Seth J. Margolis

If there is one category of books that I really, really love is it historical mystery/thrillers when someone in the present time stumbles over a mystery, like, for instance, as in this book a sonnet written by Shakespeare. This story in this book felt refreshing with a secret that could have devastating consequences for the world.

The main character Lee Nicholson is thrown into a perilous race not just to clear her name from murder, but also save the world from a dangerous threat. Intertwined with this story is diary notes from a doctor that lived during Elizabeth I reign. And, he reveals in his notes a secret that Elizabeth I kept hidden from the world. Or rather two secrets, of which one is extremely dangerous. In the present time, there are people who will go to any length to stop anyone from learning this secret. And, Lee also discovers that there is a man out that, who ruthlessly want to find this hidden treasure.

I did enjoy reading the book, however, there were some things kept me from fully enjoying the book. As much as I enjoyed the historical mystery there were just too many things that bothered me, things that I personally had some problems with. One of the biggest problems was the book's predictability. It felt like it was following how to write a historical thriller to the letter. The main character goes from living an ordinary life to being in danger, finding a new friend, chasing clues, the whole secret society thing, and a ruthless madman. And, I can take that, it's not that bad if it's written in a way that I get caught up with the story. The Semper Sonnet is not bad, but there were some moments now and then when something happened that made me lost the rhythm. For instance, in this book, the clues was a bit too obvious now and then. Like when Lee Nicholson was visiting a man for information and the man's dogs name gave her a clue that he could be involved in the whole conspiracy. Not to mention that some people seemed to be dressed a bit too warm for the weather. Right, not at all suspicious. Then, we have the man that is after the treasure. I just didn't fully understand what he was after, it just felt like this was some kind of petty revenge. I would have liked a better and more interesting motive.

All right, now I have rambled on about things that bothered me. I also want to say that I did enjoy reading the book. I didn't have any problems with Lee Nicholson as a character. Although the revelation, in the end, could I have lived without I must admit. But, despite that did I find her quest for answers interesting. She just wanted her life back to how it was before.

For me was this a so and so book. Not perfect, but not that bad. I had some problems with the story, but I liked the main character and I enjoyed the doctor's diary noted from, very intriguing to read. Honestly, I do think when I think back to the book that the story set in the past was a bit more interesting than the one in the present time...

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!… (més)

: This is a new twist on the belief that every US Presidential election is fixed. in this case, it's not by another party or country but by someone who wants revenge on the people responsible for the death of his son. It's a hard look at politics in this country and gives a gritty and harsh look at how and why people are elected. One of the richest men in the world finds someone that he can support and mold into the person he wants as President so that he can control foreign affairs and take action against the country where his son was killed. Will his money be able to buy him the revenge that he so desperately seeks or will he be brought down by someone who is following the story and trying to put the pieces in place much to the disbelief of others. This is a book that kept me turning pages quickly to see how it ended. If you enjoy a good political thriller, this is a must read!… (més)

Just call him the "puppetmaster". Julian Mellow is not your typical investment millionaire. He has an agenda and part of that agenda includes a "puppet" aka The President. Julian has found just the man he can mold and shape into the perfect candidate. Although, it will not be without risk or some blood being spilled. Zach Springer didn't realize just how big a story he was following until he started putting all of the pieces together. The one clue that ties everything together is...Julian Mellow.

Mr. Margolis writes a believable story. Which just so happens to be playing out in today's world. As Mr. Margolis says "A rich billionaire turns President". Ok, so maybe Julian himself is not President but he pretty much could be considered as his candidate is an extension of him. I like how the story drew me in and did not try to fool me with lots of twists but just good storytelling. The battle of the wits between Julian and Zach was intriguing. The story kept building as I kept reading and getting further deeper into the story. I look forward to read more books from this author. Presidents' Day has gotten my stamp of approval.… (més)

There are two ways to read this book:

abandoning all sense, all reality, all grounding in the true world and just go with it
with a sense of how ridiculous and stupid and impossible is any of this


How a reader enjoys or doesn’t enjoy the book is going to completely depend on how much they can go with #1 rather than live in the real world of #2. I respect that the book is a work of fiction and I will admit that the author wrote with the skill to keep the pages turning but I just like my books – even my fictional books – somewhat grounded in a little bit of reality. If I keep finding myself, as a reader coming out of a story because of a feeling of unreality or impossibility I become a frustrated reader.

But if you are willing to to totally suspend belief this will be a book to keep you a reader engaged. A young woman finds a lost sonnet that she is convinced was written by William Shakespeare. As she researches and begins to announce her find she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a royal mess; the police think she has committed a murder, a secret society is trying to keep her from finding out its secrets and a madman is trying to destroy the world.

But this young woman, an expert in Shakespeare suddenly becomes adept at alluding the police and she follows clues to possibly solve a problem that has been unsolved for 500 years! All the while teaching all around her about the wonderful word play of the Elizabethans. Again – suspend reality and you have a great round the world chase with a seek and find puzzle as well. For me it was just too facile and slightly ridiculous.

Our heroine is also bad with men – she will sleep with just about any one that appeals. I suspect the author was trying to make her liberated but to me she just came off as a bit confused. It didn’t help the character development at all. Nor did the main antagonist have any real motivation. I never did understand why he did what he did. The one reason put forth seemed seriously inadequate to destroy the world.

So – no I didn’t like this book and yes I did like this book. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde kind of thing. I would not read it again and I honestly wanted to throw it against the wall. There was so much possibility here and so much possibility lost.

RATING:

Rating for reading way 1: 4

Rating for reading way 2: 2

Overall Rating: 3… (més)