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Title: The Waking by Mike Nichols ISBN: 0062771337 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 29 April, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.88
Rating: 4
Summary: Solid First Effort
Comment: Mike Nichols's The Waking is a mystery novel with a soul and a lot of heart. It is not so much concerned with the hows and whos as much as it is concerned with the whys. This is a mystery about characters and about their lives, not so much about the things they have done.
After a bad car accident that many believe to be a suicide attempt, Will's wife is in a coma she simply won't live through. This is where the mystery begins. Because Sandy was working for a woman named Billi who is now in prison for drug trafficking and who might also have been involved in the muder of a man with whom Sandy had an affair.
The trial soon begins, but the things that are unveiled are about to destroy Will's life and his image of Sandy forever. So many secrets are unearthed that everyone involved will be left bared and wounded.
Nichols has a knack for writing human emotions on the page. He knows how to create situations that are involving and intriguing. He also knows how to be sentimental without going overboard, which is exactly why this novel was so successful. This is the kind of plot that could be the basis for an award winning film; the suspense and the characters are that good. But the thing that pulled me away from completely enjoying this book was the writer himself. The book is in dire need of editing. Told in the first person, Nichols's narrator is ingaging and very eloquent. Maybe too eloquent. Nichols often breaks the pacing to bring his readers into long self-analyses that bring very little to the plot and that just seem to make the book drag a little in its down times.
And somehow, the writing also came off as a bit repetitive. I had trouble ignoring these flaws in the beginning but, somewhere halfway through the book, I realized that I had completely forgotten about it all since the story was so involving. This is the kind of book that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
It is rare to find a mystery that has so much grace and skill. This is a solid first effort from an author who shows a lot of promise.
Rating: 5
Summary: An excellent thriller by a talented new author.
Comment: "The Waking," by newcomer Mike Nichols, is an extremely accomplished work. Nichols is adept at handling the many twists and turns of the psychological suspense thriller. "The Waking" is reminiscent of "Presumed Innocent," by Turow, in that Nichols handles courtroom scenes well and also toys expertly with the reader until the very end of the book. I do not mind being manipulated if the book is exciting and entertaining, which "The Waking" assuredly is.
Will Dunby is a newspaper reporter who is married to a beautiful, wealthy and intelligent lawyer named Sandy Cross. Sandy's family is very wealthy, while Will has had to struggle financially all of his life. On the surface, Will and Sandy appear to be a golden couple. However, their marriage, when examined more closely, is far from perfect. Sandy is brokenhearted over her inability to carry a baby to term, and her bitterness spills over into her relationship with Will. After a series of ever escalating quarrels, the Dunby marriage appears to be headed for trouble.
To make things worse, a series of catastrophic events occur which throw Will's life into turmoil, and the rest of "The Waking" is a thrilling roller coaster ride. Not only has Nichols written a genuinely suspenseful and engrossing mystery, but he also raises fascinating moral questions about the rationalizations that people make in order to justify their questionable behavior. The character development and dialogue are first rate and the mystery is intricate yet satisfying. I recommend "The Waking" highly. Mike Nichols is a talented new author whose future work I await with eager anticipation.
Rating: 5
Summary: A thoughtful whodunnit
Comment: I read this book in one sitting. The pace, tone and plotting are right on the mark. The book keeps reeling you in. The illusion is never broken and the mind is always engaged. The trappings of a conventional whodunnit - courtroom scenes, murders and cops - are all present, but also thoughtful meditations on end-of-life issues and euthanasia enthrall as well. Highly recommended.
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Title: The Anniversary: A Novel by Amy Gutman ISBN: 0316381209 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Every Secret Thing : A Novel by Laura Lippman ISBN: 0060506679 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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