Official Review: Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor
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rachel_bruhn
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Official Review: Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shutter Speed" by Mark Taylor.]
3 out of 4 stars
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There is a hidden gem in the author Mark Taylor. One look at his "About the Author" section will have you smiling and show what a character he is. He definitely has a talent for writing "macabre, dark stories, with a brooding style" which is apparent in his novel Shutter Speed. The cover of the book alone has a professional look to it and sets the expectation that the book will present just as professionally. I can assure you Taylor did not disappoint.
The lead character in the novel is Jimmy Tasker, a man now grown and thinking back on his life and how he got to where he is today. He starts by recounting a traumatic story from when he was younger. In an effort to escape his abusive father, Jimmy would disappear on his bike and find places to take pictures. One day he decided to take pictures of an old office building that was being renovated. He was fortunate enough to find an open window to sneak inside, but so were two other boys and they didn't like Jimmy being there. A poorly planned prank turned into disaster as the boys start an uncontrollable fire, which left Jimmy burned and traumatized. That single event in Jimmy's life forever changed him.
Fast forward to the present and we learn about "The Boys": Callum (aka Cal), Gil, Steve, and Peter. The Boys have been best friends since high school and enjoy eating bacon bagels, getting high, and hanging out. Tired of being low on cash, Cal comes up with a plan to rob a rich house in nearby Hampton. Gil, feeling scorned by a woman, and Peter, seeing no reason not to go along with it, both agree to do it. Steve, on the other hand, does not think it is worth the risk and decides it's about time for him to get a real job and start helping his mom at home.
Little did Cal know, but the house he chose could not have been worse. If Cal was disappointed in the lack of valuables in the house, it was nothing compared to the wicked turn of events that occurred when Gil decided to take what he wanted: the homeowner's wife, Lauren. That one decision threw all planning out the window and Cal became panicked. Ronan was frozen with fear about what had happened, but Jimmy was out for revenge and wouldn't stop until he tied up all the loose ends, including Steve.
Normally I opt for a shorter synopsis of the book, but there was so much going on in this story I felt that I needed to do it justice to help set the scene for the rest of the review. Taylor created a great CMTS story here and my jaw dropped numerous times as I read. As I alluded in the first paragraph, there is a lot of gory detail included in this book. I definitely would not recommend this book to anyone that does not like to read graphic details. On the flip side, if gore is your cup of tea I would most definitely recommend this book! This is one of the first CMTS books I have reviewed that I felt lived up to the genre stereotype. It is full of suspense, plot twists, and of course psychotic torture.
Taylor does a great job telling the story from different angles to help paint a picture of everything that is taking place. Perspective changes are preceded by the name of the character that we're reading about. My one complaint here is that sometimes the story is about something that happened previously, but is written as if it is presently happening. It was a bit confusing to sort out the story when reading about an event that already occurred. I would have preferred a better sequence of events or a more clear time transition to indicate that the event had already occurred. This was really the only major flaw I found while reading. All paragraphs were justified, which made it visually appealing to read. There were a few times when it appeared that a word was missing (probably done by a machine to help justify the paragraphs), but it was easily to fill in the blanks.
If I had to guess about a message for this book, it would be a stance against bullying. Jimmy was so traumatized by the bullying he got at home and by the boys in the old office building that he developed a psychosis that therapy was unable to cure. He was unable to cope with his trauma, so he created a new life for himself. When Cal and his friends came and took that new life away from him, the traumatized man returned with a vengeance. People don't realize how their actions can impact someone else. Some people blame the bullies and think we need to punish their actions. Other people think the victims need to learn to defend themselves/cope with the bullying. This story depicts the "worst case scenario" for someone that is bullied and unable to cope with the trauma. Mental illness is starting to gain footing in the healthcare community as professionals realize that mental health is just as important as physical health.
The story Taylor created is a four star story. However, the flow is broken as the reader jumps back and forth in time between stories. If I could give this story 3.5 stars I would, because it's almost there. With a little re-sequencing it would be perfect. Since half points aren't an option, I have to give Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Shutter Speed
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like rachel_jacks's review? Post a comment saying so!
