Customer Reviews

Crack-Up

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

Ever imagined what it's like to be a paranoid schizophrenic? This book will show you. You will cringe from the emotions invoked by this thriller. You might even become a little paranoid yourself.

The protagonist, Argus, of this book already knows that he has a problem. However, he also knows that his medication controls it. So, what happens when he sees a naked stewardess serving drinks on a plane and none of the other passengers notice? Well, he must be going crazy again, right?

There are many plot twists and turns while Argus goes on a journey to try to figure out what is real and what is not. He also needs to clear himself of a murder charge. This is a bit difficult to do while in a mental institution.

Reading this book will have you on the edge of your seat, unable to put it down. I was actually sad to see it end.

Character Development: 4 3/4 Stars

Argus is a very logical character. Although he suffers from a mental illness, readers can easily put themselves in his shoes to understand the realistic decisions made by him.

I did wonder at times why he didn't spare a little more thought to his wife and child.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

This book is extremely well written with tight, concise prose. Every single sentence forwards the plot and story line.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

This is a self-published work without an error to be found. It is of better quality than many commercially published books. The Kindle formatting is also excellent.

Rating: PG-13 due to minimal violence and mature psychological issues

Argus Ward is a hero with a secret. Everyone knows he once saved the President's life, but very few people are aware that he's also a paranoid schizophrenic. Luckily, he's been able to keep his condition under control with medication...

...until he sees a naked flight attendant on a corporate jet and begins a slow, torturous descent into insanity.

Argus suspects someone discovered his secret and sabotaged his medication to make him go crazy.

But how can he know anything for sure when he can't even distinguish what's real from what isn't?

And therein lies the premise of Eric Christopherson's "Crack-Up" - one of the BEST thrillers I've read in ages.

Christopherson is a master storyteller. His first book is easily in the same class as the giants of the genre.

"Crack-Up" is an incredible debut novel and an absolute must-read.

`"Listen to me, son," said the caller. My father? "Kill John Helms." Then he hung up.'

What happens when the lines between reality and delusion start to blur? Paranoid schizophrenic Argus Ward sees and hears things, but how much of it is real? What about the voices telling him to kill his most famous client...

Crack-up hooked me from the start. By the end, I was almost as paranoid as Argus. A fast-paced, excellently crafted thriller, gripping from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was among the best 2 or 3 thrillers I read in 2010, and I read a few dozen. Writing is tight, the pace is breathless, and the main character is complex enough that you simply must find out what happens next. Highly recommended

This book was amazing. The begning was a little slow but the desent into madness was just like that of a true paranoid. Thank you Eric for writing sucha fantasic page turner. I am looking forward to reading more of you books.

I read Crack-Up in one sitting. I highly recommend this book with all its wonderful fast pace twist and turns, and interesting plot. At around 25% of the book is when it got became a exciting read for me to the end. Before then I could of put it down then came back, but by that point I was hooked and wanted to see what happened and couldn't put it down. Just goes to show you that a $.99 book can be more entertaining then a $15.00 book. Thank you Eric Christopherson for the great story telling!

This is an amazing look into the mind of the paranoid schizophrenic, complete with auditory and visual hallucinations. Conspiracy theorists will love the plot with its many twists and mysteries, each compounded by the fact that every single minute could be a delusion or hallucination or could be real...the reader, trapped in the mind of the unmedicated schizophrenic is along for the ride, trying to parse out what's real and what isn't, all while trying to solve a conspiracy that could lead to (another) murder.

The fast pace of this book makes it feel short, although it's actually a pretty good length for a novel. It's well written, with almost no formatting errors, and kept me entertained with it's unusual and original premise. Despite it's fantastic nature, the novel actually reads like it's a believable situation and you will find yourself second guessing your first assumptions over and over again.

A great read. Well worth the 99 cents they were charging for it in Kindle edition. I'm looking for other novels by this author, and I wouldn't be surprised if they up the price soon because the quality is worth much more than that.

If you like a good action/thriller, certainly you won't be disappointed by this book. The story is direct, without jumpings in time or parallel characters. Everything is centered on the main character, Argus, a paranoid who get involved in a murder and doesn't know what is real or hallucination when he starts to lose control of his health. It made me think about how crazy must be a schizophrenic's mind.

The plot definitely kept me hooked and reading whenever I could. The writing style is very good, no formatting problems or typos, although I think the author abused a little bit of the past perfect. The ending was very well done too and the final premise left me thinking of how this advanced technological era we're starting to face nowadays could be used to control our relatively predictable human (or should I say, animal) behavior...

At a price of U$ 0.99 usually the waste of time bothers more than the waste of money, but with "Crack-Up" you won't waste either of them. That's a really enjoyable book.

A very readable novel based on the premise that Paranoids can still have enemies.
A super and satisfying read and I hated for it to end. I had hoped there would be other books available that this author has written, but, couldn't find any listed on amazon. Too bad.
Eric, please keep writing-I really enjoyed your novel. Camille

Finally a Kindle original that is a great read.

Crack-Up is a ripping yard about a security consultant - Argus Ward - who also happens to be a high functioning paranoid schizophrenic. Business is good, life is good, then suddenly Ward finds himself in custody and accused of murdering one of his high-power clients.

Ward is forced into a paranoid hallucinatory race to clear his name.

Characters in Crack-Up are well fleshed out. The plot is tight and moves right along. Editing could be a little tighter. But, just as it stands; Crack-Up is better than many "dead-tree" novels that I have read in the past.