Official Review: Ashes of the Living by John Cox

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 17 Nov 2020, 14:41

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ashes of the Living" by John Cox.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Ashes of the Living by John Cox is a fast-paced crime thriller that I found captivating. In it, Detective Tyler Morgan starts off as a hardworking law enforcement agent with a high level of integrity until he is struck by tragedy and "dies." Tyler is alive but the version of Tyler Morgan the police department knew for years is dead and gone. The 'new' Tyler Morgan is determined to get vengeance and not necessarily justice. His quest to find the people that made life unbearable for him plunges him into a war with evil opponents who he must unmask. These opponents appear to be one step ahead of him all the time. He is outnumbered, but he does not care.

The writing was simple, and the dialogue smooth and believable. I liked the allusion to Covid19 policies on page 12 of the book. This allusion was enough to give away the book's period without mentioning actual dates. The characters were well-developed. It was easy to feel empathy for the protagonist because of the detailed account of his grief and post-traumatic stress syndrome. I held my breath when reading the action scenes, unsure if he would survive or not.

"The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose." - James A. Baldwin (American writer and playwright). This quote summarizes my perception of Tyler Morgan after reading the first few chapters. This was long before I got to chapter 25 of the book, aptly titled 'Nothing to Lose.' To Tyler, he had lost everything, and there was no longer anything to lose.

The cryptic and detailed description of violence in the book's opening scenes and some other chapters make adults the target audience. The writing is so good that it evokes imagery. I could easily imagine this book being made into a movie.

I did not like the presence of a spoiler in the last paragraph on page 20. The author revealed the next major event that would happen in the plot there. I would have preferred not to be told at that stage. It robbed me of the thrill of the suspense. However, I was happy to note that after that initial spoiler, there was no other one. Instead, there were exciting twists and turns in the plot that I never saw coming, especially the great betrayal at the end of the story. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was an enjoyable read. I think the book was professionally edited because it was nearly error-free.

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Ashes of the Living
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Drianie · Post by **Drianie** » 24 Nov 2020, 02:01

Providing unexpected twists and turns is not an easy task to accomplish, so I'm happy to know that John Cox successfully incorporated this into his book. This seems like it will be an exciting read. Thanks for your insightful review!

Sararob06 · Post by **Sararob06** » 24 Nov 2020, 10:14

This sounds like a great selection for adrenaline junkies. The adventure aspects seem very realistic and its not every day a book can manage to continually keep you on the edge of your seat. I will be putting this on my TBR shelf!

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 25 Nov 2020, 11:29

Giving a spoiler within the novel is a curious choice. For the rest, it seems an intriguing crime thriller. Thank you for your great review!

Raluca_Mihaila · Post by **Raluca_Mihaila** » 26 Nov 2020, 13:36

I am always looking for a good thriller that can keep me engaged. So thank you for your recommendation!

Tonze · Post by **Tonze** » 27 Nov 2020, 01:45

This sound like a suspenseful thrilling action novel, I always attracted by this genre of book and this one seems to enjoyable. Thanks for this nice review

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 20 Dec 2020, 14:32

Tonze wrote: ↑27 Nov 2020, 01:45 This sound like a suspenseful thrilling action novel, I always attracted by this genre of book and this one seems to enjoyable. Thanks for this nice review

Thanks for your kind words and for reading and commenting. You will enjoy reading this book.

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 20 Dec 2020, 14:35

raluca_mihaila wrote: ↑26 Nov 2020, 13:36 I am always looking for a good thriller that can keep me engaged. So thank you for your recommendation!

Thanks for reading and commenting. You will definitely find this book engaging. Happy reading.

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 20 Dec 2020, 14:36

NetMassimo wrote: ↑25 Nov 2020, 11:29 Giving a spoiler within the novel is a curious choice. For the rest, it seems an intriguing crime thriller. Thank you for your great review!

Thanks for your kind words and for reading and commenting.

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 20 Dec 2020, 14:38

Sararob06 wrote: ↑24 Nov 2020, 10:14 This sounds like a great selection for adrenaline junkies. The adventure aspects seem very realistic and its not every day a book can manage to continually keep you on the edge of your seat. I will be putting this on my TBR shelf!

Great choice for your TBR shelf. Definitely a great selection for adrenaline junkies.

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 20 Dec 2020, 14:39

Drianie wrote: ↑24 Nov 2020, 02:01 Providing unexpected twists and turns is not an easy task to accomplish, so I'm happy to know that John Cox successfully incorporated this into his book. This seems like it will be an exciting read. Thanks for your insightful review!

Definitely an exciting read. Many thanks for reading and commenting

derialist · Post by **derialist** » 21 Dec 2020, 13:51

I'm curious about the tragedy that inspired Tyler Morgan's transformation, so I'd love to read this book. I'm sure that I'll enjoy it. Thanks for the great review!