It is made to look easy to kill someone and get away with it. Almost all characters except a very few obvious antagonists appear to be helping Annie without any ulterior motive, which is just too easy to be practical. Everything gets handed on a silver platter. Her nanobiotics act odd throughout the story, but it is never explained why. The story cuts off abruptly at the end, to be honest, which left me scratching my head. The scenes are well done and intricately detailed, but some chapters will feel boring because of the same aspect. The novel felt lengthy for the actual content and plot inside. There are so many punctuation errors, but it is not bothersome for anyone used to American English. I wouldn’t count them as errors because punctuation is subjective.
Overall, I give Three Bullets by Charles Alexander a rating of 3 out of 4 for the proficiency and an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars for the plot. It's what I gave the previous one as well, not because of the errors, but because even though the plot is good, it loses its worth in the lengthy narration. There is enough suspense and thrill to entice the reader. It helps to keep the story unpredictable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy read on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
******
Three Bullets
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Three Bullets by Charles Alexander is an action-packed crime mystery novel. It’s the seventh book in the series. If you have already sampled any of the books, you will know the characters. But let me give you an idea. Annie Steele is a cop turned private detective who loves solving cases. Her love for speed bikes is unparalleled. The story starts with an earthquake in Jamaica. Annie and her boyfriend Nick get stuck and end up helping people around them. But then, why is Nick in New York? Who shot him when he went to assist his brother? This is where the plot starts to unfold.
The story, as usual, runs around Annie’s nanobiotics and her enhanced abilities a lot. As Annie starts to dig deeper into the deaths of her boyfriend and his brother, she starts to unravel a huge scam of corruption at the UN headquarters. Why is there a trail of dead bodies, and how does this relate to Nick and his brother’s murders? Who is this psychopath who is killing everyone in the name of God? What does the scam have to do with the earthquake in Jamaica? It is all related, and you will know as you read the story.
The positives of the novel are its narration, plot, and characters. Those who are already familiar with the series will instantly relate to Annie and her adventures. The scenes are well described. The reader will imagine themselves roaming around the city as Annie does because of the narration and description by the author. The author maintained that edge-of-seat narration and kept the chapters crisp and breezy. They start at the right moment and end at the right one. I absolutely enjoyed some of the scenes, especially the theft of the car with the baby inside. I also loved her adventure on the roof of the antagonist’s security building and the following stunts. I loved the introduction of some new characters and some familiar ones for comfort. Mr. Alexander portrays his women as strong and emotionally intelligent beings in this novel. This is a purely woman-driven story.
There are some negatives about the story, which I felt could have been better. The antagonists are almost comical and lack the intimidating persona one would like to see when the plot gets tighter. There are a few scenes where the psycho kills people so easily. It is made to look easy to kill someone and get away with it. Almost all characters except a very few obvious antagonists appear to be helping Annie without any ulterior motive, which is just too easy to be practical. Everything gets handed on a silver platter. Her nanobiotics act odd throughout the story, but it is never explained why. The story cuts off abruptly at the end, to be honest, which left me scratching my head. The scenes are well done and intricately detailed, but some chapters will feel boring because of the same aspect. The novel felt lengthy for the actual content and plot inside. There are so many punctuation errors, but it is not bothersome for anyone used to American English. I wouldn’t count them as errors because punctuation is subjective.
Overall, I give Three Bullets by Charles Alexander a rating of 3 out of 4 for the proficiency and an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars for the plot. It's what I gave the previous one as well, not because of the errors, but because even though the plot is good, it loses its worth in the lengthy narration. There is enough suspense and thrill to entice the reader. It helps to keep the story unpredictable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy read on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
******
Three Bullets
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Untouchable by Charles Alexander
