Sunday, April 6, 2014

The Joshua Effect by P.S. Meronek

The Joshua Effect by P.S. Meronek


I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest.

A portion of the official overview:
The rooftop reception on the skyscraper in lower Manhattan is an elegant and festive affair right up until the moment the murders occur. With the lives of sixty-three of his friends and business associates snuffed out in one horrifying blink of an eye, the wealthy and enigmatic Jonathan Strickland boards a dangerous roller coaster ride of a lifetime in this clever, nail biting who-done-it.
Following the nebulous clues left behind at the scene of the terrible crime, Strickland finds himself kidnapped and taken to a clandestine meeting in the middle of the foreboding Syrian desert beneath the ancient ruins of one of the oldest civilizations known to man. The lines between good and evil blur as the suspect list narrows.
Strickland races against time to find the invisible killers who have even more horrific carnage in mind; they call their sinister plan the Joshua Effect.

When I read the overview of Mr. Meronek's book, I was excited. I was expecting a story full of adventure and suspense. Unfortunately I was unable to finish the book. I tried very hard to finish reading it. I finally put it down for the last time on page 235 of 251 pages.
I was very skeptical when I read some of the reviewers that wrote that they did not like the book in part because they did not like the main character. That to me is what makes a good writer. The fact that Mr. Meronek could elicit such feelings for an imaginary person screams "talented" to me.
What pulled me into wanting to read this book is that the story is relevant to what is going on around us right now. I was intrigued by his take on what could possibly happen, what motives he would pull out, and how a billionaire could pull off what most of our Federal Agents couldn't.
I enjoyed how he gave a brief but thorough description of Strickland-how he came to be who he is and what defined him as an adult. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not find Strickland to be anything other than what we expect wealthy people to be. Yes he was arrogant, somewhat selfish, and acted like he was above anything because he had money. But, that is a wealthy person for you; and those people are not only found in the U.S.
While Mr. Meronek is a gifted writer, this book was not for me. I can not say it was good read or a bad read. I would, however, recommend it to friends who are interested in this type of story.

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