Review of Conceptus
Posted: 28 Jun 2022, 12:17
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Conceptus" by Brian Herskowitz.]
Conceptus: A Laura Drummond Mystery by Brian Herskowitz is a crime thriller that will make you ponder the motives of the Catholic Church. Twenty-four years ago, Homicide Detective Laura Drummond was left to die after being raped and stabbed six times, and the attacker was never found. A serial killer targets a medical student, a nurse, and a priest. All are killed by six stab wounds and a slash above their pelvis. Laura arrests Rory Callahan after the medical student and nurse are killed because his DNA was found on the nurse. While Roy is in custody, the priest is killed, and they find Rory's DNA again. Laura must find out how his DNA was on the third victim. Laura becomes even more suspicious after realizing she suffered six stab wounds but woke up after a medically induced coma with a fresh slash above her pelvic area. What is the connection between Laura, the victims, and the killer? Can different people have the same DNA?
Brian Herskowitz has done an excellent job with the character development in this crime thriller. He has described each of the characters demonstrating their roles as detective, victim, killer, priest, etc., to the extent that I could visualize each one. I could see how the killer felt power believing he was invisible to everyone around him. He could mingle with crowds so that no one would remember him. Phrases like "He blended in like cream blends with coffee" made it realistic. I could feel the characters' fear when cops knocked on their door, and they knew that people rarely received good news in the middle of the night from the police. Before reading this book, I had never considered the color red as a symbol of blood, death, and revenge. Brian demonstrates a good knowledge of the Catholic Services, which handled adoptions, food pantries, and other services to the community. I also liked that the author put the characters' thoughts, emails, and GPS announcements in italics to make them stand out from the rest of the text.
The only negative I found about this book was the chapter headings. Many of them are in Latin, biblical, or other terms that I did not understand. Examples include "Exultant Lusibus," "Columbus Magistratus," and "Bibe," to name a few. I do not think average readers will understand how these terms tie into the chapters, and I think it would be better if the author provided the translations.
With less than ten errors in this 207-page book, there is no reason for me to give it less than 4 out of 4 stars. A professional editor could have easily overlooked most of these minor errors. Therefore, I am happy to say this book has been professionally edited. I consider my issue with the chapter titles a personal problem because other readers may know the meanings of the words. Therefore, I did not consider the lack of translations worthy enough to deduct a star.
With the abundance of non-borderline profanity, gory content, and sexual content, I recommend this book to mature readers of crime thrillers that focus on the Catholic Church and its past practices. Even though this book contains Catholic Church practices and beliefs, I believe it is suitable for all religions and non-religions because it focuses on criminal activities and not the religion itself. If same-sex relationships, alcoholism, and abuse are offensive to you, you may want to avoid this book.
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Conceptus
View: on Bookshelves
Conceptus: A Laura Drummond Mystery by Brian Herskowitz is a crime thriller that will make you ponder the motives of the Catholic Church. Twenty-four years ago, Homicide Detective Laura Drummond was left to die after being raped and stabbed six times, and the attacker was never found. A serial killer targets a medical student, a nurse, and a priest. All are killed by six stab wounds and a slash above their pelvis. Laura arrests Rory Callahan after the medical student and nurse are killed because his DNA was found on the nurse. While Roy is in custody, the priest is killed, and they find Rory's DNA again. Laura must find out how his DNA was on the third victim. Laura becomes even more suspicious after realizing she suffered six stab wounds but woke up after a medically induced coma with a fresh slash above her pelvic area. What is the connection between Laura, the victims, and the killer? Can different people have the same DNA?
Brian Herskowitz has done an excellent job with the character development in this crime thriller. He has described each of the characters demonstrating their roles as detective, victim, killer, priest, etc., to the extent that I could visualize each one. I could see how the killer felt power believing he was invisible to everyone around him. He could mingle with crowds so that no one would remember him. Phrases like "He blended in like cream blends with coffee" made it realistic. I could feel the characters' fear when cops knocked on their door, and they knew that people rarely received good news in the middle of the night from the police. Before reading this book, I had never considered the color red as a symbol of blood, death, and revenge. Brian demonstrates a good knowledge of the Catholic Services, which handled adoptions, food pantries, and other services to the community. I also liked that the author put the characters' thoughts, emails, and GPS announcements in italics to make them stand out from the rest of the text.
The only negative I found about this book was the chapter headings. Many of them are in Latin, biblical, or other terms that I did not understand. Examples include "Exultant Lusibus," "Columbus Magistratus," and "Bibe," to name a few. I do not think average readers will understand how these terms tie into the chapters, and I think it would be better if the author provided the translations.
With less than ten errors in this 207-page book, there is no reason for me to give it less than 4 out of 4 stars. A professional editor could have easily overlooked most of these minor errors. Therefore, I am happy to say this book has been professionally edited. I consider my issue with the chapter titles a personal problem because other readers may know the meanings of the words. Therefore, I did not consider the lack of translations worthy enough to deduct a star.
With the abundance of non-borderline profanity, gory content, and sexual content, I recommend this book to mature readers of crime thrillers that focus on the Catholic Church and its past practices. Even though this book contains Catholic Church practices and beliefs, I believe it is suitable for all religions and non-religions because it focuses on criminal activities and not the religion itself. If same-sex relationships, alcoholism, and abuse are offensive to you, you may want to avoid this book.
******
Conceptus
View: on Bookshelves
