3 out of 4 stars
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Everybody likes to be associated with greatness. This is why parents these days tend to name their children after great people. It is done as a way to ensure children strive to be as good, or even better, than those they have been named after. However, these names can be a burden, especially if you as an individual, fail to live up to expectation.
Steve Jobz faced this exact predicament. Despite sharing a name with one of the greats, they certainly did not share the same life. He was a screw-up, a good for nothing guy who had nothing to live for. Instead of living life, he survived life. This was until he met detective Miller, a man who had more faith in him than he had in himself. The Embalmer by Vincent Zandri is a book that sets to convey the adventures of Steve and Miller in their newfound partnership.
Being the first in its series I have to admit that I was impressed. The book is not only captivating; it is totally believable and relatable. The author’s creativity is clear and his wit and sarcasm sparkled on every page. I appreciated this immensely, as this allowed the story to continue at a steady pace that kept me intrigued and stole my attention. Also, there was proper character development for both the primary and secondary characters. I also got a couple of life lessons such as; to never give up hope and to always stand for what’s right.
However, there were a couple of notable errors that led to the plots undoing. In the first chapter, all the dialogues lacked closing speech marks and this continues in some other chapters. Also, despite the language being informal, there were some spelling mistakes that made me question the editing done on the book. Additionally, some words in sentences were mixed up and you had to go through it a second time to make sense of it.
All in all, it is evident that the author has a mastery of language, which made this book a page-turner. He was able to bring the story to life through his impeccable imagery. Being in a series, it was able to stand on its own, and still make you want more. I therefore humbly accord this book 3 out of 4 stars. I denied it one point to incline the author to correct the aforementioned issues.
I was able to finish the book in just two sittings, making it a good weekend read since it is such a short novel. Sometimes the raw accounts were difficult to read; therefore, if you get scared fast this is not for you. I recommend this to the lovers of crime, thriller, and mystery. Also, it does contain curse words, thus more age appropriate for mature teens and adults.
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The Embalmer
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