Book Review: The Alarmists by Don Hoesel

Excerpt: "So what exactly are you doing, Colonel?"

Colonel Richards didn't answer right away, and when Brent pulled his eyes away from the map to glance at the man, he found Richards staring at the projection. Finally the colonel spoke.

"Tracking the breakdown of civilization, Dr. Michaels," he said. The Alarmists, pg 38.

Back Cover: This is the way the world ends . . . 

Sociologist Brent Michaels's specialty is seeing order in the chaos of human interaction and he's just been given the most important assignment of his life. Joining a special Pentagon unit headed by Colonel Jameson Richards, they have one goal: Uncover why the world is rushing toward doomsday.

It's December 2012 and the world is approaching the brink of panic - the timing of which eerily coincides with the ending of the Mayan calendar. But, beneath the despair of fanatics and doomsayers, and amid a rising tide of both man-made and natural disasters, something far more dangerous emerges - someone is manipulating events, pulling strings, and only Michaels and the team have a chance at stopping the end of the world.

My Review: The Alarmists is a non-stop, edge of your seat, suspense novel. I honestly couldn't put the book down. From the start, I was drawn in by the strange events that the Pentagon team was tracking. Of course, putting them in a shoot-out in the first chapter was an excellent start, and set the tone well for the rest of the book. While the book was full of action, adventure, and suspense, I have to admit that I found it lacking in its spiritual understanding. While I understand that Christian fiction does not need to be "in your face" about spiritual things, I did feel that the Christian aspects of this book were just a tag on to make it acceptable for the market. Other than that, I really enjoyed The Alarmists.

My Rating: 

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to those who enjoy action, adventure and suspense in their fiction.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.)

Book Review: Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

"Seventeen years. It was a long time no matter how one parsed it. Four years of college, thirteen years of marriage, seven novels of varying quality, on literary award, two short stories in The New Yorker, and one dog. A lot of water under the bridge. He was tempted to ignore the summons to attend his grandfather's funeral. Sal wouldn't know if he showed up or not. As was so often mentioned, funerals we for those left behind. And CJ was not close to a single one of these orphans of truncated lineage. He'd missed other deaths, along with births, marriages, family reunions, and his brother's swearing-in ceremony for his state senate seat. He wondered why this should be any different. Why couldn't he stay in Tennessee and send a card and flowers across the miles?

It was a question he couldn't answer, except to suspect that his father's call had caught him in a vulnerable spot. The dissolution of his marriage, the destruction of his reputation with the literary community, the situation with his dog - all were good reasons to decide to do something he'd told himself he'd never do." Hunter's Moon, pg 55.

CJ's favorite relation has just died, and although he has promised himself he never would, he is headed back to his childhood home in Up State New York. None of his family is glad to see him, especially not his brother Graham. Graham is setting to run for a Senate Seat in the National Election, but CJ has uncovered a secret that could ruin Graham's campaign. And some secrets are worth killing over.

Hunter's Moon is a story full of danger and intrigue. CJ finds himself in a tough spot as he learns how to forgive those who have hurt him the worst. Though the story as a whole was fascinating, I found the pacing to be a little off. Hoesel's characters spend a lot of time in introspection, giving us a very intimate look into their personal thoughts. I appreciated the change in the main character, but I wasn't thrilled about all the smoking, drinking and violence that went on in the book. I felt that those things, while giving the book and interesting feel, distracted from my enjoyment of the story to a certain extent.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.)