Customer Reviews

Alarmists, The

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

NOTE: The Amazon blurb about The Alarmists mixed up the names of several main characters. They are correct here.

The Alarmists begins in a most non- alarming way for Brent Michaels: sociology professor with a day off, sitting in a boat and hoping for a trophy bass from his favorite fishing spot. The time is 2:33 in the afternoon, December 3rd 2012. And the last thing on Dr. Michaels' mind is that 18 days hence marks the infamous supposed end of the ancient Mayan calendar and to some conspiracy types, the end of the world. With his mind far from his class and still focused on his quarry, Michaels receives a phone call from his assistant with a message that will change everything about the way he views life and his certainties.

"You got a call from the Pentagon.

They want you for a consult."

That call transports Brent Michaels to a world he hasn't visited for several years, the world of consulting about sociological probabilities for the military. And a lot has changed! Within hours Michael is introduced to Colonel Jameson Richardson, Captain Amy Madigan and the rest of the Colonel's eclectic assortment of military scientific investigators. This is a unit assigned to investigate and seek to explain the connections between some of the oddest and most unexplainable occurrences on earth. In short, they are racing against time to clarify why the human race seems to be on accelerated course of coming apart at the seams.

Author Don Hoesel does a great job of offering just enough science to lend credibility to a storyline that sometimes reads like Indiana Jones and at others like a really good episode of X-Files or more recently Fringe. For those not into such things, don't be alarmed. This is really an action-adventure story with all the ingredients needed to make it hold just about everyone' interest: a really big crisis, believable heroes, a demented villain bent on having it all and a love interest that refuses to be stifled by the earth shattering events threatening to happen any moment.

At the heart of The Alarmists is one man's realization that science and faith do not have to be mutually exclusive. Ironically the people of faith in the story are the seemingly hardened Colonel and a certain blonde Captain, Brent is beginning to fall far. The very people who have seen the unexplainable and worked to explain it are the ones who most believe in a deeper spiritual reality.

Like Hoesel's debut novel, Elisha's Bones, this is one that invites you to buckle up and enjoy the ride. You'll get to fly in Lear Jets and C130s. You'll be carried from the sands of Africa to the white wasteland of Antarctica. Along the way you'll be invited to see what greed can lead a man to do including trying to help doomsday Mayan prophecies along just so he can say he holds all the toys at the end. And most importantly you will join our hero as he comes face to face with the greatest question of all and hear whispers of the answers he gets.

This book is a great suspense story situated in December 2012 with the world approaching the brink of panic - the timing of which coincides with the ending of the Mayan calendar. Don't worry, this book isn't one that jumps head first into the belief that the world will end in December 2012. I found that in the story this subject was dealt with appropriately. I'd love to tell you more but haven't figured out how too without giving away too much.

I can only think of one problem with this book. Once you start it, you're not going to want to put it down until you've finished it. I stayed up till early morning hours finishing the book myself.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for writing a review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

This novel reminded me of the Bourne books without the gore and language.

Don Hoesel's style is full of intrigue and drama.

Jameson Richards is a sociology professor who gets pulled into a government elite team of researchers /military personnel who believe there is something sinister behind a 2012 phenomenon tied to the Mayan calendar. Unexplained earthquakes, glaciers threatening to break into the ocean and heightened fighting in the far reaches of the world are all believed to be the work of a single mind. Richards' job is to find out who and help stop him before it's too late.

The only complaint I have is I want to know more! I felt like I needed a sociology degree to grasp the whole genius of this book but Don Hoesel did a great job allowing the reader to experience the story even without prior background in the military or the main characters' field of work.

Men would especially like this author. Gritty and fascinating read.

Want to hear another theory on Dec. 21st, 2012? Then pick up this fast paced thriller for a ride that doesn't stop twisting and turning to the end.

Published by Bethany House Publishers, this is the first book by Dan Hoesel I have read, The Alarmists is a great suspense novel set around the ending of the Mayan calender.

The characters were great. Looking back on the book I feel like everything could have been fleshed out a little better, but at 309 pages I am not sure that was an option. Some of the team members investigating the phenomenons were just thrown in there if they weren't part of the main story with the main characters.

My favorite character was Maddy, Captain Amy Madigan. A very smart chic with a great attitude. Can handle a gun, and be at home in a science lab. What's not to love about her? Plus... she has a strong faith and the right comebacks when that faith is questioned. I am definitely in love with her.

It was interesting to see how all the puzzle pieces fit together as the book winds to an end. The puzzle pieces come from all over the world and in a variety of 'issues'. How they came together to 'fulfill' a set end day was an intriguing theory on how one person could use a globally watched date to create panic and profit from it in the process.

There weren't any shockers that really surprised me, but it was a great read and I definitely recommend it to you.

~Kimberlee, [...]

DISCLOSURE: I recived a copy of this book from Bethany House Pulishers to review. The opinions contained in this review are 100% my own opinionated opinions.

A few pages into The Alarmists, I knew I was in for an entertaining ride, and I was certainly not disappointed. Skillfully written at an unstoppable pace, I flew through the pages of the book and enjoyed every minute of it. Not only is it filled with twists and turns and fun "what if?" scenarios, but Hoesel has created intriguing characters and woven faith into the tale in a believable manner as well.

