Adam SternberghReseñas

Une idée très intéressante, des personnages très bien menés. Mais une violence de trop sur la fin (et un quatrième de couverture ayant un rapport relatif à la réalité du contenu).½

Impressively imagined and rendered. In an all too believable future version of NYC, an assassin becomes entangled in the lives of an evangelist, who has a scheme to create heaven on earth, and his runaway daughter. The story is so compelling that it is only on reflection, after finishing it, that the plot weaknesses appear and you begin to ask questions about the ultimate motivations of the characters.½

The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh is a thrilling and surprising page turner. I loved the way he weaved the mystery from the beginning to end.

This book starts slow and I wondered if it was worth continuing when it was still slow 1/3 of the way in. Stick with it. The story all comes together and is quite inventive. It isn’t 5 stars because the ending was wrapped up to quickly.

A remote Texas town is home to a unique experimental project where criminals are given new identities and live in a closed community with no contact to the outside world. Blindsided by a series of murders, the town's fragile peace fractures, and the residents are forced to face their dark pasts and buried secrets. With colorful characters, and a warped plot, "The Blinds" blasts readers with deep themes of justice and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed this story. is kind of like a version of lost but everybody’s felons lol.

I like unique, combined with enjoyable, and that is this novel in a nutshell. Unusual perspective, weird world change, and interesting characters that progress through their actions. It took me almost no time to get into the formatting, it isn't typical but it works here. It fits the protagonist.

I give this an extra star for originality - it was one of the more unusual books I've read in a while. It's a mystery with some SF mixed in (mind control), and even some humor, but not much.

It started out seeming like it might be boring - just one little town in the middle of nowhere, with not much other than the homes, no industry, no real jobs, one bar. And no post office, no internet, no telephones, no pets, no kids except one that got in accidentally. The only chance to break the boredom is that the residents all have secrets that even they don't know about.

But soon, things begin to happen. A couple of people die from gunshots, even though nobody is supposed to have guns. The first one was ruled a suicide, but then the second one wasn't. The story really gets going when we learn who the shooter is, then why. Pretty soon, I found it very hard to stop reading.

You'll need to suspend some disbelief or skepticism along the way, but not that much, really; certainly, no more than for a Steven King novel, although perhaps comparing it to Wayward Pines might be more fitting in many way. If you're at all curious about this book, I say read it.

It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but bits were a bit to needlessly graphic. Might have been better served to keep the thigs suggestive to keep the creep factor higher. Not a bad read but not great.

Ugh so good!!

Well, that was different, sort of Leon meets William Gibson. Set in a dystopian near future, Spademan the hitman, who will target men and women because he doesn't discriminate but not kids, is hired to find and kill the runaway daughter of VR evangelist but becomes her bodyguard when he discovers she is pregnant. I was intrigued to start with, and enjoyed the deadpan narration and world-building, but didn't really care about any of the characters. Short and savage, though!

Caesura, Texas is an experimental town populated by criminals, all of whom have had their memories of their crimes and their very identities removed. For eight years they've lived in peace, cut off almost entirely from the rest of the world. But now there's been a murder, and it's clear that there are secrets other than the inhabitants' pasts that are being kept.

After reading the first couple of chapters, I was very enthusiastic about this novel. The setup had all kinds of promise, there were some exciting mysteries afoot, and I was already feeling a strong sense of suspense.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book never lived up to that promise. The more I read, the less believable anything seemed to be -- despite the fact that I was happy enough to buy into the memory-erasing premise -- and the less engaging I found the plot. It didn't help, either, that all of the intriguing secrets get revealed by means of lengthy infodumps. Some of them are mildly interesting infodumps, I guess, but they all ended up feeling kind of anticlimactic.

It was at least a very quick read, but that's about all I can say for it.

Rating: 2.5/5. Although it's possible I would have rated it higher if the excellent beginning didn't set me up for quite so much disappointment.½

Fast read. Very violent, imaginative in parts. A bit irritated that the author used same old tropes of cynical man redeeming himself by saving a pregnant damsel in distress, somewhat. She did seem to be able to take care of herself initially...

This is a fast-paced read - at nearly 400 pages, I seemed to fly through this one. So gets 3.5 ⭐️for level of suspense and good pacing. There are a number of flaws in the story in terms of characters and backstory that aren't necessary to the plot and the Hollywood-style ending, but it was an entertaining book.

I initially liked this book quite a lot as it has an interesting premise, which is this: all the characters in the novel live in a secluded town that they cannot leave. They are there either because a) they've committed a horrible crime out in the "real" world, but have been granted a second chance or b) they are the victims or witnesses to such a crime and are here for their own protection. The kicker is, they've all had the memory of their previous life erased, so no-one knows who is who. I thought this set up offered some interesting material for an examination of whether people who have done bad things, or had them intrude onto their lives, could be redeemed. Would what made things go wrong re-surface or could they actually live productive lives if granted a second chance? In another writer's hands it could have been that novel, and I probably would have loved it. But this writer choose to use this set-up to lurch into much more melodramatic and less satisfying territory, and I cared for it less and less as it went along. I expect the movie rights to it will be bought up fairly soon, if they haven't already, and I mean that in a bad way. I can just see one of Hollywood's dumber directors making this into a very violent and very dumb film. What a waste.½

A perfect mash-up between a Western and a thriller.

