Customer Reviews

A Death at the North Pole

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

When I first began reading A Death At The North Pole I thought I was going to be reading a horror book. I quickly discovered this was more of a fantasy. Usually I do not chose fantasy type books to read, but I was already hooked by the end of the first page.

At the beginning of the book I did not like the main character one bit. I thought she was mean and very rude. By the end of the book my feelings had completely changed. I cannot wait for the next book to find out what happens to Lauren.

I have found one of my new favorite authors! What a storyline! I love how the author uses the victim and his characteristics that are legendary and entwines them in his book.

Here we have someone most of the world adores and loves as the victim and this brash female cop swearing away and being rude to his closest family and friends! Shocking!

Joel M. Andre is definitely an author who is headed for #1 book sellers. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Andre's books. What a mind.

I was very skeptical of this book at first glance. A poet writing a novel, I was close to writing it off. But figured, I would take a chance. This book is well written, and the imagry is amazing! You actually grow to love the main character a tough headed detective who has some pretty cool revelations.

A great adventure, my one complaint is it leaves you hanging for the next book at the end! The autopsy scene lasts a bit long too. Some sharp ideas and I want to know where the story goes!!

I too read the Kindle edition of this book. It is not as bad as the one star reviewer gave it credit for.

There are a few rough points in the book, but they are necessary for the flow of the story. A ghoul who speaks in the third person is actually humorous.

The book as mentioned before does start off like a typical murder mystery, the detective was crude and very blunt almost to the point of rudeness. However her character growth through the story gives you a sense of hope. As it progresses she questions her faith, and finds her own peace with her creator.

This story has some intriguing philosophy that alone was enough to entertain my interest. However, I read for the enjoyment of a story, not for the warm fuzzy feeling.

The tale was brutal enough, and the gore was a bit much at times. Still, a strong effort, and worth the price. If you are squeamish, the autopsy scene might be a bit much, otherwise it was a good read.

What happens when you combine a dead Santa, a cynical detective, a weepy Mrs. Claus and some crazy elves? A death at the North Pole. But it's not enough to just have a dead Santa. That's been done to death. Throw in the Apocalypse, soul guzzling demons, flesh eating ghouls and Satan himself and you've got a new spin on the modern day Christmas tale.

In an interesting blend of religion, fairy tales and gruesomeness beyond all possible description, "A Death at the North Pole" tells the story of "Detective Lauren," the cynical detective whose father fell prey to the very soul sucking demon that's now hellbent on raising the armies of Satan, destroying Christmas and leading demons in a coup to take over the world. Lauren's the only one who can stop his devious plan, but she's completely clueless about-everything.

That doesn't stop her from setting out with the child-like ghoul Drew or the spunky Pepper-elf to try to stop the chaos. The end of this book had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for the sequel (although one can hope that the next one might leave a few of the more...gory...details out. Definitely not a book for the squeamish!).

From the first few sentences, the author lulls you into thinking that this is just another fantasy/horror novel. Hey, the cover looks placid enough... right?

A few pages later, you'll either gasp in genuine horror, gag, or laugh like crazy.

Personally, I like sweet, light fantasy. I'm not comfortable with this cynical, dark humor in the "nothing is sacred" style. My stomach lurched during the extended autopsy description. I choked when I reached the end of the book; although I read a lot of books and can predict how most will conclude, I didn't see this one coming.

That said, if the book had a less troubling context, I'd have enjoyed it thoroughly. I give it four stars because it's brilliantly written. If you like Terry Pratchett novels but wish they were a lot darker -- as in "oh dear heaven, who even thinks of this stuff?" -- you'll love this book.

Me? I'll probably read the author's next book and enjoy it far more. In fact, I'm looking forward to where this author -- and the lead character -- take this series, next.

For the most part gruesome scenes in a book don't really catch my interest, but the autopsy scene in the morgue caught me off guard. This tale of fantasy, horror and cynical humor left me speechless.

It is unlike anything I have ever read before, there is a depth and sort of macabe look at the entire theory of Claus and how his death could impact the world. There is some dark cynical writing, and lots of philosophy, this books hits you and keeps punching. Views on socialism and other deep topics are given in a in depth context. It is brilliant.

Shockingly enough, this is book one in the series, while book two is supposidly in release now, I cannot find it, and it is a little maddening the ending which opens a new darker tale towards redemption is unexpected and raw.

Hopefully soon we find out the journey of Lauren and the soul. Bravo, I can certainly see why this book was on an Editor's List as a Best of 2008.

Okay, so what do you get when you cross fantasy with horror and the death of Jolly Old St. Nick??? One heck of a rockin' great novel! Joel M. Andre is a superb horror author. He is taking the spot for favorite horror novelist, hands down. Wow. I needed some really good reading material for this weekend and was pleasantly surprised when I had the chance to review this for Joel. I had just recently read and fell in love with his novel The Black Chronicles: The Cry of The Fallen, which was Detective Lauren Bruni's second appearance. This, A Death At The North Pole, was her first. And, wow! What a fantastic character she was even in this novel.

