Saturday, December 21, 2013

Shadow Game & Alibis of the Heart by Darryl Sollerh

Title:  Shadow Game
Author:  Darryl Sollerh
Published:   January 30th 2013 by Del Oro Company
Length:  95pgs
Format:  ebook
Genre:  suspense
Shelf:  review
Rating:  ★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:


When Jarret, a seasoned assassin agrees to do one last "hit" in Indonesia, and discovers his hands have gained the power to heal, his carefully planned, secret world is thrown into chaos. Desperate to understand what's happening to him, he seeks out a local mystic -- a Dalang of the spiritual Shadow Puppet Theater and his mysterious, mesmerizing daughter -- only to soon find himself healing the sick of Jakarta's slums by night, while by day, planning the hit on the very political opposition reformer who could help them -- driving Jarret to a mental, emotional and spiritual crisis from which there is no escape, save the Shadow Game.

My Review:

Sollerh has an intriguing writing style, it gives a mysterious feel to his work. He jumps from scene to scene bringing you forward through his unique concept. As a reader you feel like you’re in a haze right alongside the main character. You’re just floating by, observing the story. His descriptions give a grey overtone to the whole story. The story becomes more exciting and fast paced the further in you get.

The character development in this novel is quite unique. Everything is left in shadows. What’s there is taken at face value. It makes it difficult to identify with the characters but adds to the feeling of floating through.

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Title:  Alibis of the Heart
Author:  Darryl Sollerh
Published:   August 23rd 2013 by Del Oro Company
Length:  103pgs
Format:  ebook
Genre:  suspense
Shelf:  review
Rating:  ★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When a suddenly divorced, big-city lawyer named Will comes South to lick his wounds and write the great American crime novel, he meets Jasmine, a mysterious, beguiling waitress whose late night, black-humored tales of Gothic crime and coldblooded murder draw him into her hazardous world. But as two new murders grip the tightly-knit swamp community, Will soon realizes that not only is he falling for Jasmine, but that her dark stories may all be true, implicating Jasmine herself. Hellbent to discover the truth, Will soon finds himself descending into a precarious underworld determined to keep its secrets -- secrets that may either exonerate Jasmine, or leave Will to the kindness of alligators.

My Review:

Sollerh presents his readers with lots of background information in an intriguing manner. His descriptions are informative, allowing you to picture the scene, while remaining integral to the story proper. Overall, this gives the story a low key but evil feel. The story itself was short, sweet and to the point, taking you through a well thought out and executed plotline.

This novella has lots of dialogue that lets you get to know the characters. It brings some very intriguing perspectives into their personas. The characters are quite well developed for a novella.

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