Customer Reviews

Skeptic

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

the author of this book came up with a pretty interesting plot idea, and some reasonably interesting science behind it, but he should have passed that idea on to an actual novelist. the writing is absolutely dreadful. there are thousands of overdone similes and metaphors, and there must not have been a single adjective left at harvard when he graduated - he took them all to use in this book. mr. scott is totally incapable of writing a noun without at least one adjective attached to it, and in most cases there are two or three just in case. consider this actual, unretouched quote from the book: "her cheekbones were colorado ski slopes, and her eyes were the color of an overchlorinated swimming pool." dear god, what did i do to deserve this?
if you like cheesy writing, this book will absolutely make you swoon. any legitimate literary critic that rated this book highly had to have been paid off by the publisher... the author simply tried way too hard, and the result is agonizing.

I give Scott Holden's debut thriller, "Skeptic", 3 1/2 stars. His novel seriously deals with the topic of ghosts and the paranormal. Mr. Holden skillfully weaves a tale of scientific research, political intrigue and the paranormal and ties them together very well. I found the book to be very entertaining, and thought provoking. The only downside is the realization halfway through the book that the heroine and hero are going to wind up in love and live happily ever after. Overall, the book is definitely worth a read.

Do you believe in ghosts?
That is the question Dr. Mike Ballantine is forced to confront--with
explosive results.
SKEPTIC begins fast and doesn't let up: Dr. Ballantine's best friend, the
newly elected governor of Massachusetts, dies in a bomb explosion, the
victim
of foreign assassins. But why? How could the murdered governor possibly be
connected with Chinese killers?
That's what Amber Chen, beautiful CIA operative, wants to know. Cold,
efficient and cunning, she is on the trail of an executioner from the
Chinese
Revolution, a brutal killer who slices off his victims' ears and scoops
out
part of their brains. His methods of torture are sadistic and infamous,
and
he knows she is after him.
Soon after his friend's murder, Mike finds himself plagued by strange
visions: a horse in the hospital hallway--one no one but him can see--and
frightening glimpses of conflagration and a gaunt Chinese man. He tries to
pass them off as manifestations of his grief, but is there more to it?
Deep in the bowels of Metro hospital a young woman has discovered a
secret,
one that will revolution science's understanding and acceptance of the
paranormal. But she is being watched and her work might just become the
most
terrifying weapon the world has ever known.
SKEPTIC is a lightning-paced, chilling mystery that explores alternate
explanations for the supernatural and blends in international intrigue and
political thriller. Can ghosts be isolated in the laboratory? Can they be
turned to evil? Pages hurl by and the tension builds to a fever pitch. A
couple of escapes near the end stretch believability a hair, but who
cares?
The action flies fast and furious and Amber Chen would probably give James
Bond a run for his money.
Warning: this book contains one of the most graphic descriptions of
torture
readers are likely to come across. There are some other pretty brutal
scenes
in the book as well.----
Howard Hopkins...

I decided to read this book because of the intriguing idea of explaining a scientific viewpoint of ghosts. While I found the sections of the book that dealt with this aspect very interesting, I was dismayed with the cardboard characters. Why do all main characters have to be incredibly good looking, young, extremely intelligent, etc.? Especially the character of Amber, the CIA agent? Tall, beautiful, smart, fearless, you name it. Just once it would be interesting to have an action novel where the characters were a little more "normal".

Otherwise, the book was paced well but I agree with the other reviewers that the ending left much to be desired.

Wow! What a great debut from a promising young author. Scott weaves a tantalizing tale of mystery, suspense, and highly believable paranormal action! As a doctor, I am extremely intrigued by the concepts introduced in this book. I read it in one sitting, and will probably read it again. Scott is a thinking man's Crichton!

I'm not going to put much into reviewing this, because, frankly, it's not worth the effort. The core idea of the story -- a scientific explanation of ghosts -- is a good one, and a very compelling tale could be written around it. Alas, this isn't it. This is a clod of leaden prose threaded with banal action and stereotypical characters lacking any depth whatsoever. Caveat emptor with extreme prejudice!

I was so turned on by this book that I couldn't finish reading it. I had to put down the book and call my boyfriend! It's that good. I promise, you won't be disappointed. I must go now.

Skeptic is well-written and never boring. The author keeps you wondering what will happen next and makes you believe that ghosts could be real. A great read for all!

Ghosts in the machine: a tempting theme for a writer of thrillers, but hard to work into the no-nonsense world of medicine. The author might have pulled it off with imaginitive writing, but sadly his skills in this department are woefully lacking. As a result it never really rises above being silly. I suspect a pitch for Hollywood along the lines of 'Fallen'. But it's not even that good. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that thriller writers who can really write are depressingly rare.

The hero, a medical researcher working on government grants, has "The Collected Works of Ayn Rand" on his shelves. Heroine 1 is a shy genius. Heroine 2 is an inscrutable Chinese described several times as "exotic." Chief villain is an evil Asian. All main characters have the state of their nipples described at least twice.

The author claims he went to Harvard. Whatever else they teach there these days, it sure ain't creative writing. Predictable, dull, and obnoxious.