Review of Stress Test by Richard Mabry

[maabooks]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]

[rbc=4]id201786-125[/rbc][i]Stress Test[/i] is the first novel I’ve read by Richard Mabry, and [b]I rate it 4 out of 4 stars[/b]. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of his work. The story-line is based on Dr. Matt Newman, who has just transitioned out of private practice and is anticipating his new job at a hospital. He believes this change will make his girlfriend happier and improve their relationship, perhaps to the point of marriage. One night he covers at the hospital for his friend who will be taking over his practice. Upon leaving work, his nightmare begins with being kidnapped and having to escape. The police treat him like a perpetrator instead of a victim. Here is where the mystery begins.



The beginning of this book immediately drew me into the life of Matt Newman, and from that point forward, I was emotionally invested. I found that I cheered with the good times and sighed with the bad times. I even welled-up tears of joy when blessings occurred. Although some parts of the book are predictable such as the romances and increasing faith, the main story hinges on mystery and suspense; captivating to the point I found it hard to put down. The author builds the story-line just enough in each chapter that I wanted to read on and find out what would happen next. Just when I thought I’d solved the mystery, a new twist would send me in a different direction.



The author masterfully unfolds the story in layers and cleverly eludes giving away the ending. Mr. Mabry doesn’t inundate the reader with extensive unnecessary background information, yet the characters are well-developed, with enough detail to pick up the story and follow them to the end. This is a Christian inspirational book done in a flattering style, so it’s not like sitting through a Sunday sermon. I was impressed with the author’s ability to incorporate medical and legal terminology in an understandable layman language. Reading the book left the impression it was professionally edited as I noted no spelling or grammar errors.



There were times I thought things worked out a bit too well for Matt. Life usually isn’t so perfect in how things turn out, even for Christians. This theme was repeated throughout and became my least favorite part of the narrative. Regardless, I didn’t find it to be detracting for the story, and it didn’t sway my urge to keep reading. I most enjoyed the main theme of mystery and suspense and how that was fused into the story-line from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to older teens and any age adult looking for a good mystery with romance and an inspirational edge.



[i]Stress Test[/i] is fast-paced and powerfully engaging. It is a story with kidnapping, murder charges, arrests, lawyers, doctors, police corruption, inspiration, romance and plenty of twists and turns to keep any reader on the edge of their seat. What’s not to love?

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Guardian of Deceit
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