Official Review: Busted by Michele I. Khoury

[Lg_99]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Busted" by Michele I. Khoury.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The feeling of reading a perfect story is something difficult to forget. Busted by Michele I. Khoury is a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat while desperately wanting to know what will happen next. This crime thriller has 380 pages filled with action, great characters, drugs, suspense, and a little bit of romance. The author managed to flawlessly deliver a story about friendship, love, and inner strength. Although the book has very few sexual content, there are a lot of explicit scenes involving drug usage and physical violence. Therefore, I would not recommend this story to people under fifteen.

The story takes place in California, between 2008-2010. Gina McKenna is one of the many people affected by the recession period. She is a full-time artist struggling to pay the rent while her bank account is running low. When Gina almost hits rock-bottom, she meets a handsome, and rich, young man that seems quite interested in her. She is immediately seduced by his good looks and charismatic behavior. However, appearances can be deceiving, and Gina is about to find out that her perfect boyfriend may not be as perfect as he seems. Miguel Lopez is a mercenary. He is a cocaine supplier who's only interested in making money. He is ruthless and willing to do anything to take his enemies, or competition, out of the way. No one will get in his way to success, not even Gina. Special Agent Bobby Garcia works for the DEA; he has dedicated a big part of his life to eradicating criminals and illegal drugs, and after a series of events, his desire to eliminate people like Miguel becomes dangerously personal. The once righteous agent is willing to destroy people's lives and break the law in order to obtain his revenge. These three characters find themselves trapped in a tale in which no one can be trusted.

As the reader can notice, there are three main characters in this book. If I were to choose only one, however, Gina would be my choice since everything that occurs in the story somehow involves her. The characters, main and secondary, were amazing in every possible way. They had flaws and strengths like everyone else, which made them look real and relatable. I loved the heroes and hated the villains, but sometimes, I hated the heroes and kind of liked the villains. These characters caused a whirlwind of emotions within me, both positive and negative, and I enjoyed feeling that way because it meant that I actually cared about them. I related to these characters and felt their happiness and pain. When I read a book, I always look for character development; I dislike when a character remains the same throughout the story. However, I am so glad to say that this novel did not disappoint in that aspect.

I have noticed that this book falls under the mystery genre, which is not true at all. From the very beginning, we are told who the good and bad guys are. There is no mystery here. This is not a story about finding who the villain is but finding how to outsmart them instead. While I was reading this book, I felt as if I were watching a game of strategy. Both sides set the traps and patiently waited for someone to fall into them. This leads me to the book's strongest point: The attention to detail. Mrs. Khoury did a lot of research and interviewed a lot of people before writing this book. The way she described how the DEA handles drug trafficking and how drug dealers are able to smuggle cocaine, or blow, across the border and within the United States was too detailed and made a lot of sense. In the story, we see people from both sides of the drug spectrum: Those who think that it should be legalized and those who don't. If the author was biased towards a specific side, she did not show it. My favorite part was when the author described the tedious process of arresting a person. Search warrants are not that easy to get. As someone who is studying Criminal Justice, the accuracy of the facts made me feel really happy.

The book went through a professional and thorough editing process. The grammar errors were quite hard to notice, and I had to double-check every sentence to see if there were more. Although I would need to review my notes, I am ninety percent sure I saw less than ten mistakes throughout the story.

Despite my overall enjoyment of this book, I must admit that there were a couple things that bothered me a little. This feels like nitpicking, though. The first one was a scene in which one of the characters acted as a witness to a crime; They were in the courtroom, and the defense attorney was representing his son. Although this is totally legal, it is not ethical because personal feelings and favoritism are most likely to get in the way. Another thing I disliked was how every single character never answered their phone. I understand if it happens once or twice, but it happened so frequently that it frustrated me.

All in all, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I don't feel like the issues above mentioned were enough reasons to give this book a lower rating. The plot, characters, and grammar were fantastic; the writing style was descriptive and easy to follow along, and the information provided was accurate. I would totally recommend this story to anyone interested in an action-packed story with twists and turns in every page.

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Busted
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Like Lg_99's review? Post a comment saying so!

[OrlaCarty]

Wow, describing the book as a "perfect story" is high praise! I really enjoyed this review - especially the little bit at the end about the characters never answering their phones. What a strange and unrealistic thing to keep happening. I'm glad it didn't take away from your enjoyment of the novel

[Sahani Nimandra]

I like a book that can outsmart me no time, any book that will provide inside info is always welcome. I like the flow of your review and your justification for your point is great. Thanks for the information, definitely checking this book out!

[kandscreeley]

I find it kind of funny that none of the characters ever answered their phones. It IS a bit odd. Still, it definitely sounds like a great story. Thanks for the review.

[Mouricia Allen]

This is an amazing review, and this book sounds like something I would like to read.

[RebeccasReading]

This book sounds like a fun read! I'll add it to my list . Thanks for the review!

[lavellan]

Thanks for your review! The book sounds very interesting and exciting! I always appreciate it when the author takes the time to research the subject to ensure that the characters and premise are represented properly.

[Manang Muyang]

The dainty cover doesn't give a clue that the story is all crime, drugs and violence. I would have never guessed. That aside, and with the reviewer's high praise, this action-packed book gets a nod from me. It's funny that the reviewer noticed the unanswered phones. I'm almost sure all future readers will be counting. I, for one, will.

[NL Hartje]

It's interesting that you say the genre is misrepresented. I wonder why it was marked this way? Thank you for this lovely review!

[vinodsai]

An engrossing novel which confronts the complex issues like drug trafficking and addiction. The story was so engaging, captivating, and Interesting. I added this book to my To-read list. Thanks for the review.

[LifeISGOOD2]

I enyjoyed your review. This book is given a detailed description of characters and bottom line information as to what really takes place. I find it would be fascinating to read it just by the review and I look forward reading it.
Thank you, for the review!

[shandasham03]

This is interesting and exciting to read, but the cover of the book doesn't match the story. I like the mystery that you need to know while reading the details. Must be curious why is the girl connected to other characters. My overall all review is it's a nice story to read.

[Emmanuel Mifetu]

This book is very interesting and fun.kind of engaging,added to my reading list..

[stacie k]

I like your comment about the characters... that you loved the heroes and hated the villains, but sometimes you hated the heroes and kind of liked the villains. The fact that the characters elicited an emotional response from you indicates that they are well done. I really enjoyed your review!

[Ashiyya Tariq]

The premise of this story is quite interesting and reality-based. I think a perfect crime fiction. Great review.