3 out of 4 stars
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The Man from Mystic is an interesting and an intriguing book written by Tim Schell.
Witness to a crime and running from perceived danger one Saturday night in New Orleans, Irma takes a random turn that leads her to Fred’s door. Fred is a recluse who lives a life of solitude and perceived mediocrity. That night is the beginning of a partnership based on companionship and mutual respect.
What they have seems like an unlikely partnership, with Fred’s spontaneity contrary to Irma’s cautious nature and attention to detail. Somehow, however, they are able to make things work. Their partnership takes them to Istanbul, Turkey, where they meet new friends and get involved with exciting, albeit, dangerous activities. Emboldened by Irma’s reassuring presence, Fred is finally able to do things he has always dreamed to do and discovers courage and strength he never knew he has.
From Istanbul to Cairo, Egypt, then on to Doha, Qatar, Fred sets off to the unknown just so he could help a friend. He meets people, both friends and foe and gets sucked into a mysterious ‘project’ he knows very little about.
Meanwhile, Irma discovers something about herself as well and that is what and how she really feels for the man from Mystic.
Told in the third-person perspective, this is an intriguing book with ten chapters. The excitement begins early on in the story. The plot is unpredictable making the story, somehow, suspenseful. Scenes are vividly described and so are the feelings and emotions of the characters. The author creates a set of well-developed and relatable characters, both main and minor. Naturally, my favorite is Fred, the man from Mystic. Despite his seemingly insignificant past, he took the opportunity to make his life exciting when it was presented to him. For me, it requires great courage to step out of one’s comfort zone.
Generally, it is one enjoyable book. The part I like most is the depiction of Fred and Irma’s companionship. It is warm and easy. It is something everybody, probably, wishes for himself/herself.
However, for a story that involves world-changing computer programs, foreign agents, and US State Department, I found the plot less intense than I expected and the scenes are, somehow, unrealistic in that the agents are uncharacteristically kind and understanding and violence is maintained at the minimum.
Moreover, I found the romance part between two minor characters a bit juvenile considering the profiles of the characters involved. Furthermore, I found the ending a little anticlimactic, hence, less satisfying than I hoped. Finally, there are noticeable errors within the entire book including missing commas and apostrophes (looked into Mohammed eyes and looked into Georges face) and typo errors (felt out if his comfort zone instead of of his comfort zone and much different that hard assets instead of than hard assets). They detract from the overall reading experience.
I, therefore, rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is interesting and intriguing. I recommend it to readers who enjoy adventure novels with a bit of romance.
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The Man from Mystic
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