Review of In Lieu of Flowers

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "In Lieu of Flowers" by Keith Steinbaum.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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In Lieu of Flowers by Keith Steinbaum is a work of fiction that tells the story of a stolen Romanian/Jewish child. Are the events in life predestined or heavily manipulated by unknown forces? Do dark forces even exist? Are these forces capable of influencing the entire life of a human being? These are some questions I had while reading this book.

In 1920, in Bucharest, a man, Gunari, lived there. He was a cobbler struggling to get by the day, providing for himself and his family. He had an old, tardy horse that caused his work delivery to be anything but smooth, causing his clients to threaten to pursue another person's services. Thinking of how he would survive with no money to upgrade his services, Gunari was approached by a man who claimed to have a deal to interest him in making some money. In this desperate state, he decided to indulge him and know what offer he had for him. This offer required Gunari to steal a particular baby and deliver it to the man in exchange for a lot of money. The innocence in him reacted, claiming he could not perform such an act; however, desperate times call for desperate actions, and he finally accepted the man's deal. He succeeded in stealing the baby on the day of the theft; however, a series of events followed, and he did not meet his end of the bargain. Fast forward to July 31st, 2017; it is just a day before the 74th anniversary of Petre's death, and strange things are happening all over the place. Could this be a prophecy working to fulfil itself? Was it solely a coincidence that it had to be Petre Levy who needed to be stolen? If you want to know what transpired that caused this deal to fall short and the following events, grab a copy of this book.

I found it ironic that Gunari agreed to steal a child. As someone whose wife was expecting a baby, you would think that his first instinct would be to protect children, as he was expecting one, but seeing him accept that deal amazed me. I understood that people would do anything if food was put on their table or if it gave them a remotely better life than they already had. On the day he conducted the theft, Gunari prayed to God for help, and I remember screaming, "How on earth do you pray to God to help you successfully inflict such grief on someone else?" I felt pity for Naomi, Petre's mother. I kept asking why it had to be her son that all of the events in this book happened to, from being stolen as a kid to becoming an airman and dying on duty. This book was well written. With each line read, I could feel the emotions of the characters. It was as if I was living through these emotions with the characters. When Naomi received a prophecy that her child would be stolen two more times, she felt devastated. This is excellent writing on the author's part. The anxiety she felt and the flight reaction were excellently expressed with words.

The author's concise writing will be gripping to anyone who picks up this book. Even if you are not a fan of the genre, the start of the book was gripping, and there were no dull moments in reading it. There was always something to look forward to. I found nothing to dislike about this book. I loved how the spelling of Petre's name changed when they changed locations. It shows that every aspect of the book was carefully thought out. I give this book a perfect five-out-of-five-star rating. The book had good editing; I only found one error.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the fictional genre. If you also love stories about airmen, there is something for you. If you believe in prophecies, there is also something for you. Readers should be informed that this book contains racism.

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In Lieu of Flowers
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[NetMassimo]

I have mixed feelings about supernatural thrillers after some bad experiences but this one seems well developed in a story that is effective in channeling the characters' emotions, which make the reader feel immersed in the story. Thank you for your great review!