Review of The Urban Panic

[Cheryl Erickson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Urban Panic" by Lisa L Feggans-Odom.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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I recently finished reading The Urban Panic by Lisa L. Feggans-Odom. It is a crime novel that is filled with intense action and suspense. The antagonist was a man named José Hernandez. He escaped prison and was a crazed fugitive looking for revenge. José was searching for the prosecuting attorney, Jessie Lawler, who sent him to jail for committing robbery and murder. José wanted to make him pay and show him no mercy! Meanwhile, he needed some fast money. To remedy this situation, he decided to recruit his two buddies to help him kidnap three little boys for ransom. Kyle Walker accidentally left his front door open and was taken from his home. Dougie Moore was lured away from his front yard with treats. Billy Foster followed the kidnapper into his SUV with the promise of getting his favorite wrestling cards. Although all three boys had been educated in stranger danger, eight-year-olds don’t always make the best decisions. The kidnappings set off a domino effect of wild panic through the Woodlawn Street neighborhood. Would the boys ever see their families again? Would José get the ransom for the boys? Would he finally get his revenge against Jessie Lawler?

There were several aspects of the book that I liked. First, I enjoyed the camaraderie of the neighborhood friends. The ladies created a group called S.A.C. It stood for the Street Alliance Community. They met once a month to empower each other in their community and advocate for their children. The families truly cared for one another and supported each other, especially when the boys were missing. Second, when Jessie was going through his most challenging time, his best friends welcomed his parents and him into their home. They cooked for them and comforted them. They were there through thick and thin. Third, the author did an excellent job of evoking a variety of emotions. I experienced the heart-wrenching worry of the parents when the boys were taken. I sensed the fear of the boys in captivity. I was shocked and angry throughout Jose’s killing spree. I also felt love and comfort from the kind and loving neighbors.

Unfortunately, there were some components I did not like about the book. Reading the Kindle version, there were endless formatting issues. There were many sentence structure, spelling, spacing, and punctuation errors. I also think there were too many characters that were introduced. I had difficulty keeping track of all of the different people, their family members, and their backstories. In addition, the timeline jumped from present to past quite often. All of these aspects interrupted the flow of reading.

I rate The Urban Panic 3 out of 4 stars. There were more than ten errors. I would recommend another round of editing to polish the text. Too many character introductions and backstories cluttered the plot lines. The choppy timeline was a bit frustrating to follow. However, the author did an outstanding job of describing the dangers and reality of living in an urban city where criminals can lurk in the neighborhood and wreak havoc on people's lives.

I recommend this book to mature teenagers and adults. It is filled with kidnapping, violence, and murder. There is a fatal car accident involving a drunk driver. Characters have to cope with the loss of loved ones. In addition, it includes profanity. This is a book for people who like to read intense crime novels that are filled with action and suspense.

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The Urban Panic
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[Okorji98]

I experienced the heart-wrenching worry of the parents when the boys were taken. I sensed the fear of the boys in captivity. This is a great review.

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

The storyline is good; hopefully the book will get another round of editing. I don't like when there are too many characters involved, it gets confusing at some point and interrupts the flow. I will pass on this one.

[Amy Luman]

I started reading this book earlier, but I had a really tough time getting through the first couple of chapters so I stopped. Thanks to your review I think that I will give it another try. You made it sound way more interesting.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Well, we can hardly blame the kids. It's us, the adults, who are responsible for making this world safe for them. I'm glad the author also shows the kind side of humanity in the way the families supported one another. And I've had the same issue with formatting. The book can be perfectly edited in the original file but it's a mess on Kindle. I'm glad you brought it up, and I hope the author considers it.
Great review!

[Duwire Banda]

This crime novel has a feel of a movie. Great book and review! Thanks.

[Chimereucheya Okoroafo]

I really love how the story takes its time to focus on the antagonist. Giving me that special feeling of a perfect story, I'd really want to the children to return home safely in a tactical manner. Very nice review. I am impressed and now anticipating this book.

[sassmaster64]

What a comprehensive review! I appreciate the content warnings for the book but this definitely looks like an intriguing read!

[julesbritton]

I would say Urban Panic is an appropriate title for this book. This review encompasses the many aspects involved in this series of crimes. It seems to be a good summary of the subject matter and the things you will experience as you read it. I have been a parent for 26 years and loss of my kids has been one of my biggest fears.I have always been on guard to try to prevent the things depicted in this book. Maybe some people need to read it so they will too.

[Darin Erickson]

This review was well done because it really affected me. The book seems very intense. I probably would not choose to read it because it's a bit much for me with all of the killing by the hands of others. Great job on the book review, though.

[Tonia Freeman]

Every parent's nightmare! This book sounds like a bit of a nail-biter. Great review.

[Leonie Vermaak]

Sounds like a very interesting book!! The kidnappings and revenge plot is quite intriguing. Thanks for a great and detailed review.

[Stephanie Runyon]

Kidnappings happen so frequently, and this would be terrorizing for me. I hope the boys survive. I know I would stop at nothing to find my children if something like this happened to me. Great review!

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a good crime thriller with an intense storyline, so I hope the author fixes the formatting issue and does another round of proofreading. Thank you for your great review!