Official Review: Eleven by Paul Chandler
Posted: 17 Oct 2019, 14:46
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Eleven" by Paul Chandler.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Eleven by Paul Chandler is a suspenseful and engaging novel that draws the reader into a world of mystery and intrigue. From the first page until the last page of the book, the author takes the reader on a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. It includes several different mysteries that hold the attention of the reader.
Edward Ellis, as an art historian, has devoted his career to finding and examining the paintings of Ethan Tanner. Ethan Tanner painted eleven paintings during his career, but all eleven have disappeared. The location of Ethan Tanner is also a mystery. Edward tries to track them down, but former owners seem to be disappearing as well. He manages to locate two people who describe seeing the paintings when they were children because their parents owned two different paintings. Both parents sold their paintings to the same eccentric billionaire who seems to want to hide them away from the world. Readers follow Edward and his associate, Iris Anderson, as they attempt to track down these paintings. The paintings are not only valuable because of their mysterious disappearances, but also for their content. An eye witness describes his painting as the most beautiful and the most frightening thing he has ever seen.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was extremely well-written and captured my attention from the beginning of the story. The descriptions of the paintings create an anticipation in the reader to locate and view the paintings. The author provided specific details in the descriptions of some of the paintings that are creative and very imaginative. I was able to visualize the paintings perfectly based on those descriptions. I was also able to use my imagination to create the images of what the other paintings must look like.
There are several descriptive courtroom scenes that are realistic and dramatic additions to the story. The reader feels the highs and lows of the courtroom decisions when Edward and his team attempt to gain access to the paintings. The arguments for both sides in the courtroom scenes appear to be very well-researched and are compelling and passionate. The author is very gifted at conveying the tense drama of the courtroom. Each of the characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. Their interactions and different points of view were enjoyable to read.
If I had to list one negative aspect of the book, then it would be that the character of Iris is described as unbelievably beautiful repeatedly. It seemed every new character that was introduced in the book was mesmerized by her beauty and unable to function which became monotonous at times. Mentioning her physical attributes once or twice would have been sufficient to make the point, but it’s a small negative aspect of the book.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys mysteries and suspense. There was very little profanity and no graphic sexual situations, so it would be appropriate for young adult readers. There were a few typographical errors, but they did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was a very interesting and enjoyable book.
******
Eleven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Eleven by Paul Chandler is a suspenseful and engaging novel that draws the reader into a world of mystery and intrigue. From the first page until the last page of the book, the author takes the reader on a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. It includes several different mysteries that hold the attention of the reader.
Edward Ellis, as an art historian, has devoted his career to finding and examining the paintings of Ethan Tanner. Ethan Tanner painted eleven paintings during his career, but all eleven have disappeared. The location of Ethan Tanner is also a mystery. Edward tries to track them down, but former owners seem to be disappearing as well. He manages to locate two people who describe seeing the paintings when they were children because their parents owned two different paintings. Both parents sold their paintings to the same eccentric billionaire who seems to want to hide them away from the world. Readers follow Edward and his associate, Iris Anderson, as they attempt to track down these paintings. The paintings are not only valuable because of their mysterious disappearances, but also for their content. An eye witness describes his painting as the most beautiful and the most frightening thing he has ever seen.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was extremely well-written and captured my attention from the beginning of the story. The descriptions of the paintings create an anticipation in the reader to locate and view the paintings. The author provided specific details in the descriptions of some of the paintings that are creative and very imaginative. I was able to visualize the paintings perfectly based on those descriptions. I was also able to use my imagination to create the images of what the other paintings must look like.
There are several descriptive courtroom scenes that are realistic and dramatic additions to the story. The reader feels the highs and lows of the courtroom decisions when Edward and his team attempt to gain access to the paintings. The arguments for both sides in the courtroom scenes appear to be very well-researched and are compelling and passionate. The author is very gifted at conveying the tense drama of the courtroom. Each of the characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. Their interactions and different points of view were enjoyable to read.
If I had to list one negative aspect of the book, then it would be that the character of Iris is described as unbelievably beautiful repeatedly. It seemed every new character that was introduced in the book was mesmerized by her beauty and unable to function which became monotonous at times. Mentioning her physical attributes once or twice would have been sufficient to make the point, but it’s a small negative aspect of the book.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys mysteries and suspense. There was very little profanity and no graphic sexual situations, so it would be appropriate for young adult readers. There were a few typographical errors, but they did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was a very interesting and enjoyable book.
******
Eleven
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon