Official Review: Special Means by Andrew Ceroni
Posted: 25 Jun 2020, 15:48
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Special Means" by Andrew Ceroni.]
Special Means by Andrew Ceroni is a fictional suspense novel that will keep a reader on the edge of their seat. An elderly couple in Denver is attacked at gunpoint by gangbangers. Even though the police intervene, the couple dies in the aftermath of the attack. The country is in an uproar over this attack and the gang problem in the United States. The President is hearing backlash from everyone, including General Blanton, a high-ranking member of the armed forces. The President decides to use the United States armed forces to deal with the gang problem under the secretive STARDUST program. As gang members mysteriously show up dead, the Director of the CIA, Jack Barrett, sends his talented investigator, Dave McClure, a man with a talent for getting himself in trouble, to find out why evidence of special forces was at the scene of one of the dead gangs. What will Dave McClure uncover? Is there more trouble for the President from Blanton then his criticism? Why are these gangs ending up dead?
This story is well-told with mostly easy-to-understand language. There are a lot of acronyms to keep track of which may make it a little difficult, but it isn’t overdone. There is some violence in the novel, as there is a large shootout scene, but it isn’t overly graphic. There are no explicit scenes and there is no profanity. It is also extremely well-edited, as I found no mistakes.
The thing I liked most about the novel was the plot. At first, I thought it was about one thing but then it just veered in three other different directions. It always kept me on my toes and was very interesting. I would also like to note that there was information about FEMA in the novel that was brought up, and it was clear that the author did his research. I appreciated that.
The thing I disliked most about the novel was the lack of characterization of the antagonist. In the book, we hear about the antagonist in the beginning and throughout the story as going on news outlets and speaking out against the President, but we don’t get a lot about his character from that. The only two times we see the antagonist, General Blanton, is towards the end of the novel when he is trying to kill someone. I just felt like more time could have been taken to develop him.
Overall, this was a great book. I think those who like crime and mystery novels would like this one. People who like spy novels might also like it since technically, Dave McClure was a CIA agent and was undercover. Even without a well-developed antagonist, this book shined with its amazing plot. I am rating it 4 out of 4 stars.
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Special Means
View: on Bookshelves
Special Means by Andrew Ceroni is a fictional suspense novel that will keep a reader on the edge of their seat. An elderly couple in Denver is attacked at gunpoint by gangbangers. Even though the police intervene, the couple dies in the aftermath of the attack. The country is in an uproar over this attack and the gang problem in the United States. The President is hearing backlash from everyone, including General Blanton, a high-ranking member of the armed forces. The President decides to use the United States armed forces to deal with the gang problem under the secretive STARDUST program. As gang members mysteriously show up dead, the Director of the CIA, Jack Barrett, sends his talented investigator, Dave McClure, a man with a talent for getting himself in trouble, to find out why evidence of special forces was at the scene of one of the dead gangs. What will Dave McClure uncover? Is there more trouble for the President from Blanton then his criticism? Why are these gangs ending up dead?
This story is well-told with mostly easy-to-understand language. There are a lot of acronyms to keep track of which may make it a little difficult, but it isn’t overdone. There is some violence in the novel, as there is a large shootout scene, but it isn’t overly graphic. There are no explicit scenes and there is no profanity. It is also extremely well-edited, as I found no mistakes.
The thing I liked most about the novel was the plot. At first, I thought it was about one thing but then it just veered in three other different directions. It always kept me on my toes and was very interesting. I would also like to note that there was information about FEMA in the novel that was brought up, and it was clear that the author did his research. I appreciated that.
The thing I disliked most about the novel was the lack of characterization of the antagonist. In the book, we hear about the antagonist in the beginning and throughout the story as going on news outlets and speaking out against the President, but we don’t get a lot about his character from that. The only two times we see the antagonist, General Blanton, is towards the end of the novel when he is trying to kill someone. I just felt like more time could have been taken to develop him.
Overall, this was a great book. I think those who like crime and mystery novels would like this one. People who like spy novels might also like it since technically, Dave McClure was a CIA agent and was undercover. Even without a well-developed antagonist, this book shined with its amazing plot. I am rating it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Special Means
View: on Bookshelves
