Customer Reviews

The Book of Cain: A Novel of Suspense

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great first novel. Quite accurate in psychological aspects. A little different as there were few "twists and turns" as it was more a "police procedural". The characters were well developed and believable and real. I am looking forward to his next. Well look for his website and see what is forthcoming. Long and held my attention. Very well written.

This book was recommended to me by a friend and was well worth every penny I spent on it. It has more than the standard two or three main characters, yet each is well-drawn and believable. Normally, when I read a mystery, by the time I'm 75% of the way through it, my main goal is to determine "whodunnit". This book totally engrossed me, so that I paid as much attention to all the details of the tale at page 275 as I did at page 25. It also left me contemplating the legacy that various 'ripples' in our lives create in the world of those around us. I suspect that Mr. Chapman's book will remain on my bookshelf for many years to come.

A very, very good read. My wife enjoyed it immensely.
The surprise is that I did also. I don't usually take to
crime/suspense novels but this one held my attention to the last word.
The tension didn't end until the resolution only a page or
two from the end. Then there was a slight twist after that
just to catch your heart off guard.

I thought the character development and miscellaneous notes
of environment descriptions were impressive- especially for
a first time author. My wife, to this day, believes that the
antagonist was the most evil portrayals she has ever
read (and she reads quite a lot of these crime/suspense novels.)

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good
tension filled read. Book of Cain and two days rain will certainly
produce an enjoyable literary weekend.

Good job, Herb. You win the dollar.

PM

This read is entertaining, yes, but it's more than that. Chapman gives us characters who are complex. The hero is not infalliable. The villian is rotten to the core, but still garners sympathy (if you are a compassionate bleeding heart treehugger like me). The character you want to hate earns your respect. The end is especially powerful; I can't say more without spoiling it!

This story would make a great movie. Screenwriters out there, take note.

Herb Chapman's "The Book of Cain" is easily the best suspense thriller I've read in a year, and one of the most impressive fiction debuts I can remember. The reason this book succeeds so well is deceptively simple: author Chapman obviously took the care to plot his story well, and it largely succeeds at avoiding the contrivances that undermine so many other thrillers.

Chapman knows the story is his book's strength, and he always plays to it. The writing style doesn't often stand out, but neither does it get in the way. A few scenes bog down along the way, but all in all Chapman--drawing from his real-life experience as a youth counsellor--has written a smart, lucid, and perceptive thriller that will hold your attention and stay with you long after you're done. Not as elegant as Thomas Harris, but nearly as nightmarish, "The Book of Cain" puts a bright spotlight on misery and the human capacity to do harm, and doesn't pretend to have all the answers.

Mr. Chapman should be proud of a job well done. With a minimum of fanfare, he's crafted a thriller that puts many of his undoubtedly higher paid and more profilic counterparts to shame.