Official Review: Heads Will Roll by Joanie Chevalier

[Lest92]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Heads Will Roll" by Joanie Chevalier.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Would you risk a dicey procedure to replace your body with a new healthy one, free of disease, age and imperfections? Joanie Chevalier speculates about this possible future scenario in her medical thriller, Heads Will Roll. In this novel, Chevalier considers the implications of a head transplant. Is the operation a medical breakthrough or plain insanity? How does it affect the patient's identity and sense of authenticity or how long will it be before the head transplant procedure becomes just another cosmetic surgery?

Tokyo businessman Aiko Ikeda believes Dr Farkis’s clandestine head transplant operation is his overweight daughter Kaneko’s only hope of landing a husband. In Oakland, California, Barry hounds Dr Farkis in his desperation for a new body, since he suffers from muscular dystrophy. When Barry teams up with Joey and Jenny to gain access to the doctor’s warehouse, they find out that the secret operation is guarded from premature public knowledge by a dangerous web of criminal organisation and local government. To Barry’s chagrin, Dr Farkis does not hesitate to perform a head transplant on a perfectly healthy but vain woman instead of accepting Barry's offer to be a willing guinea pig. The description of the surgery left me squeamish, as well it should; something about the tone of the story reminded me of The Human Centipede, though I promise Heads Will Roll is not that horrific.

I wanted to give Heads Will Roll a standing ovation once I turned the last page. This is a dazzling, uncanny and intelligent story that I had to read in one sitting. It had me asking my own questions and reading more about the possibility of head transplants (Chevalier provides a link to her blog, where she discusses the likelihood of this operation). Although Heads Will Roll is a short novel, the concept is well developed and the author speculates perceptively with a relatable cast of characters, whose motivations were clear and plausible. The story moves at a cracking pace but leaves out no information, and the characters’ backstories never slowed it down but added to the intrigue. Chevalier wove the stories of Kaneko, Barry and Joey together into a coherent plot I would describe as cinematic with a touch of dark humour.

There is nothing to fault regarding the writing and editing. The author writes in a gripping style, which, together with the captivating story, made Heads Will Roll one of those books you can’t put down until you’ve reached the end. There were no errors to bog the reader down.

Heads Will Roll deserves a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Recommended for readers who appreciate a walk in the uncanny valley, suspense, and thrillers with a medical twist.

******
Heads Will Roll
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Lest92's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

I agree! I'm still in the process of reading this book but I'm loving every second of it! Thank you for this enthusiastic review!

[kandscreeley]

This is quite intriguing to me. I saw it as book of the day, and I was intrigued right then. I'm just not sure about a head transplant. Thanks for the review. It definitely cements that I need to read this one.

[LadyClaire]

'Heads will roll' is certainly an intriguing medico thriller. I'm glad you enjoyed each page. Thanks for the awesome review, Celeste

[Lest92]

Hi everyone, thank you for the positive response:D I wish I could have said more, though, but this book could sell itself.

[The Researcher]

Very nice review! The book promises a hell of a ride. I am very intrigued by the storyline. Definitely going to read this one.

[Abd-Elrhman]

There is nothing to fault regarding the writing and editing. The author writes in a gripping style, which, together with the captivating story, made Heads Will Roll one of those books you can’t put down until you’ve reached the end. There were no errors to bog the reader down.
Deserve 4 of 4 stars
Book is always a loyal friend

[Biblos]

Your review really sells this book. I read it and had to rate it fair because it has a very interesting story but through out the book the text is filled with typos and grammatical errors. Some scenes also contain descriptive mistakes where some details in a setup seem to be incomplete or conflicting with initial description like stating something is metal then later writing it as plastic! Such details are used to give a reader a mental picture of the story and with such errors there is no smooth flow of the story. I'd urge the author to take time to deliver a complete scene, and proof read for grammatical mistakes.