I have read other books involving the Mayan calendar that offered a lot of potential, but did not live up to the hype, so I approached this book with caution. However, Hoesel has succeeded at taking the subject of doomsday and the end of the world in a new direction, and packaged it into a novel sure to please it's readers.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Alarmists is the third novel written by Don Hoesel, but it is the first one I've read. There is action, suspense, a love story, exotic locales, and religious debate.

Brent Michaels is a sociologist who has been asked to join a special Pentagon unit to uncover why there seems to be an upsurge of activity - both man-made and natural disasters. He and the unit find activities from all around the world in December 2012, and as we all know, the Mayan calendar says the world will end on 12/21/12. They have to try to make sense of data from all around the world and try to determine the connections, and decide if they are normal or suspicious. They decide that these are not caused by normal causes - that someone is manipulating events.

The book alternates telling the story of several characters, especially Brent Michaels and Mr. Canfield, who uses the alias Miles Standish. Canfield is hired by a wealthy businessman, Jeremy Maxwell, whose aim is to become the richest man in the world, like a modern day King Solomon.

I really enjoyed reading this book. A good summer read to get away from it all.

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for this review.

The Alarmists by Don Hoesel is a doomsday novel. Brent Michael is a sociologist professor. His world is change with one call from the Pentagon calling him for a consult. The next day he's in Washington in a government lab. Seeing things he has never seen before. He meets with Colonel Jameson Richard who is head of the lab. Colonel Richard has one job for him to do. It's to find out why doomsday is coming. As he tries to figure out the links between the events going in the world and doomsday. His life becomes in danger, but he's not going to hide. Plus the fact working with his colleague Captain Madigan has started to become more than a working relationship. He's ready to do his job to the end.

If you like scientific doomsday books. You might like this one too. It has action and mystery all rolled into one. The first couple of chapters is a slow read but after that the story starts moving. Overall it was a fun read.

Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

On the brink of complete world destruction , main character sociologist Brent Michaels has a significant role to play in helping a military special operations team to find out who or what may be behind small disasters happening worldwide. During his time with the team he finds love and a sense of faith he struggles with accepting. Throughout the book ,exciting events happen one after another as Dr.Michaels proves he is a master of his profession by guiding the team to the source of the evil plotters.

This book has both captivating villains and heroes. In no time at all you find yourself turning one page after the next. I found the plot of the story very well thought out and interesting. If there was anything that i would constructively criticize it would be that the end of the book seemed a bit sudden and abrupt. However, overall i would certainly say it was an enjoyable read.

You can buy this book at book stores or at Amazon for $4.00 shipped.

This book took me longer to review because I honestly had a hard time getting into it at first. It was not the book however, more of personal things going on. My husband read this book and his comments were "I found it a tease. You think it is building up to something great but doesn't pay off at the end." I will leave that up to you :)

I received this book for review a loooonnnnngggg time ago, like January I think. But with B90 in the spring and then my summer being ridiculously crazy, I just now finished it.

Honestly, it was a hard book to get in to. There are lots of characters at the beginning and lots of locations as the story unfolds. Eventually, though, it does get easier to follow. About 1/2 way through the book, the story really starts taking shape.

As the synopsis above explains, the book is mainly about a special task force from the Pentagon attempting to figure out how certain events are related and how to stop the end of the world!

Once the characters were differentiated and had some personality, I really liked each one and how they worked together. I liked the elements of faith and the integrity of the characters who believed in God. They were able to explain to others why science and God did not have to be independent of each other, which I know is a struggle for some.

The ending was a good climax and tied up all the pieces of the story nicely. I feel like it was a bit rushed, but that is another thing that makes me glad that I am not a writer, endings are so tricky!

Overall, I would give this book three stars. I would not hesitate to recommend it to friends, but only those who love reading. It's not a book for someone who gets lost easily or for someone who doesn't love reading fiction. The story line was good, once you got to it, the writing was very tight sometimes and very scattered at others.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishing as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I'll admit that it took me a while to find the groove in "The Alarmists." But once I dug in, this book was great!

"The Alarmists" is my first read by Don Hoesel, and I'm really impressed by his assembly of this story. What could have been an incredibly tangled web of too much information was instead a well-planned, drop-into-the-action, international suspense narrative.

Set in 2012, "The Alarmists" centers on greedy Arthur Van Camp, who is will move at any cost to fulfill a lifelong dream. Through Van Camp we meet a host of other characters, all able to shirk morality to achieve personal gain.

In the opposing camp, we find Colonel Richards and his research team, charged with investigating unusual events around the globe. They've contracted Brent Michaels, a sociologist, to help solve their most mysterious case yet -- determining why the world is hurtling toward its end and finding a way to stop it.

In short, this is a classic tale of good versus evil, although Hoesel takes the opportunity to explore the juxtaposition of faith and science as well.

I appreciated the succinct dialogue and narration; this is in keeping with the military-style under toe felt throughout the book. The reader isn't given any fluffy information, and what you are given feels like exactly enough to draw you into the next chapter.

I would recommend this book to any adult reader -- but in the world of fiction where Twilight and Harry Potter reign -- men will find this book a breath of fresh air.

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.