David BalzariniReseñas

I wish I could recall how I learned of this novel. All I know for certain is that I had added the book title to my wish-to-read book list which my husband and my Mother use to 'surprise' me with book bags for my birthday and for Christmas. Using the wish list I have a 'ready' list of novels to purchase when I've received an Amazon gift card or if I'm going to visit a location that sells used paperbacks.

There were moments when I thought I might abandon reading this novel but something kept drawing me to keep open to the storyline. As I do not provide spoilers within my reviews, I won't elaborate why reading this novel was at times difficult for me to continue - other than to say that the blurb shares - "Desperate to find his love, he (Colin Wyle) sought help from a mysterious source, forcing Colin to make the hardest choice of his life: commit a crime or lose her forever." Let me only comment that the "mysterious source" is not who I would have ever anticipated on my own prior to reading the novel.

Simply said, not everyone will enjoy this novel. I'm giving 3 stars for "liked it" rather than 2 stars for "It was ok" as I couldn't stop reading. I'd also like to credit the author's creativity - especially for a first novel- and an interesting portrayal of a subject that many of us shy away from discussion even with family and/or close friends. I doubt I would read another novel by this author but I'm glad I finished this novel. As someone once said, "Don't miss out on something that could be amazing, just because it could be difficult." I doubt the person was talking about reading but I think it's applicable to giving thought to reading "outside" of your comfort zone. Or as someone else once said, "Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things is the best way to grow." I believe that our lives as readers are also best when we continue to try new things.

I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book about an aspiring musician who meets a beautiful woman, goes wild and marries her without knowing anything in particular about her, her family or her past life. Soon he discovers that she hides many secrets that will make his already turbulent life even more chaotic.
The story is told in the first person, by the main character who reveals his inner thoughts and describes the events as he sees them. The reader is supposed to put himself in his place and follow his stream of consciousness. However, at some points this is really difficult. In general, I like the storyline, the author's humour and a realistic perspective of the world of music, but at times I got annoyed with the pace of the story which was sometimes too slow with unnecessary details and sometimes too fast with some missing important facts. And honestly, the book was too long and it seemed to me I was reading it forever. Moreover, when I finally got to the end, I was a bit disappointed by how things turned out and how the author decided to present that. In general I quite enjoyed reading the book and would even consider reading it again, but I have very mixed feelings about whether I liked it or not. There were some great parts but the style of writing was at many points just too annoying. This is definitely not an easy read to recommend but a book that should be given substantial time to read and even re-read some parts to allow them to settle in.

Let me say up front that I received an .epub version of this book as a free copy. I didn't have to review it but the author said a review would be appreciated. It has taken me several months to start it, but once started I found it a fast and very enjoyable read, at least initially.

I say initially, because the style gradually changes from a quite exciting and perfectly good thriller, to a supernatural thriller, and a bit preachy towards the end. It also doesn't have a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery as all the questions that a reader might have - for example the motivation of the "villains" and what ties them together - and a what questions are answered are done in a rather deus ex machina manner.

If you ignore these features however, and I acknowledge that they might just be irksome to me personally, it is still a very workable thriller and probably deserves 3 1/2 or possibly even 4 out of 5 rather than just 3.

I enjoyed reading this book. The beginning had me wondering if it was a young adult book, and I was preparing for a not very enjoyable read but then the book settled into fifteen years later and became much more enjoyable. The theme is basically good versus evil and how evil may not be immediately obvious as being so. However, the book does not preach to us, and apart from the supernatural beings that encroach upon their lives, the characters live and act normally. There were some twists in the story that I did not expect.

I have read several books from this author and really enjoyed them. This book I couldn't quite get into. The beginning starts with a group on a boat having a great time. Suddenly one of the girls disappears. Natalie just vanished without a trace. This was a beginning of a great mystery , or so I thought. Colin and his dad had fallen asleep and after waking up, realize Natalie has disappeared.

There is a police investigation and mysteriously Natalie is found being held hostage on a boat. So I was ready to find out why she was on this boat and who kidnapped her. For some reason the author takes up the story fifteen years later . Now I am totally confused. Why did the author skip over an intriguing plot and suddenly go into the future? The book becomeseven more stranger when Colin encounters a spirit named Crystal. I didn't quite understand where the book was heading and I must say I lost interest completely. I did finish the book, but I still don't know what the book was about. I feel like I was reading two different stories that somehow got put into one book by mistake. I usually enjoy reading books from this author , but this one was too confusing and the story was all over the place.

