 July - September 2003
Bestseller
by Hope C. Clarke
Kurt Daley has a dilemma. When your favorite author and mentor bestows upon you a book that he feels should be a best seller ONLY if and when you can follow certain rules in achieving it, what would be the outcome as you write that it would affect those closer around you? All of her friends are dying mysteriously, and their deaths are linked to various endeavors that the author need to find answers to. This is a psychological suspense thriller depicting an aspiring writer who’s given a haunting legacy to withhold while attempting to unravel a mystery left behind by the decrement of a mentor and renown writer. Indeed different, Hope C. Clark’s book, Best Seller manages to allow readers a view of an original storyline which exemplifies a unique way to tell a riveting story with the hope of keeping readers indicative of the title. How successful is she in attempting this? I read it with mixed emotions, and came away feeling that it had enough to convince me that the author has the talent and temerity to stick and stay despite flaws that may keep it from being rated higher by me.
Albeit, the book starts off rather slow, stumbling in parts looking for better direction for a firmer grasp to allow the plot to mesh with the story line. A few chapters in subsequent order manage to justify intent where the story finally makes a stab to stabilize. Though the author isn’t afraid to step outside of a comfort zone writing in the manner in which she tells this story, I wish that the dialogue flowed better, or that the ending was better construed to give it continuity with the rest of the plot. Questions abound to the fate of the main character. Will she have time to find the secrets hidden behind a best seller even before it’s written? This is a story of intrigue where the mystery is solved as the author writes the story. One compelling quality about this book is the style of writing that the author chose to use, i.e., giving the main character a POV that draws parallel to something in comparison to illustrate points. It reads like a movie, and this is what gives it potential in another arena. Also in using this analogy, the author’s ability to tell multiple stories in one, while putting the readers in Kurt’s world as if we were there to agonize with her says a lot about Ms Clark's courage in going to extremes for dramatic effect. In telling these multiple stories, one must understand the scenario being used here.
Overall, I still give high marks for the author feeling comfortable in taking the story to lengths to make readers feel compelled in following a unique story. I recommend that readers DO read this book nonetheless in giving contrast to options in choosing a read that is decidedly different that what is out there. It’s rare that themes of this nature can materialize on levels that suggest that it can hold its own in other scenarios. I look forward to reading other books.
|
