Official Review: 180⁰ Chord by Chris Leicester

[Guda Lydia]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "180⁰ Chord" by Chris Leicester.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What is the difference between murdering and killing? How far should one go to ensure justice? How far are you willing to go to avenge the death of a loved one? 180⁰ Chord by Chris Leicester evokes these questions and more as one reads along. It is an unconventional crime novel where no one is good or innocent; it is about the lesser evil. Vince, an inmate at a Manchester prison, has been planning this day for over three years. It started with a simple request for a potted plant, and now the prison is in utter chaos with an ongoing riot. The riot serves a purpose, and Vince is on a hunt.

Detective Sergeant John Gray was once a decorated and feared police officer, with an extensive list of achievements and criminal incarcerations. However, those days are long gone, and Gray is now an inmate and fighting to survive. Connor Fitzgerald, an uncharacteristically polished prisoner, seems to be Gray’s savior as he hides him and helps him escape from Vince and his men. However, it is not an easy task as Vince is highly motivated and yearning for Gray’s blood. On the other hand, Connor’s past life is also tied to Gray, so how genuine is his gesture of help? Most importantly, who is Gray?

The book’s introduction instantly hooks the reader as the story immediately unfolds in a prison environment with an ongoing riot. The characters are many, but the introduction of each is excellent, making it easy to perceive and follow their roles in the plot. Chris describes each of them vividly, clearly bringing out their physical and personality attributes. Additionally, the book is unique since the dominant setting is the prison environment and associated activities. The author also creatively uses comparisons and metaphors, further making the story enjoyable.

My favorite aspect is about the novel is the alternating timelines. For instance, one paragraph can be about a tense prison situation, and the next, the reader is taken back in time to one of the character’s lives or backgrounds. This creates immense suspense and anticipation as one gets to consume two stories concurrently and is eager to get back to the tense scene. What I dislike about the read is the heavy use of profanities. I thought it was a bit overdone, despite the prison setting. However, this is a personal opinion and does not affect the rating.

The book is excellently edited; I did not find any grammatical or spelling errors. The language employed is intelligible but suitable for mature readers due to the substantial use of explicit expressions. The book also has some gruesome depictions of murder, which may affect sensitive readers. 180⁰ Chord is a blunt book that presents the extremes of life. It will have you weigh whether a crime is justified or not or the degree of correctness of a wrong. The book takes the reader through a world where being ruthless is the ultimate survival mechanism, a world of gangs, dirty politics, despair, and a quest for vengeance. I, therefore, award it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to those looking for a fast-paced and thought-provoking crime novel with a poetic take on crime and life choices.

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180⁰ Chord
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[ellaiela]

It seems like a unique and exciting book. I have never read a book with a prison setting before, and I'm curious about the "poetic take on the crime" you wrote. I would love to read this one. Thank you for the interesting review.

[MarveeAman]

I always wanted to find a book with only evil characters in it, with no traditional heroes or love triangle stories. This book seems to be the one I was looking for. Thanks for the review.

[LeighBee]

Thank you for your review. This book seems like it would be an interesting one. I especially appreciate the balance between flashbacks and the current tension of the riot and escape. From your explanation, it sounds like the author is skilled at that balance.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an engaging thriller that keeps the readers' attention until the end, though it digs into humans' dark sides. Thank you for your great review!

[Suzer6440 xyz]

This is an amazing review . Definately will be a great read for me. Thanks for this write up!!

[Arpita Choudhari]

This book seems to have a lot of suspense in it and people like reading such book though I'm eagerly interested to read this book .

[Arpita Choudhari]

This book seems to have a lot of suspense in it and people like reading such book though I'm eagerly interested to read this book .

[Guda Lydia]

This book seems to have a lot of suspense in it and people like reading such book though I'm eagerly interested to read this book .

It will not disappoint, it is truly unique and amazing.

[Guda Lydia]

This is an amazing review . Definately will be a great read for me. Thanks for this write up!!

Thank you for your kind comments.

[Guda Lydia]

This seems like an engaging thriller that keeps the readers' attention until the end, though it digs into humans' dark sides. Thank you for your great review!

Welcome. It's definitely a one of a kind book. No one claims innocence and everyone is on survival mode.

[Guda Lydia]

Thank you for your review. This book seems like it would be an interesting one. I especially appreciate the balance between flashbacks and the current tension of the riot and escape. From your explanation, it sounds like the author is skilled at that balance.

Thank you. The alternating timelines were a perfect balance. The book has very many unique angles to it.

[Guda Lydia]

I always wanted to find a book with only evil characters in it, with no traditional heroes or love triangle stories. This book seems to be the one I was looking for. Thanks for the review.

It is everything you have described. Very unconventional and yet intriguing.

[Kavita Shah]

So Vince is on a hunt for Gray who is being helped by another inmate who has a past connect with Gray. Well this sounds like the perfect recipe for trouble. Thank you for the informative review