In a secluded area of Texas lies "The Blinds", a place populated by misfits. The residents of The Blinds don't know if they are innocents or criminals because a large portion of their memories have been erased and they are given a second chance. The town has been quiet for the past 8 years until a suicide and a murder happen. Soon outsiders appear to investigate the mysterious events causing a commotion. Chief Cooper tries to keep everyone in control but he has his own secrets to protect.

Fun and interesting "detective" novel. I picked it up in the library based on the info on the book itself -- it's too bad that it's better than the first in the series (based on Goodreads). I'll be waiting for the next.

The audiobook narrator’s gruff voice was not easy on the ears, especially in a format that did not allow a faster listening speed. The book is an interesting combination of genres which “futuristic, hard-boiled noir” captures pretty well. The action-packed plot allows for a few thought-provoking moments, though. “Spademan”, a former garbage man, is now a hit man with very few rules - he’ll kill anyone for no reason other than he was hired to do so. He doesn’t want reasons. He doesn’t care. Just give him a name. And the money. The only line he won’t cross is killing children. If you don’t think you can care about someone with this employment philosophy, even in a dirty-bomb decimated New York City, don’t bother reading this book.

The futuristic elements are realistic enough to believe and Spademan is a sympathetic character, despite his chosen occupation. A fast-paced, graphic thriller.

A bunch of criminals who have had their memories erased live in a small secluded settlement in the middle of a Texas desert with no contact from the outside world. No one knows they're there and they themselves don't remember who they were. They're part of an experiment that wants to see if the mind can truly be erased and if hardened criminals can really change their stripes. For the seventy or so residents of The Blinds life is alright if not a little boring. It's always the same people to talk to, the same magazines and books to read. The only thing current is the news which they can watch to their hearts content. Fran is sick and tired of the same routine every day, she always think she might leave, but she doesn't have the money or the contacts to stay. When she was taken into The Blinds eight years ago she was pregnant and her son, the only true innocent, is the only child in the place. It's a lonely existence. Things gets shaken up when a resident is murdered at the bar. Suddenly everyone is on high alert. Was it the four new residents brought in the day before? Was it an outsider? Who knows who they really are? It's fast paced, unsettling, and raises great moral questions. A fun, inventive read.

Welcome to the town of Ceasura (a.k.a. “The Blinds”)—a forgotten spot in west Texas, home to criminals and innocents, all of whom have had the memories of what they did and what they know wiped. Here is where the undesirables are hidden, those who made the Faustian bargain to sell their memories to save their skins. The town is puttering along just fine with this group of criminals and innocents—though no one knows which is which—intermingling in relative peace and isolation until one of their own is murdered. With no one in or out, the killer must be among them. The murder also invites the outside world in—something that hasn’t happened in eight years. As the crime is investigated, the foundation upon which the town was built starts to crumble—after all, if everyone is a former criminal, it could be anybody and nobody’s safe.

Full review: http://lisaannreads.wpengine.com/review-the-blinds/

Read the whole book, but do not know why. Too dark, confusing, nasty, violent, what's the point? To show the real bad guys are the mind manipulators? My second Sternbergh, so good writing for yucky characters and situations. Was not satisfied and pleased at the end, just relieved that it was over. Was there any real change effected? For men mostly, I think. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. **

This book was so fantastic. It unfolded so well. I wouldn't say it had shocking twists, but it was written so well that it didn't matter. I would love to read more by this author. I would highly recommend picking this up. It's got murder, mystery, mayhem, lost identities, finding oneself, heroes and villains. It's wonderful.

I was pleased to find my original thoughts of this storyline were false! It's more of a what happens next not a who done it! The more you read it the more you want to read it. Very hard to put down!

I don't read a lot of books in this genre, but the premise was too intriguing to pass up. It really makes you think about what makes a person not only a person, but a decent one, and how far you're willing to stretch to give people another chance. Lots of moral dilemmas to consider, with lots going on.

One nitpick I have is the amount of profanity throughout the novel. When I see the same word used over and over again, I start to think you're vocabularily challenged. It's not about prudishness, it's about laziness. At least switch switch out your beloved f-word for a different swear word every now and then, geez.

Cooper is the Sheriff, one of the original eight who came to the town of Caesura, a town hidden away in the Texas panhandle. Many have come after him, men and women who were chosen to go to this town, their past lives erased, new identities given. They do not remember what they have done,who they were, but many of them have done horrible things in the outside world. Now, after many years, some are being murdered, and the outside world will intrude, violating their sanctuary.

Take a little bit of [book:All Is Not Forgotten|26114146], add a helping of [book:City of the Lost|25362841], throw in many original and suspenseful elements, mix well, and the finished product is this enthralling novel. Except for being set in Texas, the theme of revenge, and the day of reckoning at the end, I did not consider this a regular Western. Nor do I really see the comparisons to the authors in the blurb.

Found this well written, surprises around every corner. Many, many secrets are exposed before books end, but thoroughly enjoyed getting there. Gritty and rather dark, the things some of these people had done before getting to this town, were horrendous, the worst of the worst. Which begs the question, if you don't remember what you did, and are now a completely different person, isolated in a town bereft of normal people, can you now be held accountable? Do you deserve a second chance? Interesting themes are explored, but it is also action packed, fast moving. The main characters are a wonderful mix of all sorts, different pasts, different motivations. Part of the draw of this one is trying to figure out where it was going to go next, I very seldom figured it out.

ARC from Netgalley.