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing for an honest review.

I received this ebook from Member Giveaway group in order to give an honest review. Thank you!

Starting my review with the cover, i think it suits the story and intrigues the reader without knowing the details, i'm glad the cover is not fully dark and pessimistic.The book is very well developed and well written, the story is tragically sad and interesting at the same time. I could not predict the ending! Its a story of a side story.

Three young girls struggle to survive a life of hunger, need, and desperation with a mother that cares more about her next drug high than her own children's welfare. With their father gone, the girls must learn to survive on their own with very little help from family, friends, and the public service system. The girls try to survive their destructive family and cope in any way possible...but one girl can cope no longer. She finds herself on the top of a bridge, wanting to end her life...until one passerby stops and tries to help her. However, this passerby is no ordinary person and will impact her life in ways she could never fathom.

A great book! I loved the history of the girls, their challenges, and survival. I would definitely recommend. I received the e-book from the author through the LibraryThing website's Early Reviewer/Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book strange and very difficult to follow or figure out. The story begins when a man crossing a bridge sees a woman he figures is about to jump. He stops to try to dissuade her. The reader does not know who she is, though there seems to be a connection to him perhaps and to the other part of the story about three badly neglected young girls. I guess there was a story there, but I could not really figure it out or find anything to interest me. I finally gave up about half way through the book. The story is okay, though, as I said, written in a disjointed way. I did not really see much connection between the parts of the story, which is one reason I gave up on it. I also wondered about the three children in the book who live in a less than perfect world. The oldest is eight, according to the story, but acts and thinks in ways that are beyond this age. Yes, she probably was growing up, or had grown up, quickly, since she was responsible for her two younger sisters, but I am not convinced the author portrayed her realistically. In fact, as I said, I am not sure about much of the story. There was a lot of description provided, and a lot of it went on and on, but I found little to tie it all in together. So much for this one. I think someone who enjoys this sort of story or the author would like it. I obviously did not. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

This story was well written. I like the way it switched back and forth between to different time frames to give you the background events leading up to the main part of the story. And including points of view from the various characters made the story come together nicely. That said, this book will make you cry, and swear as you witness the events in the life of Candace and her sisters. You will feel disappointment when she makes a poor choice and hope and happiness when she goes down the right path. A very good read indeed.

I received this book free from the author on my Amazon Kindle. I have to say that at the beginning of the story I was hooked. I thought I was getting into a Suspense/Mystery novel. The story starts out about a girl named Natalie (from her perspective) partying on a lake with her boyfriend Colin and his Dad. She leaves their boat, when they both fall asleep expectantly, and goes off with some other friends without telling anyone where she is going. She ends up on a boat with strangers and starts to drink with them and goes missing for 3 days and that is the end of her narrative. Then the story fast forwarded to 15 years in the future and I got very confused. It switched to Colin's point of view. It almost started to sound like the book was an autobiography of a financial advisor who was over the top on details. (I know that some people enjoy a lot of detail and description in the reading, I am not one of them.) I kind of liked Colin's character in the beginning of the book, but the Colin 15 years later is a little pretentious and unlikable. He has been leading a life of luxury, thanks to the "voice" of "Christel" who guides him through life and work to be successful at both. Then the story takes another turn that completely confused me. We find out who/ what "Christel" is and then the story takes on a Supernatural/Sci-fi feel. The end is fully Religious. I also felt that Colin did not show enough emotion when his childhood best friend (Jamal) dies. Colin continues with his day, working, working out, having sex with his fiancée....etc. Where was the emotional connection needed to be shown for such a horrible day in someone's life?? I would have preferred a bit more emotion in the book and less description of everyday surroundings and the life and work of Colin. Maybe I just started out wrongfully thinking I knew what the book was going to be about and that is why I felt let down. I thought the story was going to be about a young girl, her disappearance and her rescue. And then the characters finding out years later that there was more than just one girl involved and the search to save them and bring the bad guys to justice. There was little things put into the story that left me going "huh?". I will not put them down here, as I do not wish to reveal spoilers that might ruin the story for others. I do know that I have friends who like books with LOTS of details and are religious, so I may recommend this book to them to read.

