Review of Lethal Melodies

[Mayang Bature]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lethal Melodies" by Abdulilah Hamadi.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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David Lipton, a well-known best-selling author, met Maria while attending a flamenco performance in Spain. Later, while discussing the performance, they met a funny man named Balbino Balbow, with whom they all became friends. David received a call from his mother informing him that his father, Professor George Lipton, was missing. This shocking revelation prompted him to embark on a quest with his new friends to locate his missing father.

Simultaneously, audience members who attend musical performances die mysteriously from bleeding through their ears. Spanish detectives Diego Santana and Isabelle Hernandez are working tirelessly to determine what causes deaths from this music. When the paths of these two groups cross, they meet new people and travel across countries, only to discover shocking revelations they could not have predicted. Is there any connection between Professor Lipton's disappearance and the lethal melodies heard around the world? What other mysteries are at play in this entire scenario?

“Lethal Melodies” by Abdulilah Hamadi was quite a rollercoaster ride. I experienced a range of emotions while solving the mystery and immersed myself in the adventure of this story. Because this was an audiobook, it did an excellent job of making the story memorable through sound. The mimicking of accents gave each character their own voice—literally. I also enjoyed the dramatic background music and sound effects, which added a nice touch to the story. When the scene was described as being outside, one could hear the wind blowing and people talking in the distance. When someone entered a room, the sound of the door creaking would break the silence. These small details enhanced the story's immersiveness, drawing me into its world.

This story's character depth was something I particularly enjoyed. The way each character was described felt unique. One notable example was Balbino, the group's clown. His carefully crafted jokes were well received and added levity to even the most serious situations. These moments were placed strategically, and I never felt overwhelmed. The main mystery of what caused the bloody music and Professor Lipton's disappearance became even more intriguing as the story introduced new characters. That way, I would keep guessing, which made me eager to see what happened next.

Despite all of these positive aspects, I would only give this book a three out of five. It had a lot of overly dramatic scenes, which made the book feel bloated. The description of the atmosphere and the amplified impact of various situations were supposed to heighten the excitement, but their frequency made it feel tiring. The small details in the story were given an exaggerated level of importance. If these exaggerations had been limited, reading this book would have been less of a chore. The narrative could go on for more than a minute, describing how the entire group reacted to a joke Balbino had told, and I did not find such scenarios appealing. Furthermore, the book provided overly hazy descriptions of some of its concepts, such as how the golden ratio was related to music. The surface descriptions it provided did not correspond to its claimed importance in the overall narrative. Finally, the twists near the end felt too convenient and anticlimactic, giving the impression that the entire buildup was just a diversion tactic.

Overall, this book succeeded as a mystery novel with well-developed characters. I did not notice any errors while listening to this audiobook. However, because of the aforementioned drawbacks, I deducted two stars from its rating. People who enjoy mystery and adventure would thoroughly enjoy this story if they could get past its flaws.

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Lethal Melodies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Martin Shae]

David Lipton, a best-selling author, met Maria at a flamenco performance in Spain and later befriended a humorous man named Balbino Balbow. When David’s mother calls to inform him that his father, Professor George Lipton, is missing, David and his new friends embark on a quest to find him.