Customer Reviews

Godchild

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

'GODCHILD by Vincent Zandri

Published by StoneGate, Ink

ASIN: B004KSR25O


At the request of the author, a galley PDF version was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Snyopsis (borrowed from Amazon): He wanted justice, truth, revenge...whichever came first.


Prison-warden-turned-P.I. Jack "Keeper" Marconi understands the criminal mind. And he knows what it takes to break a man. His own life came apart the day a black Buick broadsided his car--and his wife died horrifically in the seat beside him.

Years later, on the eve of his second marriage, Marconi catches a split-second glimpse of the driver who killed his wife. Suddenly hurtled back into the past, he is determined to take one last shot at hunting him down. That is, until he is offered a job he can't refuse: to bust a beautiful woman out of a hellish Mexican prison. Now Keeper's chase through Mexico follows a trail of bodies and lies back home: to the truth about a woman on the run, to a man sitting behind the wheel of a black Buick, and to a story that someone will kill to bury....

My Thoughts and Opinion: If you have followed my blog since May of 2010, when I was first introduced to this author, Mr. Vincent Zandri and I read his novel Moonlight Falls, this review will not come as a surprise. I was hooked and became even more so with his subsequent novels, The Remains and The Innocent and even his digital short, Pathological, and this latest book, Godchild, didn't disappoint. This is a sequel to The Innocent, picking up with former Warden (Keeper) Jack Marconi but is a story that can stand on it's own. The story starts off slow like a train departing an Albany station and picks up speed nonstop across country at warp speed to Mexico with a short lay over to break into a Mexican jail to rescue an American female writer who is incarcerated and then back to Albany. The story line takes place over a 2 week period. But does someone really want her rescued? Why is it that someone wants Keeper Marconi to be the one to rescue her? Where, why and how does the drug cartels have anything to do with rescuing Renata Barnes? And what does all this have to do with the accident that tragically killed Keeper's wife, a case that he has never solved?
Godchild is a pure Noir thriller, not to be read if you are alone, especially at night unless your doors are bolted, the windows locked and the drapes closed. Zandri is a genius story teller, alternating chapters between characters, whereas you have to keep reading to find out where he left you off with his cliff hanging chapters. Bone chilling!! Frightening!! By far his scariest!! Hitchcock and Stephen King combined. Brilliant!!! I can't wait to see what's next. He just keeps getting better!!!!
My Rating: 5

After reading As Catch Can, I was excited to get the next installment in the Keeper series. I was wondering if he could match the excitement of the first book. I was quite surprised to find that after about 4 pages into it I had no need to be nervous. This book takes you through even more twists and turns than the first. From trying to locate the man driving the black buick that killed his wife to the prision breakout in Mexico, it is non-stop action. As he helps the woman he broke out of prison come to terms with the loss of her child, he realizies that she maybe the only person that can help him get the killer of his wife. If you like a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this book is for you!

I absolutely love the works of Vincent Zandri. I love this Marconi "Keeper" charachter. I can't wait to see if he does anything more with him in it. I own all of Zandri's books and can't wait for him to release another. I even got an E-book just so I could read his digital short compilations. Ever since I read the first book, I've become addicted. Great work Vincent. I can't wait to see what you put out next.

Vincent Zandri, in my opinion, has got to be THE best thriller/suspense novelist out there. All his books reach out, grab you into the story, and put you on a roller coaster of up,downs, twists and turns like never before. He uses skillful writing, life-like characters, and plot lines that leave you thirsting for more. He's unforgettable characters become one with the reader, as the reader follows along and feels as if Zandri uses them for the plot line. It becomes real. It becomes incredibly real. AWESOME-NESS!

Godchild is the sequel to The Innocent, where we first meet Jack "Keeper" Marconi, former warden. This time, 3 years later, he's a PI, a little down on his luck. He's about to get married, but he stops to visit his deceased wife, Fran, at the cemetery, when he has a spotting of the black Buick and man that was responsible for the death of his first wife, 3 years ago. So what happens next? His friend, Tony (this guy is SUPER DUPER mafia like!) gets him a PI job trying to safe the life of Renata, a writer thrown into a Mexican jail for trying to smuggle drugs. Wow. After he takes the assignment, the heat turns up and the suspense gets rolling at a fast-action pace. Totally worth the time NOT putting the book down (though I don't think the kiddos would agree with that!)! Feeling a part of the story, I loved the blood pumping, panting breath feeling of reading Keeper's second story. Like The Innocent, this is an un-put-downable novel.

Of course, I am not going to give away spoilers but I must confess, that if you like thrillers, suspense, or just a plain greatly written novel, then I suggest you start right here and now, with this FABTASTIC 5 star book! It is not overly confusing with the scenes and events, so it could double as a stand alone, though I HIGHLY recommend that you read it as a sequel to The Innocent. I think you may fully understand Keeper's story better if you read them both. Definitely give this book and it's rockin' great author a chance. You'll find, while there is a touch of humor, this is a noir crime novel and novelist BETTER than any Stephen King! Rock on, Vincent Zandri!

I had high opinions going in, because I enjoyed Vincent's other book, but this one was horrendous. I was willing to forgive the spelling and formatting errors that were prevalent in his other book (because, for the price, what else can you expect?), but this novel was just terrible. The protagonist was a moron, enough to drag you out of the story. There were literally dozens of times while I was reading that I had to do a *facepalm* because the main character was just so dumb. Situations that he finds himself in are completely preventable if he had even an ounce of intelligence, and it made me feel like Vincent was just grasping at straws when writing this book to try to create a story. Sorry, but this was a complete disappointment.

This is the 2nd book that I have read of the author. It is almost a contuance of the first book, "Catch as Catch Can". It goes into the mind-set of "keeper" at a later time in his life. His still is carrying baggage of his experience at Attica and we can all relate to unanswered questions in our lives.
The pace at which this book moves, is fast, but you really should read the first book to get a feel of this man.
I loved it. Read it in one night.
I hope that this writer continues in his winning streak for good books.

I love films. But it had been years since I had read a novel.

Vincent Zandri's Godchild is sensational! It grabbed me from the very start, and drew me in more deeply with every page.

Surprising. Compelling. Each chapter ended masterfully. I hated to put it down, and couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Godchild is an intelligent & fast paced edge of your seat thriller, leading up to a rewarding finale.

Zandri's vivid and tight writing style is not to be missed.

I found Mr. Zandri's writing style refreshing and fun. He has a wonderful sense of humour and it shows through his characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes an edge of your seat thriller/mystery.

I really enjoyed this new book from Albany's very own Vince Zandri. Having read his first book, As Catch Can, I was eagerly awaiting the release of the second book in the Jack "Keeper" Marconi series. It was well worth the wait. I was happy to see it was focusing more on the death of his wife and Keeper's struggle with trying to find the elusive "black Buick". It was exciting, gripping and it nicely resolved Keeper's struggle with the death of his wife. Vince wrapped things up with and exciting 'denoument' and allowed Keeper to finally move on with his life. Vince Zandri is surely an author to watch in the new millenium! I look forward to more books by him!

Godchild has quenched my need for mafia madness. This second book following The Innocent is well written and a great read. Zandri is going to be around for a long time and I for one can't wait to see what is next. Godchild