Official Review: Caught in a Web by Joseph Lewis

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kdstrack
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Official Review: Caught in a Web by Joseph Lewis

Post by kdstrack »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Caught in a Web" by Joseph Lewis.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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The police have the bodies of three dead high school students in the morgue. The killer discarded their bodies on the street. Now, the cops found the body of a middle school student. The common cause of death was an overdose from a heroin bundle. How are teenagers acquiring this new drug? What role do the MS-13 gang members play in these crimes?

Jeremy Evans is a high school counselor. He is raising three adopted boys. How could this close-knit family have any connection with MS-13? Can Jeremy keep his boys safe?

Caught in a Web, by Joseph Lewis is a novel that follows two storylines. These two narratives eventually intertwine in a masterful way. The first deals with the family. Jeremy is about to adopt more children. The second narrative reveals how illegal drugs are impacting the schools and the family.

Character development in this book is phenomenal. The author takes the time to give the main characters a great deal of depth. Jeremy’s adopted boys have emotional difficulties. We learn what happened in their past to cause these problems.

Lewis develops the character of George with special care. He is a full-blooded Navajo teenager and is one of Jeremy’s adopted sons. The author presents specific details about Navajo traditions and beliefs. Lewis does an excellent job of integrating Navajo culture into the story.

The cities of Waukesha and Milwaukee, WI, are an ideal setting for this story. The author demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the area. He identifies the drug and gun running corridor extending from Chicago to upper Wisconsin. It would be helpful to include a map of the 1-94 and I-43 corridors. People who are not from Wisconsin may not be familiar with cities such as Kenosha or Sturgeon Bay. His description of how drugs have infiltrated the educational institutions is also quite accurate.

The book consists of one hundred and four chapters. Each chapter is short and concise. I thought this kept the story moving. Every section delivers specific details. The dialogues also reflect the speech and themes particular to teenage boys and gang members.

I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. Personally, the only drawback of the book was the grammar mistakes. The plot and the writing style intrigued me. The revelation of the suppliers was surprising and infuriating. Jeremy’s family values motivate and inspire. I would recommend this book to all high school counselors and teachers. Parents of teens and pre-teens could learn about gangs, drug use, and drug slang from this book. People who prefer mystery and suspense would enjoy this story. Readers are warned that the book does contain graphic violence and some sexual scenes.

******
Caught in a Web
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1ditzyrn
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Post by 1ditzyrn »

Nice review. I like that this book shows the effects of the drug war and gangs on our schools and families. It is an important thing for us to discuss with our children. Thanks for the review!
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

1ditzyrn wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 09:50 Nice review. I like that this book shows the effects of the drug war and gangs on our schools and families. It is an important thing for us to discuss with our children. Thanks for the review!
This author really hit this topic head on. The descriptions and effects on the family are very well described. It's only sad that so much of this is happening all around us!
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Post by Bianka Walter »

LOVE a book with good character development. And ones with shorter chapters, too. This sounds like a very interesting story - a pity about the errors.
Great review!
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kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Bianka Walter wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 14:21 LOVE a book with good character development. And ones with shorter chapters, too. This sounds like a very interesting story - a pity about the errors.
Great review!
I really wanted to give this book 4 - It really deserves it. This book really moved me. The short chapters were great. Hope you enjoy it too.
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Post by Georgia Lyonhyde »

The topic of this book is so current so that has already grabbed me but from your review, it sounds like the issues are well handled, the story is well thought out and the writing style carries well.

I'm hoping the author takes note of the errors you picked out and corrects them before I pick up the book because aside from that, it sounds like a perfect read.
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Post by Sakilunamermaid »

At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book but the character development and how the stories intertwine is a good selling point. I'm a huge fan of real characters and their interactions and growth. The attention to detail when it comes to Navajo traditions and gang life are also commendable.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

1ditzyrn wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 09:50 Nice review. I like that this book shows the effects of the drug war and gangs on our schools and families. It is an important thing for us to discuss with our children. Thanks for the review!
This book does a good job of showing the reality this societal problem. Thanks for reading.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Georgia Lyonhyde wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 16:43 The topic of this book is so current so that has already grabbed me but from your review, it sounds like the issues are well handled, the story is well thought out and the writing style carries well.

I'm hoping the author takes note of the errors you picked out and corrects them before I pick up the book because aside from that, it sounds like a perfect read.
Hope you enjoy it. I give this author high praise for his writing style and for his accurate portrayal of drugs in the schools.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Sakilunamermaid wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 17:32 At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book but the character development and how the stories intertwine is a good selling point. I'm a huge fan of real characters and their interactions and growth. The attention to detail when it comes to Navajo traditions and gang life are also commendable.
Hope you enjoy this well-written book. I found it to be both interesting and educational.
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Post by Debjani Ghosh »

104 chapters? That's a lot for me! I am glad you enjoyed reading this book though. Thanks for the review.
kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

Debjani Ghosh wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 22:39 104 chapters? That's a lot for me! I am glad you enjoyed reading this book though. Thanks for the review.
Not so! Each chapter is only one or two pages long. I thought it was refreshing and it makes you feel like you are breezing along in the book. You can read ten chapters in a few minutes!
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Post by kandscreeley »

It's too bad about the mistakes, but it sounds like a subject that we need to deal with more. Drugs are a huge impact to our society. Plus, it's great when it can be done in a fun and enjoyable way as well. Thanks for the review on this one.
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kdstrack
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Post by kdstrack »

kandscreeley wrote: 27 Sep 2018, 08:15 It's too bad about the mistakes, but it sounds like a subject that we need to deal with more. Drugs are a huge impact to our society. Plus, it's great when it can be done in a fun and enjoyable way as well. Thanks for the review on this one.
The author really did an excellent job with this book. He worked in schools for many years, so he has first-hand knowledge on the subject. The mistakes were annoying, but the writing style more than made up for it!
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Post by Sonya Nicolaidis »

You mention being intrigued by the author's writing style. Its so refreshing to find a writer who can put across his message in a different form, and its mostly for that reason that I would like to take a closer look at this book. Thank you for the review.
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