Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Review: Gift of Illusion by Richard Brown

This book is currently being presented on a Virtual Book Tour by Bewitching Book Tours!
You can get to the tour schedule by clicking HERE.

**I received this book in exchange for an honest review posted during this virtual book tour.
Amazon Product Description:
ELMWOOD'S BEST DETECTIVE IS ABOUT TO MEET ITS WORST VILLAIN!

An ancient evil has returned to continue the study it began over a century ago, and it's looking for volunteers. Isaac Winters is the perfect test subject. He's a detective with a damaged past, and something to prove.
 On the night of his wife's murder sixteen years ago, which left him a single father, Isaac thought he had seen the worst mankind had to offer.
 Until now.
 It moves like a virus from person to person, carefully selecting its next host, and leaving a trail of incinerated bodies in its wake. There are no witnesses and no evidence except for a small statue of some unknown figure. Accompanied by a partner short on experience, Isaac must uncover and defeat this faceless villain before it takes from him the greatest reminder of his dead wife. Their daughter.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this book.  The characters are interesting and the plot is chilling.  I found two underlying ideas:  that people are willing to let their humanity fall by the wayside and can be ruled by emotions that they are either unwilling or unable to understand or sometimes even look closely at.
The story flows smoothly.  One constant is that all of the characters in the book appear to be driven by emotions.  Isaac is driven by guilt over the murder of his wife, the need to protect his daughter, and the desire to solve this case and save as many innocents as possible.  Amy, the daughter, finally finds peace where there had always been emptiness in terms of her mother, while attempting to convince her father that he is not to blame and a great parent.  Lucius is driven by his twisted evil and desire to control life and death, even from the grave.  Simmons is driven by the need to prove himself.  Virginia appears to be driven by her need to help.  I love the twist in the dungeon, which I won't explain in fear of spoiler.
This is a tale of twisted evil that could only be perpetrated by man and leaves you wondering about what you would do to save those you loved the most.