Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Brief Update You might note The Temporary Agent has attracted a wide array of reviews. A few are exceptionally critical. Indeed, one review by a new reviewer has garnered great support. I was one of the earliest reviewers and, just as did ILUVBOOKS, I recorded my difficulty in poring through a challenging writing style. Unlike ILUVBOOKS, however, I found the annoying broken sentence pattern to be addictive (mind you, not until well into the story though). I mention this so you can get a better feel for why a book that has an exceptionally harsh review (that itself has achieved huge success in terms of helpful votes and is on the path for hall-of-fame immortality), yet the book is number one in all of Kindle. How does one reconcile the two points? Is the ILUVBOOKS a fair review? Absolutely. The reviewer raises some valid points and provides great insight... to a point. Yet, as I state this, I hasten to add that the overall star rating by some 400 reviewers gives the average rating of 4.3 stars --- My point is, The Temporary Agent is a story written in a manner that is going to astonish those who choose to give it a try. Just as great art will annoy and anger many, so, too, will a provocative story that is written in an edgy manner. Of this you can be certain, The Temporary Agent is written in an artistic manner that breaks new ground - Many will hate it, many will love it, but few readers will be unmoved by The Temporary Agent by Daniel Judson. As for me? I greatly enjoyed the read. Quick Overview Word of caution: If adult language and situations (sexual scenes and f-bombs, to be more specific) are a turn-off for you, you will want to read a different book. In fact I suggest you consider The Emperor's Revenge, as it is in the same genre, but has zero profanities. Details can be gleaned at my review The Emperor's Revenge (The Oregon Files) Kindle-First is becoming a hit and miss experience for me. Last month I got a book that failed to wow me (I read Time Heals No Wounds). That less than stellar novel made me take increased deliberation in trying to find a good read this month. Making the selection all the more difficult, frankly, was that none of this month’s Kindle-First choices pulled me in. Confounding the matter was that I recently started listening to a series of audible books of a fantasy called Redwall that, as someone recently commented on my review of Golden Age (commenter was a Doreen T) and, just as she stated, that series by writer James Maxwell is superior to most other fantasies. Thus, since there were no great fantasies in Kindle-First this month, I took a chance on one of my favorite genres, an Action-Adventure, conspiracy thriller. Based on the description page, I had justification to suspect it to be a dud. At best, it seemed a plot with frayed edges. At worst, it could be simply too predicable and too clichéd. How did it measure up? As detailed below, this is a suspense targeted to adults that succeeds in getting me sucked in, despite a few minor flaws in the early chapters. Length: Print, 402 page. Q - Target Audience/Genre and is it marketed as Nonfiction or Fiction: A – Action-Adventure, or Fictional Thriller/Suspense in a vein similar to Bourne Identity. A bit grittier, perhaps. Q - How was this book obtained? A – Bought during pre-order using my Amazon Prime privileges. Q – If this is fiction, is it a plot-driven or a character-driven story? A – More plot-driven, but with strong character development. Q - Is this a book that I can read without having to read others first? A – Yes, this is the first in a series. Q – If this is a recurring character or a series, does it have a cliffhanger ending? A – No, the ending is not a cliffhanger. Clearly, though, the story does not end with this volume. Q - Are there a lot of typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures? A – Not a significant number, although the writing is a little less smooth than most novels, and the writer’s choice of words tends to confuse. But, honestly, I find this aspect refreshing. Q - Is this a fast, easy read or is it more of a leisure read? A – At 400-pages one will not race through this story. Yet, the action scenes are fairly tightly written, so much so that I found I’d zipped through some 15 pages is scarcely 10 minutes. Q - What sort of language does this writer use to amplify the points made? A – There are a number of F-bombs and provocative sexual scenes that, let us put it this way, you may not want your juveniles reading this book, so keep it locked up… Q – What age group is this suitable for? A – If this were a movie it would be rated PG-17 or R, ‘For Mature Audiences.” Q - Is there sex, and is it graphic? A – Sexual content, to be sure. Titillating, even, but stating it to be graphic might be a wee stretch. Q – Is there violence and is the violence graphic? A – This is an Action-Adventure, so there is definitely some violence. Q - My biggest pleasure or disappointment? A – Early on I got confused, lurching from one time point to another and from one character to another, but by chapter three I was hooked and found the story to be an engaging read, despite some rough edges in the early writing. To give a feel for the editing, and the style and flow of this work, I am posting a brief excerpt below. Excerpt “Have you and Cahill been in contact since his discharge?” “No.” “How well did you know each other?” “Not very well. He and his Recon Marines were tight-knit, didn’t really hang out with outsiders. I was just a Seabee, so I was an outsider.” “Did you two have any interactions before the night he saved your life?” “I think we exchanged books once or twice, but that was it. I was aware of him. It was a small base, and he was kind of a star to his men.” “What do you mean?” “He was . . . exceptional. Everyone knew it. His men looked up to him, and he took care of them.” “Do you know what he’s been up to these past four years?” “No.” Savelle swiped the tablet several times, then held it so Tom could see the screen. Displayed on it was a newspaper article. The headline read: EX-MARINE OPENS FREE YOUTH GYM Below the headline was a photograph of Cahill standing amid several teens, male and female, all of whom were dressed in boxing gear. Behind them was a fully equipped boxing gym— rows of hanging heavy bags, wall-mounted speed bags, and a regulation-size boxing ring. “Cahill made the papers often,” Savelle said. “At least he did at first. He opened a number of these gyms, each one in a city with high dropout rates and out-of-control gang violence. Open to all, boys and girls. And absolutely free. The only catch was all schoolwork had to be completed before training for the day could begin. To that end, Cahill staffed each gym with… Judson, Daniel. The Temporary Agent (p. 76-77). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition. Bottom Line: Frankly, this is a good novel to kick off a series with. The key is to keep reading until you reach chapter four, or five, or even six. What I mean is, as stated up front, the opening chapters are a bit clunky and had me scratching my head. In fact, I nearly gave up on it, but for all its faults, the writing is intriguing and even a bit addictive. After long consideration and a second reading, I've decided that, for me, The Temporary Agent is an excellent, provocative, read that, in writing style, breaks new ground. Therefore, I've raised the star rating to five. This is only the second of third time I've ever increased a book's rating from four to five stars. Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review, whether favorable or unfavorable, are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed, especially, I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite. Thank you.