OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Almost Mortal" by Christopher Leibig.]

Almost Mortal by Christopher Leibig is a crime/mystery story that revolves around Samson "Sam" Young, a criminal defense attorney in Bennet County, Virginia. Sam occasionally worked off the books helping people with legal problems. So, it wasn't a hard decision to make when he agreed to help his late mother's friends, Camille Paradisi and Father Andrada, on the Rosslyn Ripper case.

The Rosslyn Ripper was a serial killer on the loose who had been involved with 3 murders. Someone confessed to Father Andrada at the church about being the Rosslyn Ripper. Father Andrada had to make a decision between reporting the person and adhering to the clergy-pertinent privilege. Sam had to carry out a private investigation into the case to protect Father Andrada. Simultaneously, someone (I'll use "X" to avoid any spoilers) suspected to be the Rosslyn Ripper was sending pages of a journal to the church, which Camille forwarded to Sam to help with his investigation. The journal contained X's life stories. Sam discovered that he was similar to X in many ways, and as he continued to read, things became clearer.

I look at Almost Mortal as two different stories that are related. The first being Sam's story, and the second being X's story. While I really enjoyed reading both stories, I felt like the second story outshone the first in many ways. The stories in the journal had more adventure and mystery about them. The writing styles in both stories are very different as if they were really written by two different people. The stories in the journal used a more detailed writing style. It was like I was right there as X adventured through Bariloche, Argentina, to Havana, Cuba, then, to Miami, U.S.A. There were also points where thought-provoking questions about God were raised in the journal.

Reading Sam's story as he investigated the Rosslyn Ripper case was interesting, as I tried to pick up on clues the author gave. However, I found the clues small in number and inconclusive, and I wasn't able to figure out who the Ripper was before the end. Christopher focused more on developing the plot than the characters, but he did an awesome job on Sam's character. Sam was very relatable. He lost both parents at a very young age, and it influenced him in so many ways, including his work helping people, his lack of faith in God, and his drinking and smoking habits. Initially, I wished the author had put more into the development of some of the other characters. However, I later realized that knowing more about some characters would have taken away from the mystery part of the story.

Almost Mortal is well edited and well organized. The author moved between the two stories in a way that didn't get me confused at any time. I only found two minor errors throughout the book, which was impressive because I put a lot of effort into seeking out errors. There wasn't much to dislike about this book. I would have liked more suspense in the story, and the ending didn't quite match my expectations.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Almost Mortal. It is definitely a book that I would go back to reading again. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The lack of suspense and the book's ending made it less perfect for me, but the execution of the overall story deserves more than a 2-star rating. I would recommend this book to fans of crime and mystery stories. There was also an element of romance, but I'm not sure it's enough for romance fans to enjoy this book. The sex scenes in the novel, while not very descriptive, mean that I would not recommend this book to a younger audience.

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Almost Mortal
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When I finished this book i felt like I wasted my time because the author came up with a bizarre twist that was WAY out there. It could have been a good book though.

This sounds quite interesting. Almost two different stories in one book and both of them written so differently? Odd. Still, it sounds like something worth looking into for sure. Thanks so much!

I appreciate unpredictable books. I would normally be concerned about two separate stories taking away from the overall story, but it sounds like this one was well done.

This looks like a book I'll enjoy reading but the lack of suspense will make me cross my fingers for this one, however, this is well constructed review. Thanks

Seems like a very interesting book. I'll surely get to read it someday. Good review.

This is a story that would interest me. I like writing that keeps you thinking and that doesn't reveal the antagonist too easily. This author seems like he does a good job of keeping the reader's interest Thanks for your insightful review.

This isn’t my kind of book really. The only thing that would have made it a bit manageable would have been suspense, which it lacks. I think I’ll pass on this one. Nice review though.

This sounds interesting, even the name Rosslyn Ripper is intriguing. It also seems like a game of cat and mouse. Thank you so much for the awesome review.

The read sounds pretty intriguing to me. I would love to see how it pans out. Thanks for the review.

A legal thriller revolving around a Virginia public defender with psychic abilities who tries to catch a serial murder sounds exciting. Interesting that the two story lines are so different. Too bad about the lack of suspense and the weak ending. At least it was well edited. Thank you for the review!

Looks like an interesting read! Why were people claiming to be this serial murderer if they were not? Are the two stories connected?

A crime-mystery thriller with a serial killer and a gifted protagonist, this is a book I fully intend to read. I also like a well edited book Thanks for turning me to the book with this excellent review.

I like how there are two interconnected stories. While thrillers are mostly plot-driven,it is good to know the author emphasises the protagonist's character. Thanks for the awesome review.

I love a good mystery! I would usually dismiss a book that overlooks character development but you make a very good case when you say that the main character is well-developed and that it was necessary to protect some character's identity to keep the mystery.
A great, compelling review, thanks!