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5.0 out of 5 stars
The plot is a little forced, July 27, 2008
This review is from: Specific Gravity (Paperback)
The plot, although quite unique, is a little forced, and remote possibilities become actualities a little too often and a little too easily. But the author develops very interesting, three dimensional characters. And he includes intriguing information from medicine and other fields (e.g., synesthetes often can't distinguish right from left and often have a poor sense of direction). On balance, five stars for this one despite weaknesses in the plot.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
a very well-written book for the first time author., October 16, 2007
This review is from: Specific Gravity (Paperback)
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (10/07)
The author J. Matthew Neal has a winner with his first book. This thriller has it all: murder, espionage and romance, all in a high-technology setting. I was almost instantly engaged by the book and did not want to put it down until the very end. Neal's experience as a physician gives him the insight that leads to this first-class thriller.
Dr. Alex Darkkin, a brilliant oncology radiologist, is very unsatisfied with his life. To make a change he decides to take a temporary position at a hospital in San Diego where his sister Wendy is a pediatrician. He quickly gets more than he bargained for. As he is reviewing past cases, he decides to take a look at test results from the recently deceased pharmaceutical executive John Markham. What he finds is very disturbing - the test results have been altered to cover something up. Alex joins forces with his sister's best friend, Bonnie Mendoza, who is very gifted even though she is hearing impaired. She has won international physical competitions, is renowned as a forensic scientist, an accomplished escapist to raise funds for charity. Whew! That's a lot to put into one character.
The story is one of the most bizarre murder plots that I have ever read. I won't ruin the story by telling you what the murder weapon was, but the cast of characters involved were very colorful to say the least. The only shortfall I found in the story was that sometimes the terminology was a little over my head. The author could probably have explained a little less and the story would still have been just as engaging. I was able to quickly go through these parts and still find the story very engaging.
Overall, I found this to be a very well-written book for the first time author. I really hope he plans to expand on these characters and that we will see them again in another thriller. I would highly recommend this people who enjoy thrillers, especially techno thrillers. If "Specific Gravity" is an example of the author's talent, I think that this will be the beginning of a long successful career.
Book received free of charge.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Water, Water Everywhere!, April 25, 2007
This review is from: Specific Gravity (Paperback)
Wow, I have had the wonderful opportunity of being one of the first readers of Specific Gravity. I found it to be a creative, exciting murder mystery. The murder weapon is certainly innovative. Nope, won't spill the beans here, but trust me, very interesting! I was successfully pulled into the twists and turns of the story. The characters are compelling; especially the main characters, and I wanted to continue reading to see what happens to these people. They are believable, interesting, and flawed, which makes them work for me. Sometimes though, I felt that too much information was given...maybe save some of this wonderful character information for a sequel? Let the reader want to return to these characters to solve another case.
The only part of the book that was "hard" for the reader is the scientific, medical terminology. Sometimes I just skipped over the jargon and continued with the story. I don't think the reader has to know every detail in order to understand and appreciate the creativity and mysterious quality of the tale. If this material was more concise, I think the story would flow better. The reader doesn't want to work that hard when they already get the gist of the idea.
That said, again, I say, WOW! For a first timer, I am impressed. Would I read another mystery by J. Matthew Neal? You bet! Specific Gravity is one book that will stay on my list of "must reads," and I will happily recommend it to all my friends. Good Read!
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