Discretion by David Balzarini, is a thriller with supernatural elements.

First Paragraph:

"It's Labor Day at Apache Lake when Natalie Merian climbs the ladder of the massive cabin cruiser. The noise level on board is like a concert. Most of the people, by her guess, are college age, a few years older than her at least. She tries not to be intimidated. Her friends, Mayra and Mike, follow close behind, the deck of the white and brown vessel is anchored near the north shore. The sun is shining on a cloudless day, a scorching one hundred degrees- and the alcohol seems endless, with four coolers open, frosted cans and bottles passed around with jovial acclaim."

PLOT

Colin Wyle was in church the first time he heard her. Not a religious person himself, he was only there with his best friend, Jamal, and Jamal's family. She called herself Christel, and he was the only one who could hear her. From that moment on, she inhabits his mind, giving him advice and hints about the future.

The very first thing she helps him with is winning the heart of the girl of his dreams- Natalie Merian- the good girl all the boys want. Colin is your typical awkward teen when it comes to matters of the heart, and Christel guides him and gives him confidence. Before they know it, the two are dating.

Four months later, and we reach the events of the prologue. Colin's father takes the happy couple out for a trip to the lake in his boat. The have fun goofing around, then settle down as the day does. Colin and his father both fall asleep. When they wake up, Natalie is gone. Exactly what happened is a mystery, but they believe she went willingly. If not, the ruckus would've woken them up, plus she left her shoes, but then why not tell them?

Hours pass, which turn to days and fingers begin pointing at Colin. His father hires a PI, Jackson, to prove his innocence, and track her down. But that's easier said than done. Until, three days later, when Christel tells Colin to follow Mike onto his boat. Mike is heading out with Mayra, back to the lake, with an arsenal of weapons- intent on bringing back their friend. With Christel's guidance they find a lone boat out on the lake. When the owners spot them, they immediately draw weapons, and Colin is forced to do the unthinkable to save all their skins. When they finally get on board, they find Natalie tied to a chair, still breathing.

Cut to 15 years later. Colin is now a successful portfolio manager- dealing with stocks all day, engaged to the beautiful Marisa, and living the high-life. Everything is coming up roses, until he gets a call from Jackson. The case with Natalie was never solved- as they always believed there was something more going on. Natalie's mind completely blanked her memories of those days, so the trail went dead. But now the case is being brought to light again, and the past with it- including Colin's. Jackson believes there's a much bigger problem- girls who went missing in the same days as Natalie, have started turning up again- dead, and with a mysterious tattoo on their wrists. The same tattoo one of the kidnappers had.

Jackson is the only other person who knows about Christel, and others may not be so easily convinced of her authenticity. It's up to Colin to prove his innocence, and quickly. But why doesn't Christel want him to help Jackson? And is she really the gift he thought she was?

REVIEW

Discretion is a book that is hard to pin down. It starts off as a thriller- though a little slow-paced, but quickly spirals into a complicated, tangled plot involving religion- in some ambiguous way. The focus is more on Colin's lack of religion, and his friends' belief that he needs it. There is some plot around Christel, as well as the original plot with Natalie, but those are more in the background. There are a lot of random, irrelevant aspects, that don't add to the plot or story in any way, and just succeed in bogging down an already slow moving book.

The story starts off well, but loses itself around the '15 years later' mark. If the author had stuck with the original plot, the story could've been pretty good. Though I will give it this, the book is very good at creating an uneasiness. A tension surrounding Christel, and exactly what her motivations are. You can never be sure how much of the truth she is telling you. But then again, the whole book from that point on is a confused mess, one that makes it very hard to tell what's going on.

I would say the book's focus is more on good and bad, and the fine line between them. You can do both, but in the end the scales will tip more one way than the other. It comes down to the nature of temptation and addiction. Because that is what Christel is- Colin's drug. Her true 'form' is almost irrelevant. She has been in Colin's mind for so long, that he needs her, to the point where he is willing to do anything to keep her.

