Official Review: Operation Salazar by Dan Lawton
Posted: 28 Sep 2016, 23:25
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Operation Salazar" by Dan Lawton.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Operation Salazar by Dam Lawton is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. What was supposed to be a simple home invasion, turns into a series of events that lead to the discovery of numerous criminals all involved in the crimes being committed. Marco Salazar, along with his best friend Antonio, break into the Winston’s home one night in an invasion that doesn’t go as planned when the Winston’s wake up as the two walk into their bedroom. It is at that moment Marco realizes this operation isn’t going to be as easy as he thought, but it must be done. Inside the Winston’s home is a statue that is worth money which Marco needs in order to get his father out of jail. Marco believes his father, Bartolo, is innocent and without that statue and money, he won’t be able to get his father out of jail. It is up to Marco and Antonio to get this crime done within deadline as other criminals come out of hiding, all wanting their hands on what this statue is worth.
In Operation Salazar friendships and relationships are put to the test. Can Antonio remain best friends with Marco when he doesn’t want to live a life of crime anymore, even if it means helping Marco get his father out of jail? Will Peter and Jen Winston’s marriage survive the ordeal they go through from the moment of their home invasion and all other incidents that happen to the couple? Will are the criminals be caught for their actions?
I give Operation Salazar 2 out of 4 stars. The book was fast paced and I found myself finding it hard to put down, always wanting to read the next chapter to see what was going to happen. Lawton doesn’t hide it from us that Marco and Antonio are the burglars, they are identified immediately in the first chapter and I thought that was interesting. Instead of having to figure out on our own who are the criminals, we are kept on the edge of our seats wondering if the two, along with the other criminals, are going to be caught for their crimes. What I didn’t like was how Lawton treated these men who were criminals, no matter what their backstories were. I found there to be no closure and felt that he was saying it was fine they broke into the Winston’s home not only once, but three times, because they were doing what they did in order to help his father out. How does that justify their actions?
There were too many characters coming in and out of the novel at random parts. If Lawton put only a few of these characters and mix them in the crime ring, then it would’ve flowed easily. Many times I found characters popping out of nowhere, leaving me confused, especially if they were mentioned once and then not again until many chapters later. By the time I saw their names show up again, I forgot all about them and couldn’t remember who they were, which bothered me while reading the book.
Jen and Peter were annoying as a couple and each had their own flaws. I don’t know if Lawton did that intentionally to make us not like them fully or no, but for two people who were main characters, their personalities were hard to swallow. Lawton made sure to mention every chance he could that Jen hated living in Boston and wanted out of the city. We got it the first ten times she said it, why he had to keep writing it up until the last chapters was beyond me. And Peter, what kind of husband doesn’t believe his wife when she’s telling him about the strange things happening in the house? Again, there was no real closure on these two and I found myself at the end of reading the book wishing there was more to them as a couple. Unfortunately, I was left unsatisfied.
I wanted to like this book more than I did because I thought it had a good premise and a promising beginning. Sadly, the parts I disliked outnumbered the parts I did like. When reading a book, I don’t like getting confused when there are more characters than necessary as I saw with Operation Salazar. If Lawton just limited the number of people that were in this book, I know I would’ve enjoyed it much better. Good didn’t win and that is a major turn off for me when reading books as well. Perhaps if Lawton showed Marco and Antonio being punished for their crimes, not just breaking into Winston’s home, but all the crimes they did, the reader would see their was justice for the victims. Too many factors were missing for me to say this was a great book, but it was in some ways an enjoyable read. If you like reading books that involve Italian Mafia backdrop, then this is a book for you.
******
Operation Salazar
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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2 out of 4 stars
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Operation Salazar by Dam Lawton is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. What was supposed to be a simple home invasion, turns into a series of events that lead to the discovery of numerous criminals all involved in the crimes being committed. Marco Salazar, along with his best friend Antonio, break into the Winston’s home one night in an invasion that doesn’t go as planned when the Winston’s wake up as the two walk into their bedroom. It is at that moment Marco realizes this operation isn’t going to be as easy as he thought, but it must be done. Inside the Winston’s home is a statue that is worth money which Marco needs in order to get his father out of jail. Marco believes his father, Bartolo, is innocent and without that statue and money, he won’t be able to get his father out of jail. It is up to Marco and Antonio to get this crime done within deadline as other criminals come out of hiding, all wanting their hands on what this statue is worth.
In Operation Salazar friendships and relationships are put to the test. Can Antonio remain best friends with Marco when he doesn’t want to live a life of crime anymore, even if it means helping Marco get his father out of jail? Will Peter and Jen Winston’s marriage survive the ordeal they go through from the moment of their home invasion and all other incidents that happen to the couple? Will are the criminals be caught for their actions?
I give Operation Salazar 2 out of 4 stars. The book was fast paced and I found myself finding it hard to put down, always wanting to read the next chapter to see what was going to happen. Lawton doesn’t hide it from us that Marco and Antonio are the burglars, they are identified immediately in the first chapter and I thought that was interesting. Instead of having to figure out on our own who are the criminals, we are kept on the edge of our seats wondering if the two, along with the other criminals, are going to be caught for their crimes. What I didn’t like was how Lawton treated these men who were criminals, no matter what their backstories were. I found there to be no closure and felt that he was saying it was fine they broke into the Winston’s home not only once, but three times, because they were doing what they did in order to help his father out. How does that justify their actions?
There were too many characters coming in and out of the novel at random parts. If Lawton put only a few of these characters and mix them in the crime ring, then it would’ve flowed easily. Many times I found characters popping out of nowhere, leaving me confused, especially if they were mentioned once and then not again until many chapters later. By the time I saw their names show up again, I forgot all about them and couldn’t remember who they were, which bothered me while reading the book.
Jen and Peter were annoying as a couple and each had their own flaws. I don’t know if Lawton did that intentionally to make us not like them fully or no, but for two people who were main characters, their personalities were hard to swallow. Lawton made sure to mention every chance he could that Jen hated living in Boston and wanted out of the city. We got it the first ten times she said it, why he had to keep writing it up until the last chapters was beyond me. And Peter, what kind of husband doesn’t believe his wife when she’s telling him about the strange things happening in the house? Again, there was no real closure on these two and I found myself at the end of reading the book wishing there was more to them as a couple. Unfortunately, I was left unsatisfied.
I wanted to like this book more than I did because I thought it had a good premise and a promising beginning. Sadly, the parts I disliked outnumbered the parts I did like. When reading a book, I don’t like getting confused when there are more characters than necessary as I saw with Operation Salazar. If Lawton just limited the number of people that were in this book, I know I would’ve enjoyed it much better. Good didn’t win and that is a major turn off for me when reading books as well. Perhaps if Lawton showed Marco and Antonio being punished for their crimes, not just breaking into Winston’s home, but all the crimes they did, the reader would see their was justice for the victims. Too many factors were missing for me to say this was a great book, but it was in some ways an enjoyable read. If you like reading books that involve Italian Mafia backdrop, then this is a book for you.
******
Operation Salazar
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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