Review of The Whistleblower

[Marsha JJ]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Whistleblower" by Marguerite Mooers.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Whistleblower, written by Marguerite Mooers, is a mysterious tale in which a small child unexpectedly shows up at Emily MacIntire’s house. Fritz, the young boy, was waiting for his mom to come home for several days, but she never returned. What happened to his mom? Why didn’t she return? Why was the boy given Emily’s address when Emily knew nothing of Fritz? These are all questions that slowly get answered throughout the narrative. Since Emily was newly widowed, she appreciated the boy’s company and graciously took him in. However, her world became more and more complicated as new information emerged. The first part of the book detailed Emily’s story, and the second part of the book shared the missing mom’s story. Her name was Nancy, and the author fills in the pieces of the puzzle about what led to her disappearance.

The Whistleblower is an easygoing and entertaining book. The narrative had a smooth flow, and Mooers did a good job setting the scene at the beginning of the book. Emily was a likable character, and the reader will find it easy to become engaged in the ups and downs of her life. Nancy, the missing mom, was also likable and relatable. The story wasn’t too complicated or confusing; the plot was relatively straightforward. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding what happened to Nancy. This was a relatively interesting part of the narrative.

Although the book was entertaining, several parts could have used some optimization. My first issue was at the beginning of the book when a young boy showed up at Emily MacIntire’s house. There needed to be some additional explanation about why Emily wouldn’t have immediately called the police to help track down the boy’s mother. Emily also quickly started considering whether to enroll the boy in school, although she didn’t know anything about him! This seemed very strange. I felt the story lacked realism at this point and during other parts of the book.

Another issue I had was that the characters were sometimes inconsistent in their behavior. One example was with a houseguest of Emily’s who alternated between being an inconsiderate guy to being a wonderful man. The little boy also alternated from being a grateful, loving child to being quite unappreciative. As a child, he had an excuse for his mercurial behavior. However, I found the swings in the behavior of the various characters to be puzzling at times.

I found just a few minor grammatical errors in the book. Since these were minor, the errors didn’t impact my rating. I subtracted one point due to the overall content issues that I mentioned in the two paragraphs above. Therefore, my rating is 3 out of 4 stars.

The Whistleblower is for adults who enjoy easygoing novels with a sense of mystery. I recommend this book to readers who want an entertaining book that isn’t overly complex.

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The Whistleblower
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[Abdulrahman Alidriga]

Marguerite Mooers, is a mysterious tale in which a small child unexpectedly shows up at Emily MacIntire’s house.I also apreciate Emily's considation of enrolling the boy.

[Oluwasogo Familusi]

One man's misfortune is another man's fortune. Fritz would be sorrowful over his mother's disappearance, but he was a blessing to Emily the widow. I'd like to know what happened to his mother.

[Sopulu Ezidimma]

I also feel that Emily could have called the police and know why the boy appeared despite being nice and kind.

[Lawrence+2]

The mystical storyline of this book seems to be so real. Nice review.

[Ohna Martin]

This is a captivating review. Now I have to read this book to know what happened to the boy's mother.

[Amy Luman]

Don’t you almost always get taken advantage of when you try to be kind? I can see how Fitz helped Emily with her loneliness and she help by taking care of him. I think that I’ll have to read this.

[Ada Chris]

Nice review! The author did a great job on the book, i feel sad fitz on the disappearance of his mother, it won’t be easy to get over and I admire Emily for being nice and taking care of him. I love a good mysterious novel and would definitely read this to know about what happened to fitz mom.Good book

[UcheNduka]

Well I think Emily wasn't eager to involve the police because she needs Fitz's company desperately.
However, thanks for the honest and captivating review. I can't wait to read the book.

[NetMassimo]

A mother's disappearance is quite a mystery but I can't help wondering if Emily really wants to solve it or she's happy to have found a child. That makes the story more interesting despite the flaws you pointed out. Thank you for your great review!