Customer Reviews

Mosaic

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

 

 

When some of my favorite writers start getting into their sixth or better book I have found sometimes a formula, or a pattern to their novels. This usually turns me off of the writer. In John R. Maxim's case he is the Energizer Bunny of mystery novels, he keeps on going and going. The themes may be somewhat the same in his books, which is fine, but you're never quite sure about the ending.

Other people reviewing this book call the second half "slow". I must disagree. It all seemed to tie the ends of the book together nicely. Maybe it did not have the flash-bang finish of a Haven or a to-be-continued of the Bannerman series; but it was very essential to bringing everything together.

In the case of this book I felt there really was no clear cut lead character, everyone was responsible for holding up an important end to the story. I enjoyed that aspect tremendously, it was very creative writing. To sum it up; Mr Maxim never ceases to amaze me how he can pull these stories out of his mind and get them down in writing. I quite honestly believe that maybe he is a true Mosaic himself, and each of his "friends" writes a different novel.

While lying back and reading this book I could not help but think that Raymond Lesko would have fit nicely into this storyline :)

With his latest novel, "Mosaic," John R. Maxim has once again served up a deliciously entertaining thriller. In "Mosaic," Maxim takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the dark canyons of the human mind. It's a journey that is fraught with spellbinding twists and turns, government conspiracy, a touch of romance, and in the midst of it all, even a bit of humor. I thought that Maxim's best work had been done in his previous novel "Shawdow Box", however, with Mosaic he has reaffirmed his status as one of America's most entertaining novelists. Clearly, Maxim has done his homework for his latest thriller, as he takes readers down the murky labyrinth of the world of Multiple Personality Disorder where the United States Government is engaged in a secret project aimed at turning MPD patients into perfect assassins. Into this cauldron of suspense Maxim has created a host of richly drawn characters. His two central characters are U.S. Air Force Major Roger Grayson who is a multi-talented undercover agent who has been given the daunting challenge of investigating the secrect government experiments involving Multiple Personality Disorder. Susannah Card is a beautiful and mysterious woman who is a natural "Mosaic" --- a MPD sufferer who has the ability to totally control her different personalities. As the story unfolds, Maxim sets up a unique relationship between Grayson and Susannah in which he offers the reader a glimpse into what it might be like for a person to have several different personalities inside his mind. This is a wonderful read that, from the outset, grabs the reader by the lapels, hauls him out of his seat, and drags him down a path of nail-biting suspense.

As usual, John R. Maxim delivers again with Mosaic! I take issue with a reviewer who claims this book is riddled with inaccuracies concerning MPD. To get information on ANY subject, I read non-fiction, not fiction. I read fiction for just what John R. Maxim delivers every time - FUN - suspense - escape. He can be relied upon to take me away from the office and home for the time it takes to read his books, and I treasure every minute. He is an amazing writer and it excites and thrills me to begin each of his novels. I loved Mosaic and suggest you read the review from Massachusetts May 26, 1999 because, if I could write that good its what I would say.

With Mosaic, Maxim pulls together a solid, entertaining story. A steady, exciting pace keeps the pages turning from start to finish. Character development was quite good. It was easy to internalize the thoughts and motivations of a broad character set. With many of the characters having multiple personalities, however, it was at times difficult to remember who was who. That said, Mosaic is worth a quick read

I like most of John R Maxim's books (see my other reviews) but he has tried to do the impossible here. He's tried to write a book about the government wanting to use Multiple Personality Syndrome as a weapon. We not only get a lot of useless dialogue in this book, we also get it between the various characters that inhabit the same body. As if it isn't enough for the reader to try and keep the "real" characters straight...try keeping the characters within the characters straight as they interact with other characters within characters. Am I confusing you? You betcha! And this novel will do the same. I dislike stories that take place in asylums, as much of this novel does. There was no one to admire or identify with unless you have a yen to be a nut. Read one of Maxim's other books; this one was a bad idea poorly executed.

Like Haven and The Shadowbox, Maxim starts the action fast and increases it with every chapter. Starting with a fascinating and unusual premise, an experiment with Multiple Personality Disorders by the government, Maxim builds the suspense and adds thrills at every turn. Only the last couple of chapters disappoint, as the whole plot line is concluded rather abruptly. Maxim's writing is always rather minimalist, but this ending was too rushed. All in all a very, very entertaining read, and you may learn a thing or two in the bargain. Maxim has established himself as a premier thriller author.

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This was the first of John Maxim's books that I have read and it left me wanting to read all of his books. It held my interest with no trouble from beginning to end. And left me wanting more. Very well written, in my opinion.

I thought the audiobook version was OK. I did like the story and found the whole concept of MPS fascinating. My issue was that I could not connect with the main character as I have with so many other stories. The author moves you from character to character like a sitcom and you never really establish the connection. It is still worth a listen. This story is just not a page turner.

The first 2/3's of the book were wonderful -- lots of suspense and a tease at thinking we might learn something about people with mulitple personalities. However, the last 1/3 this authors begins to give these people with mulitple personalities almost super-human qualities -- like mind reading and the touching of hands. Still enjoyable but not the best.

The US Government has sanctioned Dr. Norman Zales to conduct mental health experiments that would convert individuals with multiple personality disorder into secret agents. Project Chameleon's objective is to train the participants into being "Mosaics" so that they can control the switching of personalities as the situation demands.

The military becomes concerned with the experiment and assigns their top undercover agent, Major Roger Grayson to investigate the Belfair complex. Roger soon believes that the project is amoral and should be closed down as it hurts the guinea pigs. At the same time, Roger falls in love with a natural Mosaic, Susannah Card. As remarkable as a person as Susannah is, it will take every bit of skill, experience, and luck for Roger to keep her from being mentally sucked dry in the name of security and science.

One of the clearest adages of fiction is that if John R. Maxim is the author, the novel is great. Like the

tremendous HAVEN and THE SHADOW BOX, MOSAIC is a fantastic thriller that will elate fans of government conspiracy tales. The story line is filled with high levels of tension that is offset with much humor and compassion, especially the love triangle between him, her, and her other her. The characters, even those with multiple personalities, seem genuine and well developed. Mr. Maxim has written another winner.

Harriet Klausner