Like I mentioned earlier, the story becomes a little too bogged down with religion towards the end, and I'm afraid we get that rather irritating 'accepting God makes everything alright' ending- which I think is the ultimate cop-out. As though it solves everything. God and religion are not things that should ever be forced on someone. They are things you choose as an individual, and you should respect that others have the right to refuse them. Something I see often in books with Christian undertones is that the moment you let it in/convert, suddenly everything is miraculously better. That's not how it works. It's not a cure-all. What it is is a safety net-there to catch you if you fall. It's an authority, that allows people to believe that if someone does wrong, they will be held accountable for it. It is an idea- a concept. Nothing more. It changes nothing. Resolution through conversion is not resolution. Yes, it can provide comfort or strength- as many things can- but it doesn't change the reality of the situation.

The ending itself just sort of happens, and while it's written as though it's meant to be a satisfying conclusion, it is anything but. It is unbelievable to the point of ridiculousness. This is a mild spoiler, but that the book wants you to accept that one witness can bring down an entire prostitution ring led by a clearly well-established group is absurd. Especially as she is not a reliable witness- considering she was heavily drugged during her entire ordeal.

Another not very satisfying conclusion is Christel. Unbelievably underwhelming and anti-climactic. She was the main interest of this story- at least for me- her origin and motives were the main reason I got through this book, and her storyline just fades away. It's left in the background and almost forgotten.

In fact, very few of the questions raised are ever answered. Foe example, we don't even really know what happened with the mystery of Natalie.

Overall, an interesting story, that was unfortunately let down by its ending, and irrelevant tangents. I personally believe that the religious tones could have worked, if they had been a little more ambiguous. Especially for non-Christian/ religious readers. I think even Christian readers would find it a little too shoe-horned in, and nonsensical. The characters start of well, but once you hit that '15 years later' point, become bland and devoid of much personality, not to mention Colin goes through a complete 180 on his- due to Christel's guidance perhaps. A book that had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, dropped the ball.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I received this from Library Thing to read and review. I began this book eagerly. The blurb on the book and on the net sounded great. The book initially was quite interesting and exciting. Colin and Natalie go out to the lake with his father on his father’s boat. After several fun-filled hours, Colin falls asleep and his father does also. During the time they are asleep, Natalie disappears. It seems as if she has gotten off the boat with friends and goes to a party on another boat, but disappears after some frolicking and a strange drink. Colin and his father awaken to find her missing. After a thorough search, her absences reported to the police, who have n luck finding her. Shortly thereafter, Colin and two others find her held hostage on a boat. Once Natalie is freed, they begin life where it left off, or so we think. Fast forward to fifteen years later. Colin is now a successful financial analyst, engaged to Marissa, but no date has been set for their nuptials. The story of Colin’s life continues. This book started out exciting and engaged me from the beginning. However, after the incident with Natalie’s kidnapping, the book began to drag and left me wondering whether the same author had continued writing or whether a different one had taken up the role. As the book goes on, there are a lot of events that seem significant that are just dropped on the reader (e.g. Marissa’s abortion, Natalie knowing it) with no discussion or explanation. I read through other reviews, and one reviewer said the author wrote well. He did write quite well at the outset. However, I always think that writing well involves more than just putting down words. It involves putting words down in a cohesive manner, tying them and ideas or plots/subplots together so the reader can follow them. I did not see this in this book. The author wandered a lot all seemed all over the place. Religion and worshipping important, but I never did understand why. Colin detects a presence/spirit, whom he refers to as Crystal, during one of his visits to church, and Crystal stays with him through the book, often speaking only to him (through his thoughts I figured), which helps him out a lot in his professional life. I never really could figure out what was going on here. After reading the book, I also was disappointed with the ending, and Natalie’s kidnapping was never really well explained or concluded. I am not sure who the audience for this book is. I guess a reader looking for something a bit different might enjoy it. It really is not a definite romance or mystery, but rather a mixture of some of each. I do think the author would have had a better book had he stayed with the same plot/storyline throughout and followed through on Natalie’s kidnaping and being held hostage rather than including all the other event and does he did. The book plot and storyline would have been cleaner and the book would probably have read better, in my opinion.

This book had a lot of potential, but it was terribly disappointing for so many reasons. It all revolves around Colin, a man who is in contact with an all knowing spirit that guides him through life. But this is not just a voice that provides him emotional and spiritual guidance, it's one that knows EVERYTHING, from the price of stocks at any future point in time, the exact location and speed of all future pitches in a baseball game, the names and phone numbers of complete strangers, the exact location and description of a boat he has never seen, etc. It's completely preposterous. And the culmination of all that nonsense is unfulfilling at best.

