OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is a volunteer review of "Pancake Money" by Finn Bell.]

Breaking News!

Two holy priests were found murdered on Monday at the local church of Dunedin. A nurse found Father Mucci, a retired priest's lifeless body in the altar at 10:05 am and Father Bern's lifeless body at 4:00 pm. Father Mucci, a good friend of Father Bern, used to teach mathematics at a Catholic boy's school. The police forces are on their move to cover the crime scene and analyze their findings. Detective Bobby Ress and Detective Pollo Latu are working on this mission. Who is this Holy Man Killer?

This detective read takes us to the heart of New Zealand, back to the period involving the native tribes and foreign rule. Bobby and Pollo are detective officers in the Dunedin police forces who took over this mission to understand the psychopath's purpose of killing these holy priests. This read provides the reader a wide exposure about New Zealand, such as their infamous Māori Ngai tribe, Manga Kahu a vast network gang and a criminal group, Baldwin street in Dunedin, and the remote lands known as the Catlins.

Reader's who are into detective genre would appreciate this read, as well, I noted a playful use of different genres. Historical events based on this crime were closely studied. There was a spark of romance among characters to entertain the reader in a different level, but this book may not strike everyone's interest. Readers may get offended on the matter of Christianity and the Catholic church, especially about the crimes committed by the priests throughout the history, so readers be aware!

Pancake Money by Finn Bell is a read that consists of 251 pages. The List of Contents wasn't available which was truly a disadvantage. Chapterization in this read concluded to 6 eventful days from Monday to Saturday, and it includes a prologue titled Before. A section called Slightly Based Mostly True Things is available at the end which holds the information related to the key points in this read. Readers can note the time of events mentioned before the start of each section. The synopsis presented in Amazon does not define this read. The structure of this read needs improvement. This plot was professionally proofread and edited by a certified editorial group. Some readers may find it difficult to grasp the read since this plot supports the British English format.

The title of this story Pancake Money was base on Pollo and his childhood. In Pollo's conversation with Bobby, he mentions that his mother used to give him money after they come from Church on Sunday to buy pancakes, therefore, he used to call this Pancake Money, but I have a question, how is this related to the plot?

I'm really impressed with the author's work. He presents Forensic Psychology in a way a novice can understand. Facts based on true events was what attracted me the most in this read such as the murder of Sister Margaret Pahl which is a fascinating story. The plot revolved around the key causes of a crime committed, and they are Money, Power, or Sex.

I found the details in this read resourceful and mind-boggling. These particular sentences interest me,

"Everything that is alive has Needs.
To stay alive you need to meet your Needs.
If you don’t meet your Needs you die.
Not meeting your Needs gives you Pain.
Too much Pain will change you.
You will do whatever you can to stop the Pain (Professor Bowlby, pp. 101-102)."

I saw an interesting character development in this read. The start of this story wasn't clear at first, but later on, it maintains a smooth flow. Certain unexpected events surprised me, and it was difficult to guess who-have-done-it. This read truly deserves 4 out of 4 stars, and If I don't award this deserving rate based on the mind-blowing experience and resourcefulness in this read, then I'm clearly an idiot.

This is Sahani Nimandra, signing off today from the Holy Man Killer, out murdering priests in your neighborhood, and until next time, Be Aware!

******
Pancake Money
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Sahani Nimandra's review? Post a comment saying so!

Haha. I liked your ending. The whole review was good. I gave the book 4 stars too. You have a good point about the pancake money story.

LaurenHaupt wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 05:58 Haha. I liked your ending. The whole review was good. I gave the book 4 stars too. You have a good point about the pancake money story.

Thank you so much. I'm glad that you enjoyed my review.

Nice writing style. I really enjoyed it. The book is very good and I've also reviewed it. I expect more quality reviews from you.

Sunnyroyish wrote: ↑23 Aug 2018, 03:29 Nice writing style. I really enjoyed it. The book is very good and I've also reviewed it. I expect more quality reviews from you.

Thank you! It's very nice to hear that.

Ha ha, news anchor, I really enjoyed your reporting aka review! I like that you tried to relate the title of the book to the story. I usually wonder about titles too. I think I would enjoy learning about some of New Zealand's history in addition to unraveling the mystery. Thanks for the great review!

Cotwani wrote: ↑23 Aug 2018, 09:04 Ha ha, news anchor, I really enjoyed your reporting aka review! I like that you tried to relate the title of the book to the story. I usually wonder about titles too. I think I would enjoy learning about some of New Zealand's history in addition to unraveling the mystery. Thanks for the great review!

Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed my review.

I love that you mentioned that the forensics are explained in a way that is easy to understand. I find that a lot of authors get carried away (especially when they are knowledgeable about a subject) and end up leaving me behind, confused.
I enjoyed your review, thanks so much!

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑24 Aug 2018, 07:52 I love that you mentioned that the forensics are explained in a way that is easy to understand. I find that a lot of authors get carried away (especially when they are knowledgeable about a subject) and end up leaving me behind, confused.
I enjoyed your review, thanks so much!

I'm happy that you enjoyed my review! Thank you for commenting!

Thank you for your creative review.

Twists and angles that include tragedies enhance a written story's colour and depth. Yet, it's something that shouldn't really happen to anyone in real life regardless of whether they are protagonists or antagonists in someone's life, in a bookish kind of sense.

Espie wrote: ↑25 Aug 2018, 17:03 Thank you for your creative review.

Twists and angles that include tragedies enhance a written story's colour and depth. Yet, it's something that shouldn't really happen to anyone in real life regardless of whether they are protagonists or antagonists in someone's life, in a bookish kind of sense.

Actually yes, but sadly life is too complicated that sometimes we do not know the end result. Thank you for commenting!

Marvelous Review. I like how the author explains details like forensics instead of just rambling on. My current read differs in that aspect and I find it very distracting.

Fuzaila wrote: ↑26 Aug 2018, 07:22 Marvelous Review. I like how the author explains details like forensics instead of just rambling on. My current read differs in that aspect and I find it very distracting.

Oh! I feel you, you get book that show a great picture but when you refer it, it's just horrible. Thank you for commenting! Hope you find a good book next time.

I love what you quoted from the book as to me it is truly encapsulated about being alive and to stay alive. Its good to know that this book explores about New Zealand and its' history too. Thanks for your review.

ParadoxicalWoman wrote: ↑28 Aug 2018, 11:06 I love what you quoted from the book as to me it is truly encapsulated about being alive and to stay alive. Its good to know that this book explores about New Zealand and its' history too. Thanks for your review.

I'm glad you that you found the quote resourceful. Thank you for commenting!