Customer Reviews

Sin And Vengeance

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up a copy of C.J. West's "Sin and Vengeance", and settled in to read it after work. Several hours later, I'd had an evening of twists and turns, vivid characters, and several moments where I found myself reminding myself to breathe.

Charlie, the son of an overbearing business man, and Randy, a free-wheeling man completely unworried about repercussions, are having a threesome with an older lady, Deirdre, in a vacant farmhouse. The death of a character scatters them, but they are brought back together seemingly by fate. The sins of more than one generation come back to haunt them, and the chase is on. I was spellbound by the turn of the pages that tied in tragic past events with current day vengeance. I'm not even sure if I ate dinner that night, as I was so sucked into the book. If you want a dish of adventure, C.J. hands it to you on a platter, and liberally sprinkles twists and turns like a master chef adds eye-catching garnish. No mere parsley on the side here!

Go pick up a copy - you know that you want to!

This book was one of the most exciting I've read in a long time! The characters are complex-especially Randy-and the plot is intricate. I never was able to get one step ahead of Randy and his manipulations. His blinding need for revenge is astounding. The twists and turns in the book keep you on a roller coaster that ends with Charlie coming into his own and finally outwitting Randy. I could not put it down!! I hope the movie makes it to the big screen!

This author is adept at weaving a perfect blend of intrigue and suspense. C.J. West's imaginative mind will take you through interesting and complex characters, detailed plot scenarios, twists and turns. He deftly develops his characters and enables the reader to attain the crucial insight into their actions and thought processes that makes a book excellent.

Sin & Vengeance is fresh, fast-paced action and addictive! What sets this book apart from other mysteries and novels is the level of detail that C.J. West infuses into his plot. Sin & Vengeance was well worth the price and effort to purchase and bound to become a best seller. I predict with his ability to weave a tale with such finesse and his command of the English language, C.J. West will become a household name.

I really don't understand the "I couldn't put it down" reviews for this book. I put it down, permanently, about halfway through. It just goes on and on and on without much happening to keep the readers attention. While it has good, but not excellent, plot line, it takes forever for it to unfold and even when it does, the story plods along. This is one I was really let down by after all the sterling reviews. The only reason I even gave it a two is that it is one of the best formatted Kindle books I've read - someone took their time with this one.

In a world where a multitude of writers and artists are lost amongst the mediocrity of public consumption, it is thrilling to discover an outstanding young storyteller like C.J. West. A genius with pacing, West introduces character after character that are delicatly wrapped in a battle of wills with their own moral compass and then slowly become emeshed in a trail of evil and greed it's impossible not to follow. Of course it's only a game until someone gets hurt and when Charlie gets drawn into the deliciously evil machinations of his new friend Randy Black, the people around him are soon at risk. Randy is clever, beguiling, vindictive and seemingly erratic, but he's a mesmorizing character like Patricia Highsmith's Ripley. Hopefully like Ripley, West turns Randy Black into a series as well.

I sent this comment directly to Mr. West, and just wanted to share it with other readers with the addition of:'This is a nust read if you like action, suspense and mystery".
CJ,
It took a while to get the book from Barnes and Noble, and I had a stack to read, but once I got to Sin and Vengeance I was not disappointed !!! Randy/Oliver is one of the best protagonists I have come across in years, and Charles Marston is a great depiction of the typical parent who has an athlete for a son or daughter. They are never good enough and sports is a waste of time to them !!!
When I hit page 100 I was so entranced I stayed up until 2:30 AM to finish what I started.
I cannot understand, with all the crap out there why a major publisher has not jumped all over you with a big time deal. The story is believable and haunting, and the writing flows effortlessly with characters that are so well conceived you can almost reach out and touch them.
I won't stop here, and I certainly hope you won't either. Keep writing works like this and you will be a household name sometime soon.

Clearly defined characters, dynamic interpersonal relationships, an intriguing plot, and one of the most wonderfully, insidious characters I've come across in some time mark CJ West's freshman literary offering.

The reader of the aptly named Sin and Vengeance will follow the life of Charlie Marston, and those connected to him, after he unexpectedly becomes involved in a murder. Mr. West does a terrific job of working Charlie's character flaws into the story as the young Marston attempts to both ignore, and deal, with the consequences of his decisions, and the choices life makes for him. The short chapters are an asset, but readers will frequently find themselves unable to put the book down, especially in the latter part of the story when Mr. West kicks the plot into high gear.

Be forewarned: The book opens with an erotic scene, but it is relevant to the overall plot. The dialogue is stilted in some places, but that in no way takes away from the overall effect of the story, which is, in a word, explosive.

Charlie Marston and his buddy, Randy Black are visiting Charlie's parents' vineyard in France when Randy suggests they have a little fun. Randy hooks up for a threesome with Deirdre Deudon, an older woman whom he found on the Internet. They meet at an abandoned farm house not far from the winery and as the seduction begin, the woman's husband shows up. Enraged at his wife's infidelity, he takes out his ire on the young men. While he viscously beats Randy, Charlie bashes him over the head with a wine bottle, knocking him senseless. But things turn worse when Randy pounds him into the wall, knocking a large hole in it while his hysterical wife, strapped to the bed, screams helplessly. Charlie and Randy discover bundles of cash hidden inside the wall and rip it apart exposing millions. To cover up the murder, Charlie causes an explosion and they take the money, leaving with Deirdre after giving her a million dollars.

Charlie, astonished by what happened, realizes his need to leave the country, and gets his father into letting him return to their MA winery, thus away from any suspicion. All the while Charlie's parents, concerned about his friendship with Randy, demands he end it. When the Charlie and Randy arrive in the states, Charlie plans to dump his buddy, but knows Randy is crazy and capable of anything. Soon after Randy comes to the winery and coerces Charlie into accompanying him to an expensive home, where Randy trashes it in a manner that destruction shows up over time. Feeling guilty for his part, Charlie wants to inform the owners, but know there is no way to do so and this intensifies his need to distance himself from Randy.

Then Deirdre unexpectedly shows up at the MA winery, and Charlie wonders if she's after revenge, but she is after Randy. During this time Charlie's father has been getting cryptic blackmail notes and he and Charlie's mother are forced to go to MA to pay if. It is then that Charlie learns his father deceived many wine producers out of business, and realizes Randy is someone else--the son of winery owners who lost their business due to Charlie's father, and a man who is set on vengeance. With a cunning mind, Randy stops at nothing to seek his revenge and set up Charlie as the perpetrator in a cat and mouse game that knows no end.

Mr. West has penned a book that is compelling and filled with bone-chilling suspense. The means to the end that Randy goes to to seek his own form of justice will have the reader biting their nails to the quick and turning the pages to the very end.

Not too many books get me exited enough to write a review, but this thriller was pretty intense. My wife was getting a little annoyed at me, since she's not used to me reading quite this much.

There are numerous surprises and twists throughout that will keep you guessing and turning the pages. I'm tempted to grab the next book in Randy Blacks' series, but I'd better wait a bit and give my wife some attention first. LOL

There are plots within plots and you wonder which way the story will go next.

If you want a great thriller to read than this is the one!

Lambert Klein: Author of Blogging for Pleasure and Money - Discover Easy Ways to a Successful Blog and Attracting Traffic

This story keeps you on the edge of your seat untill the very last page, synopsis can be read with the other reviewers.I very much recommend reading this book and would not be surprised to see this story on the big screen sometime soon, I have also read " The end of Marking time" another must read from C.J. West and he is absolutely on my list of favourite writers and I am looking forward to reading a next book , probably Gretchen Green