Now, I know that you might be thinking, 'murder of St. Nick?'. Yep. A gruesome murder of the beloved children's figure, but you know what? It was good. Darkly,evilly, and horrifically good. Through absolutely stunning and gripping twists, this book is beyond good. It's great. I was taken along with Bruni as she set out investigating the murder. Bruni is a character that is worth knowing. She has a deep and strong inner hardness that enables her to do her job effectively. I think that's great for a female lead detective.

Along with the gory horror, the murder mystery, and the fantastic characters, the author grips you with some pretty darn good laughable moments too. I loved the elves that Andre incorporated into the story. Perfect for a North Pole novel! Of course, it's not all that great that the elves are discussing the murder of the Jolly Man. But, that's what Detective Bruni's for....to solve the crime and deal with the evil. It was definitely intriguing!

I definitely recommend this novel to everyone out there. Whether you are dark horror, or a fantasy lover, this book will definitely interest you. The writing style, even for the authors first book, is phenomenal. Most definitely 5 Books Rating worthy and will be read again and again by this Joel M. Andre fan! It's a fast paced, gripping novel and I had it completed in a 2 day span. FANTABULOUS job, Joel!

A Death At The North Pole is really unique! It's a cross between a horror story and a fairy tale. It's extremely creative and very entertaining! As the title suggests, there has been a death at the North Pole and Detective Lauren Bruni is called to the scene. This case will stretch Lauren's imagination and her patience to its limits.

I really liked Lauren's character! She's tough, but perhaps even a bit too tough. I think life has hardened her a bit. Perhaps in time this case might just begin to thaw out her heart again.

I VERY highly recommend this book! There are parts, especially in the beginning that are really, really funny! For me there were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments! The story does get more serious. There is some bloodshed, and gore, and even some intense battle scenes. It's got a great good vs evil theme and great suspense! It's a full length novel and just .99 for the kindle download!

Okay, I'm going to admit that when I first began reading A Death at the North Pole, I was a bit hesitant. This hesitation was not because I was worried the story would be bad, but the idea of reading about the horrific murder of an all important icon - yes, Santa Clause - was rather disturbing to me. I, however, was determined to get past this and plunged on. After completing the book, reading the final word and letting the story swirl around in my brain, I had to release a long suffered sigh. A Death at the North Pole was just not a great story, nor a good story. It was, quite frankly, bordering on excellent.

By taking an iconic figure and centering an evil plot and graphic murder around him, as well as all that he stands for, is a very unique and intriguing idea. It also makes for a hard-to-put-down story that will leave readers straining long into the night to discover what happens next.

A Death at the North Pole introduces us to Detective Lauren Bruni. Lauren is a tough as nails, kick butt woman that takes no guff nor does she believe in fantastical ideas. So when faced with mini people claiming to be elves and a victim who is supposedly Santa Clause, Lauren is feeling anything but open-minded. Needless to say, the main character does not come off very fuzzy and warm, nor remotely likable in the beginning. As the story progresses, however, that changes - at least it did for me. The author allows readers to get to know Lauren a bit better through shedding light on her past, as well as humanizing her a bit more through her actions. Speaking of actions, the story itself is highly entertaining, a bit far-fetched (though that is the idea), twisting, turning and, yes, graphically grotesque at times. Mr. Andre does a marvelous job intertwining horror, paranormal, fantasy as well as lessons that things are not always what they seem - but rather, those things that are not obvious, are the most real.

Good vs. evil seems to be the overall foundation to both this story, A Death at the North Pole, as well as the follow-up, The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen. Lauren holds an all-important key to overcoming the takeover of the purist of evil. Of this, however, she is clueless. All Lauren knows is the pain of loss and injustice, throwing herself into her job of tracking down killers and solving crimes.

Mr. Andre does a fantastic job writing visually - in a style that allows the reader to truly see what is going on, through his words and technique. Plot and story development are excellent and there is a definite shock value to Mr. Andre's writing.

A Death at the North Pole is complete with ghouls, fairies, elves and evil ultimately incarnate. Joel M. Andre has woven a tale that will not only entertain, but will leave the reader thinking and contemplating. A Death at the North Pole is dark entertainment with depth.

*As a side note, I wanted to mention that I have previously read and reviewed The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen. While I enjoyed the story, I felt it lacking in character depth with Lauren. After reading A Death at the North Pole, however, that has changed. Why did I mention this? For the simple fact that those who have yet to read Joel M. Andre, I feel that by reading this book prior to Cry of the Fallen will truly shed light on Lauren and make for an even more enjoyable read.