Customer Reviews

Tandem: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Lauryn McBride lives in a small Ozark town in Missouri where she cares for her father who is suffering from rapidly progressing Alzheimers. She also runs the family auction business including appraising. Several brutal murders have taken place in the previous months with both people and animals found drained of their blood.

Amede Dastillon is a centuries-old vampire living in New Orleans and searching for her sister, Eden. When Lauryn notifies her of old letters found in a house she is readying for auction and which seem to be connected to her family, Amede hurries there hoping that she will find clues to her sister's location.

This is a book about relationships between people and with God. It is about good and evil. It also carries a different perspective on the creation of vampires.

I found the writing in this book to be somewhat distracting. It bounces, in the same chapter and sometimes on the same page, from one person's story to another and from one time frame to another. Once you get use to it, it is bearable, but at times it took a moment to figure out things had switched and who was speaking and in what era. All spoke from a first person standpoint.

While Lauryn could be a bit irritating at times, and the religious aspects pop up at times when you wanted to get on with the story, I found Amede to be a character I couldn't help but like. In spite of a few distracting elements, I enjoyed this book.

I am not a priori against Christian fantasy or series that delve into demons, monsters, magic, and so forth. I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, enjoyed Harry Potter, and I absolutely believe that an author can deal with biblical themes and magical characters. That said, really? Christian vampire fiction? The whole thing feels a bit to trendy for me, like someone thought, "Hey, vampires are so popular right now, we should write about some of them getting saved." Enter Tracey Batemen and the novel Tandem (which is actually the second in a series about a local that seems to have more than it's fair share of paranormal activity- and yes, it hat tips "Buffy" when this is brought up.
I did not read the first book in the series, but catching up with the characters was easy enough. Batemen's plot and character development were fine, if a bit transparent, however for this type of fiction that isn't unexpected. The story follows Lauryn, an auctioneer who is wrestling with growing up without a mom, the impending death of her father due to Alzheimer's, her struggle to care for him and develop a life of her own, the sudden return of her high school crush, and a mystery surrounding the estate she is currently cataloging- that of a man who was killed after a bizarre series of animal sacrifices and murders in their town (covered in the first book). The town is thrown into turmoil when animals, and then people, begin to die again. The big plot twist is, of course, that vampires have been doing the killing. I would hate to give it all away, but suffice to say there are both vampire characters that have some remorse for their proclivities and feast only on animals and those that do not. And yes, a vampire gets saved at the end. Whether or not you like this book will probably depend on how interesting you find vampire novels, and whether or not you are looking for one that is generally "clean," although not by any means spiritually deep.

I am a fan of both paranormal fiction and Christian fiction but I'll be the first to admit I was a little worried about how vampires and a Christian theme would mesh. It turns out I didn't have a lot to worry about, author Tracey Bateman combined both wonderfully. That said this is a rather dark novel so it may not suit everyone. There's murder, voodoo, and curses involved so it's not for the faint of heart. I feel like I've been saying that a lot about Christian fiction that I've been reading. It may be just a coincidence that I've been gravitating toward tales with a more serious side or is this a sign of a new trend in faith-based fiction?

Either way Tandem is a good book, however I must say that I didn't find it as dynamic or mysterious as Thirsty. Maybe it's because I kind of knew what to expect from the vampires. I'm not sure what it was but the end of the story did not set well with me. I can't say much without giving it away but with the revelations that are brought to light in the last few chapters the last few chapters were resolved way too easily. If this book had a few more chapters I probably would have liked it as much as Thristy.

Tracey Bateman is still one of my favorite authors. I love her style and her ability to write a sweet romance like her Heartsong Presents historicals and totally surprise me with a book like Thirsty. I'm really looking forward to reading her latest book from Summerside Press (written under pen name Tracey Cross), Love Finds You in Dodge City, Kansas.


*I received my review copy from the publisher, I was not obligated to provide a positive review, just an honest one.*

Tandem by Tracey Bateman - ISBN 9780307457172 - Another Christian Supernatural book from the author of "Thirsty". This story takes place outside of Branson Missouri in the little town of Abbey Hills. Lauryn McBride, is dealing with the fast decline of a father with alzheimer's and preparing the Chisholm estate belongings for auction. Little does she know that some of the antiques in the Estate will bring evil to Abbey Hills. Amede Dastillion receives a package from Miss McBride and it draws her to Abbey Hills to explore what family secrets she might find in Abbey Hills. Amede lives in New Orleans, and has been searching for her sister Eden for many years. Both Amede and her sister Eden belong to a very old vampire covenant. Once Amede arrives in Abbey Hills strange things start happening again, animal carcasses turn up and people are found murdered. Both women are working through family issues and their relationships with God. The book is very intriguing but it does bounce around which could be confusing at times to the reader. I am looking forward to reading more of Bateman's titles.

