Review of Finding Santeria... Losing Sanity

[Israel10]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finding Santeria... Losing Sanity" by Mike Beetlestone.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When Ben and Katie's marriage appears to be in bad shape, Paul, Ben's boss at the Sunday Chronicle, steps in with a three-week business trip to Cuba. Ben was sent to Cuba by Paul with orders to look into Irish TD Dennis O'Hara, who has a history of political corruption. Ben's job is to find his backhanders and look into the unlawful money transaction. Ben wakes up at Dundrum Central Mental Hospital after a year has passed with an intense feeling for Jenny.

Ben's impulsive attack on a man in Havana cost him his freedom; he is now being detained in a hospital under the classification of being "criminally insane." Ben's release depends on his cooperation in helping Dr. Sissions learn his side of the story during their therapy sessions. How did Ben come to be in the mental institution, and what motivated him to act in a way that led to his detention? How did Ben grow to like Jenny so much, and who was Jenny to him? Will Ben ever be released from the mental hospital? In Finding Santeria... Losing Sanity, Mike Beetlestone walks us through Ben Molina's life, which was filled with betrayals, lies, broken hearts, and mental breakdowns.

There are a lot of positive points to ponder in this book. Page 16 of 340 is one of my favorites. "I bet you think love and passion are connected, don't you? They are independent as a butterfly and a rose. They can flourish together, but they can each grow and blossom separately into something beautiful. Or they can shrivel and die if not nurtured." The plot is pretty exciting. Every chapter includes information that could seem unrelated to the current situation. But as the pages turned and the chapters continued, the puzzle parts started to fit together. Reading it was simply outstanding.

I also enjoyed Ben's consultation with Dr. Sissions. I appreciated that Sissions' presence didn't interfere with his story. Ben spoke as if Dr. Sissions wasn't present in the same space as him. He described the incident as though he was reliving it. Even while I valued the author's use of detail to spark my imagination, I thought it would have been preferable if most of them had been left out. The book grew so lengthy because of that. I kept going back and forth to validate the initial names used because the characters' names were spelled incorrectly, which puzzled me. This was a negative point I encountered in this book.

While reading, I did come across a few grammatical and typographical errors, but they didn't detract from the story or the author's goal of getting his point out. I rate Finding Santeria… Losing Sanity 4 out of 4 stars because the negative point did not affect my reading pleasure. People who like crime thrillers and people who are enthusiastic about justice and equality should read this book, as they will appreciate the author's good effort. Please be aware that this book contains scenes of violence and sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.

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Finding Santeria... Losing Sanity
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[Amy Luman]

That's one of the dangers of interfering in dealings with a foreign country, isn't it?

[Summer Henrietta]

The plot of this book intrigues me. I believe I will find this book really interesting.

[Junior Gesuka 1]

Ben didn't, he had been committed to Dundrum Central Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane because of an unprovoked attack on a stranger in Havana. But he had no recollection of going to Cuba.

[Eze Michael]

I love the plot and toryline of this book, and I'd love to know who Jenny is. There are lessons to learn from this book, and it is very exciting. Thanks for your honest review.

[Nwaka Chukwuemeka]

Dealing with a foreign country is one of the things you need to be very careful with because the mode of understanding differs.

[Diego 007]

I further appreciated how the author kept the complex storyline engaging and easy to follow. I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters and moving parts included in the plot, and I thought the author did an excellent job coordinating all the action and suspense.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an intriguing crime thriller and I'm curious to know what happens to Ben in Cuba. Thank you for your great review!