7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Addition to the Bug Man Series, September 19, 2009
This review is from: Ends of the Earth: A Bug Man Novel (Paperback)
Michael Severenson was a small time farmer and even smaller time drug dealer. When someone shot him in the back on his own farm, not too many people questioned why. However, to ensure his killer is brought to justice, his estranged wife, Kathryn Guilford, calls an old friend, forensic entomologist Nick Polchak, to help the local authorities determine the time of death. What she doesn't realize at the time, is the true motive behind her husband's death is to cover up a massive terrorist attack on America's food supply. Will Nick be able to unravel the mystery in time?
Tim Downs is one of the best authors in the Christian market. His bug man series, featuring Nick Polchak, is outstanding. Each book is interesting and has a new, creative plot, so the method of solving the crime does not get old. This series could easily have developed a pattern with each book being fairly predictable. However, Downs has kept each book fresh and Ends of the Earth is no exception.
The agricultural terrorism presented in Ends of the Earth was exceptionally believable. It seemed well researched and disturbingly feasible. Could someone actually use insects to infect our farms? While the book is fiction, Downs wrote it in such a way, that the plot seemed realistic. It was something new I had not read before and thoroughly enjoyed following the terrorist intents as well as their reasons. The different ideas presented for why each terrorist was involved appeared well thought out and made a great deal of sense. Obviously this was fiction, but it was written in a way that was griping, realistic, and didn't cause the reader to have to suspend disbelief. Great job by Downs to research and develop a very plausible sounding attack.
Less Than Dead is my favorite of the bug man books and the reason is Alena. I loved her character. She was vulnerable, yet independent with a quick wit that could keep up with Nick. I was very happy to see her return in Ends of the Earth. I didn't like her character quite as well this time because of her jealousy of Kathryn, but she was still a wonderful part of the story.
Those who have followed the series will remember Kathryn from an earlier book. It was nice to revisit her character. However, her highlight came with her autistic daughter, Callie. Downs did a pretty good job of giving the reader a feel for an autistic child. He was tender towards Callie and introduced some of the more common characteristics of autistic children. Though not as sever as Callie, I have three children on the autistic spectrum. It was easy to identify with Kathryn's struggle and I could certainly understand her frustration when Callie somewhat bonded with Alena. However, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the rewarding side from autistic children and a bit more acceptance of who they are. There were some scenes where outsiders captured that acceptance, but not Kathryn. I really wanted to see her start to better understand her daughter.
Aside from the terrorist plot, the bigger mystery was the question of with whom Nick was going to fall in love. Would it be Kathryn or Alena or neither? Nick certainly found himself in quite a mess this time. Caught between two women he cared for, but not knowing how to proceed. Some really funny scenes between him, Kathryn, and Alena as well as some great dialog exchanges. Nick made some excellent progress towards becoming a human. It'll be interesting to see how well he continues in the next book.
Ends of the Earth has a cliff hanger ending that the reader gets to help decide. On Tim Downs' website are two bonus chapters. Readers will vote and help determine how the story actually ends. Do not read these bonus chapters until finishing the book. There are some serious spoilers there. Given how the book is set up, the cliff hanger ending with the reader participation is appropriate and fun.
I really enjoyed Ends of the Earth. It was well written and extremely believable. The returns of Kathryn, Alena, Macy, and Donavan were perfect and greatly enhanced the story. The dialog is often priceless with a major dose of humor and sarcasm. It's another strong book in an already wonderful series.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Play Your Part, September 12, 2009
This review is from: Ends of the Earth: A Bug Man Novel (Paperback)
As an avid reader, I love to discover series and lead characters that keep my guessing while providing consistent results. Tim Downs has a winner with the Bugman novels. Not only is Nick Polchak, the infamous "Bugman", a likeable if sometimes exasperating character, he has a way of finding trouble in different places. (Of course, with insects covering most of our planet, his possibilities are endless, aren't they?)
This time around, agroterrorism takes center stage, as international scientists and criminals come up with a way to undermine the US economy. Their hope is to cripple the greedy Americans, while enabling foreign survival. It's a grandiose idea, but entirely plausible--even frighteningly believable--in the capable hands of Tim Downs.
The plot begins to unfold when strange seedlings are found among some cannabis plants on the farm where a man has been found shot with a zip gun. The man's estranged wife calls in an old friend to investigate: the Bugman. Soon, the FBI is also involved, not to mention Alena, the woman with the cadaver dogs from the last Bugman novel. This sets up not only a great story with some underlying important themes, but also some romantic intrigues unlike any other in fiction. To even think of Nick Polchak in a "love triangle" is humorous--and, indeed, there are quite a few funny moments here.
As always, Downs gives us a thoroughly researched story that feels very human despite its protagonist who considers himself more insect-like. The supporting cast is full of zest and empathy, and while we do not get as much of the delightful "ick"-factor as normal, we get lots of development for future titles. To top it all, Downs gives readers a chance to have their say in that future.
I leave it to you to play your part...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling and delightful to read, October 4, 2009
This review is from: Ends of the Earth: A Bug Man Novel (Paperback)
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This book is one of a series of thrillers with a forensic entomologist for a hero. If you have not watched CSI or Bones, that means he works with the insects found at crime scenes to work out time of death and other clues. The lead character is delightful. He over-identifies with insects. One of the love interests over-identifies with dogs. His conversations are the best dialogs I have read in a very long time. So many writers have trouble displaying the differences between the way men and women approach relationships, or even basic socializing. Tim Downs captures conversations, and lack thereof, pitch perfect.
The plot involves a fair amount of science, which Downs manages to explain in reasonably digestible portions. Frankly if it's too much science for you, just scan it and move on to the next part. The rest of the story is worth reading. We have a ruthless Russian farmer and an arrogant American farmer. We have two foreign graduate students from parched lands who are appalled at the use of corn for fuel when so many are starving. Downs presents their points of view without preaching.
The entire book is written with a light touch. I have not read any others in the series, but I will.
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