Beyond that glaring issue, there were lots of other issues with this book, like the fact that with all the intrigue going on about a woman's kidnapping earlier in Colin's life, nothing is ever really revealed, leaving the reader exasperated and irritated. Each time it sounds like a big reveal is coming up. For example, when Jackson calls Colin and says: "Have you heard the latest (about the kidnapping investigation)?", to which Colin says no, and then Jackson proceeds to reveal absolutely NOTHING new! It doesn't really get more infuriating than that. So the whole investigation plot line is nothing more than an unfulfilled and stunted back story, with very little to keep the reader interested.

And finally, a smaller detail that bugged me and should probably get fixed by editing, is the completely implausible timing of one day in particular. Colin and Marisa are at home at 7:10am, and then they drive to work (getting on the highway, which implies it's not around the corner), then they park in a bad parking spot and walk to the building and he goes up several floors to his office. Then he paces around a bit while he logs in, puts on music and gets some work done (it's implied that some amount of time passes)... and THEN, he leaves for his 7:30am meeting - what? There's no way all of that happened in a span of 20 minutes. Nothing short of 1 hour is even remotely possible. Might be a little detail, but it can be frustrating to someone who is paying attention to the details.

So in the end, this book was just not for me... I forced myself to finish it since I kept hoping it would get better and it just never did.

This is such a good book that really has you wondering through out who is Christel. Is she good or is she evil? The characters are likable especially Colin. My only complaint is that not enough time was spent on the kidnapping of Natalie, before you know it 15 years has past. But all in all this book is a really good page turner and I highly recommend it. I actually have the paperback version and not the kindle.

bookshelves: published-2013, autumn-2013, debut, sport, mystery-thriller, fantasy, librarything-giveaway, lifestyles-deathstyles, gangsters, eye-scorcher, north-americas, betrayal, e-book
Recommended to Bettie by: LibraryThing
Recommended for: Jeanette, Pat

LibraryThing Member Giveaways. Thank you.

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

Opening of the Prologue: It’s Labor Day at Lake Apache when Natalie Merian climbs the ladder of the massive cabin cruiser. The noise level on board is like a concert. Most of the people by her guess are college age, a few years older than her at least. She tries not to be intimidated. Her friends, Mayra and Mike follow close behind and step on board the deck of the white and brown vessel, anchored close to the North shore. The sun is shining on a cloudless day, one hundred degrees and the alcohol seems endless, with four coolers open, frosted cans and bottles passed around with jovial acclaim.

Love a contemporary novel to have a musical backdrop, and here we go, page 7: Hey Jude

The first part of this tale is where Colin encounters Cristel and it is their teamwork that saves a young woman's life.

Fifteen years further on and that team is still working fine, living it large on the futures market, yet cracks are beginning to show as Jackson, the investigator, starts piecing together an altogether more sinister design lurking on the wrists of the dead.

Page 141: The landscaping is well manicured and in full bloom this time of year. The trees are lush with green. Violet, red, and blue flowers dance about in the easy breeze. There is an enormous Palo Verde toward the center, behind the stone sign for the complex. I breathe deeply, hoping that the peacefulness of the morning air and nature in motion will calm me. The air is perfect, the sky clear, yet in my head war ensues, killing all in it’s path.

This was at times so gripping it was hard to catch a breath, and where I usually make notes, that was abandoned until the second run through. It is only fair to warn others that this is Christian Fiction WITH angels. That said, it is also a corker of a suspense novel where the ending is like this...

Although obviously aimed at the bible-belt crowd, this should be a winner in a big way, and there must be more to come, or else what was that abrupt finish for. I predict a full-on Gnostic War *rubs handies together*

There were niggles, yet nothing that can't be taken on board seamlessly; greatest of these was product placement; that and the overuse of 'Natalie' in a sort of "Hey, it's my name, don't wear it out!" way. And I couldn't help but think of Natalie Woods on her yacht.

For a debut, fantastic suspense.
Yes, I want to know what happens next.

Nearest fit as a guide to genre: Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch
1 like

Thanx!! :-)