A lot of people nowadays are into reading books that deal with paranormal subjects, psychics, ghosts, vampires, etc. which you don't find very much of in Christian fiction. From what I have seen in looking through catalogs and other sources there are Christian fiction authors who are beginning to write stories along these lines and Tracey Bateman is one. As her book Thirsty dealt with vampires, so does Tandem. I have not read Thirsty as of yet so did not realize that Tandem takes place in the same town with some of the same characters. However, it does not read as a sequel and just mentions in a few places what took place previously along with an explanation so that you aren't left scratching your head and wondering huh? To be honest, when I started reading the story I did not like the format that it was written in. The story is coming from four different aspects which I was finding very confusing. Two of the stories come from Lauryn McBride with one being in the current story and then at different times in the book you will read what has happened to her in the past. The other two are told through Amede Dastillon and her sister. By the time I had read to about page 75, I didn't think that I would even finish the book. I have always had the habit though of reading the end of a book when I am also reading the front. If I am iffy about the book anyway and don't like the way it ends, I don't bother to finish the book. However, if the ending intrigues me, I will keep on reading to see how they got to the ending. In this case, reading the ending helped me to understand the four different stories and increased my interest in the book. Lauryn McBride is one of the main characters but I did not care for her very much. To me she appeared very stand offish and almost self centered. She was focused on her little part of the world and the problems that she was dealing with. I could understand why she appeared that way but it didn't help me to like the character any better. At the very end, she seemed to be wanting to take a chance and step out but a little too late for me. My favorite character in the book was Amede Dastillon, a vampire. What that says for me, I'm not sure but she is the type of character that I enjoy reading about. She knew who she was, very self assured, and wasn't prepared to be anyone's victim. She was also honest with herself. Even though she was a vampire, she was also prepared to believe in God at the end and hope that there was redemption for her.

Tandem by Tracey Bateman
Stand-alone sequel to Thirsty

All is not right in Abbey Hill, MO (did that sound properly cliché?). Six months after an enigmatic killing-spree stopped by the alleged death of the killer (death by house burning down atop of you), Lauryn McBride is selling the estate of a Marcus Chisom who was unfortunately killed in the fire six months prior. While cataloguing the belongings of the estate, Lauryn finds a bundle of old letters. Luckily she is able to locate the family to whom the letters were postmarked from and she mails them to the family member in New Orleans, an Amede Dastillon. Amede thinks these letters can serve as a key to finding her missing sister, so she travels up to Abbey Hill to gather more information from Lauryn. One dark and twisty event after another leaves Amede and Lauryn scrambling for answers faster than they will come in. Only the turning of the page can tell if these two women will find the answers they are looking for before it is too late.

So, I rather liked Tandem for the first 3/4 of the book. It was intriguing, the writing style was well done, and the plot line was not cliché. The story was mysterious enough to be entertaining, but not so mysterious to be annoying. The characters were developed nicely, even if there were quite a few of them.

What I really liked about Lauryn is the fact that Bateman was able to show us a real girl struggling with a father who had Alzheimer's. This was an important part of the plot development, and I appreciated that Bateman was able to express clearly the emotions Lauryn was feeling.

I was disappointed when I discovered there was a slight love interest in the story between Lauryn and an old crush. It was definitely not a romance book, and the romance was definitely not the focus of the story. Regardless, I chose this book for the express reason that I wanted a break from romance novels, so even the slight mini-plot of romance was too much for me. Granted, there was nothing wrong with the love interest. I personally could have done without it is all.

My main problem with the story came toward the end when Lauryn's life became beyond hectic. It seemed a bit unrealistic for so many things to happen to her so fast, and I couldn't quite see the point of all the events happening (yes, that is vague, but I do not wish to give any spoilers). It also seemed like too much was happening in the story. There was the minor love interest, the dad with Alzheimer's, Amede trying to find her sister, Amede's personal struggles, animal carcasses showing up on the road, and other dark and twisty occurrences.

I felt a bit bogged down, but since the plot was an intriguing one, I was able to overlook these minor shortcomings. I could handle a sensory overload as long as the story itself was good, which it was.

Weirdest thing was that I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, so I was expecting some sort of thriller or paranormal book with a Christian theme (because they're Christian publishers). Instead this was a good novel that happened to have Christian characters in it. It didn't bother me, though. It was simply weird, like taking a sip of Coke thinking you're drinking Pepsi. While they're both good drinks, it's always surprising to get something other than what you're expecting.

To wrap it all up, because this review is all over the place, I liked the book. I would recommend it to others to read.

*I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers

What I Liked-
Bateman painted a friendly, likable main character in Lauryn. It was easy to relate to her personality and easy to become immersed into her struggles she faced with her father who was suffering from Alzheimers.

I liked the title of this book, Tandem. It fits the story well and was actually what first drew me to this novel.

What I Didn't Like-
Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of this book, but I'm not a big fan of most paranormal and vampire stories in general. I prefer realistic general fiction, mystery, and thrillers.

I had a big issue with this book for the reason that I picked it from the Blogging for Books program, but nothing about the book Tandem by tracey jpgmade me believe that it was about vampires, which are a huge focus in the story. I was given a thumbnail view of the cover and I was given the description of the book, which you can read above. I saw nothing about vampires. It seemed like a murder mystery. If I had known that Tandem was about vampires, I would have NEVER chosen to buy it because those books don't interest me whatsoever. I feel like whoever wrote Tandem's blurb was a little deceptive about the book's content.

But onto the actual review...

I felt like Amede and her story seemed very cliche, like what today's culture expects a vampire story to contain. Hundreds of years old, a creepy name (Amede Dastillion), beginning the story by rocking in an old rocking chair and reading aging love letters. To me, Amede's side of the story seemed so fake and one-dimensional. I never really felt a connection to her character, especially when she took a mortal servant everywhere with her. No, vampires aren't real, and of course the story is entirely fictional, but it shouldn't have such a forced feel to it. Even a paranormal story should have a natural flow, which I couldn't find in Tandem.

Too many stories seemed to go on at once. Amede and her vampire antics, Lauryn and her father and her life, the journalist, and the nameless girl who was tormented for half the book. In italics at the beginning of each chapter is a memory of Lauryn's, which adds yet another story to the confusing mix. The reader was thrust jerkily from one scene to the next, which made the story flow seem awkward and confusing rather than suspenseful and intense.

There was very little Christian content in what was advertised as a Christian book, which disappointed me as well.

Finally, I have to share a small pet peeve of mine. Names. It seems that the author couldn't bring herself to use normal names in her story. Charley, Lauryn, Amede, Corky... In a way, I can understand odd names for old vampire characters, but I can't quite grasp the purpose behind the "misspelling" of some of the names of average human characters. Writers are usually encouraged to keep names simple and easy to read as to not detract from the story. Readers should be able to focus on the plot (or the many, many plots in this book's case) without being distracted each time they read a character's name.

I Recommend This For-
I would say Tandem is PG-13 because of mild violence and mature content such as blood drinking. Vampire fiction readers might enjoy Tandem, even if I did not.

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I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

This is a thriller filled with mystery, drama, a little bit of romance and supernatural. Yeah, well if you don't like vampires I don't think you'd like this book, but even though it's worthy of a try.

The strong point it's the relationship between Lauryn and her sick father.

This book it's a sequel of *Thirsty*(I'm really curious to read it), but you can understand the story perfectly.

So, if you pick up this one to read... ENJOY!!!

"I'm falling, yes, but there's someone with me who understands the art of falling together. His arms are strong, His experience vast, and we're falling....tandem."
(p. 312)

What a COOL story!! Now folks, I'm not a vampire fan by any means, but Tracy Bateman can take the concept of vampires and create a story so believable, so suspenseful, so filled with human longing and emotion, that you are drawn into the tale completely. As this tale weaves together many lives, many circumstances, two seemingly incompatible creatures, the reader begins to see a story of grace and mercy develop. As circumstance are revealed and relationships established, readers learn that all of us hang on tightly to the controls of our lives - the memories - the relationships - the emotions - never yielding control to the Father who loves us and cares infinitely more than we know about our circumstance.

The cost of not yielding control of our lives is often greater than we think our heart can bear. However, as we begin to let go and seek something greater than ourselves, we find out we are not alone - even as it feels that life is falling apart.

This is a VERY COOL story!! Kind of creepy, kind of small-town cozy, very suspenseful - and with a subtle and believable thread of God's grace underlying it all. When you see Tracy Bateman's name on the cover, you are in for a great read!

'm not on the vampire craze but when I saw Tracey Bateman's books I thought I would give them a try. I really liked Thirsty, the first book in this series, so when I saw Tandem up for review I eagerly grabbed it. I'm so glad I did too! I don't think you have to have read Thirsty to read Tandem but it might help a little.

It's been six months since the residents of Abbey Hills were terrorized by a murderer. Supposedly the murderer was killed in a fire along with Markus Chasom. Lauryn's auction house is in charge of auctioning off Markus's house and the stuff inside. Lauryn's plate is pretty full with work and taking care of her dad who has Alzheimer. But regardless, Lauryn finds herself caught up in very odd mystery. Could there be vampires in Abbey Hills??

Amede Dastillon comes to town after receiving a package from Lauryn. Amede is searching for her long lost sister and thinks she might me in Abbey Hills. But once she arrives in town it isn't long before the murders start back up again. Soon Amede finds herself the center of attention of the police. Can she find her sister and prove she's innocence...if she is innocence?? ;)

Tandem is filled with quite a few twists and turns that you won't see coming, at least I didn't see them coming. It's certainly a page-turner but it also deals with some serious things such as Lauryn dealing with her dad. I really enjoyed it and think even if you aren't into vampires but you like mysteries that you should give Tandem a try.