-- 19 Nov 2015, 16:34 --
So the comments from the editors regarding this review criticized the synopsis portion of the review, stating that it was long-winded and the wording did not make sense in places. I have reread over that portion and am not really seeing what they were referring to. However, I was the one that wrote the review, so it all makes sense to me!
I need some outsider suggestions on what could be changed to make that part better. Thanks!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
There is a hidden gem in the author Mark Taylor. One look at his "About the Author" section will have you smiling and show what a character he is. He definitely has a talent for writing "macabre, dark stories, with a brooding style" which is apparent in his novel Shutter Speed. The cover of the book alone has a professional look to it and sets the expectation that the book will present just as professionally. I can assure you Taylor did not disappoint.
The lead character in the novel is Jimmy Tasker, a man now grown and thinking back on his life and how he got to where he is today. He starts by recounting a traumatic story from when he was younger. In an effort to escape his abusive father, Jimmy would disappear on his bike and find places to take pictures. One day he decided to take pictures of an old office building that was being renovated. He was fortunate enough to find an open window to sneak inside, but so were two other boys and they didn't like Jimmy being there. A poorly planned prank turned into disaster as the boys start an uncontrollable fire, which left Jimmy burned and traumatized. That single event in Jimmy's life forever changed him.
Fast forward to the present and we learn about "The Boys": Callum (aka Cal), Gil, Steve, and Peter. The Boys have been best friends since high school and enjoy eating bacon bagels, getting high, and hanging out. Tired of being low on cash, Cal comes up with a plan to rob a rich house in nearby Hampton. Gil, feeling scorned by a woman, and Peter, seeing no reason not to go along with it, both agree to do it. Steve, on the other hand, does not think it is worth the risk and decides it's about time for him to get a real job and start helping his mom at home.
Little did Cal know, but the house he chose could not have been worse. If Cal was disappointed in the lack of valuables in the house, it was nothing compared to the wicked turn of events that occurred when Gil decided to take what he wanted: the homeowner's wife, Lauren. That one decision threw all planning out the window and Cal became panicked. Ronan was frozen with fear about what had happened, but Jimmy was out for revenge and wouldn't stop until he tied up all the loose ends, including Steve.
Normally I opt for a shorter synopsis of the book, but there was so much going on in this story I felt that I needed to do it justice to help set the scene for the rest of the review. Taylor created a great CMTS story here and my jaw dropped numerous times as I read. As I alluded in the first paragraph, there is a lot of gory detail included in this book. I definitely would not recommend this book to anyone that does not like to read graphic details. On the flip side, if gore is your cup of tea I would most definitely recommend this book! This is one of the first CMTS books I have reviewed that I felt lived up to the genre stereotype. It is full of suspense, plot twists, and of course psychotic torture.
Taylor does a great job telling the story from different angles to help paint a picture of everything that is taking place. Perspective changes are preceded by the name of the character that we're reading about. My one complaint here is that sometimes the story is about something that happened previously, but is written as if it is presently happening. It was a bit confusing to sort out the story when reading about an event that already occurred. I would have preferred a better sequence of events or a more clear time transition to indicate that the event had already occurred. This was really the only major flaw I found while reading. All paragraphs were justified, which made it visually appealing to read. There were a few times when it appeared that a word was missing (probably done by a machine to help justify the paragraphs), but it was easily to fill in the blanks.
If I had to guess about a message for this book, it would be a stance against bullying. Jimmy was so traumatized by the bullying he got at home and by the boys in the old office building that he developed a psychosis that therapy was unable to cure. He was unable to cope with his trauma, so he created a new life for himself. When Cal and his friends came and took that new life away from him, the traumatized man returned with a vengeance. People don't realize how their actions can impact someone else. Some people blame the bullies and think we need to punish their actions. Other people think the victims need to learn to defend themselves/cope with the bullying. This story depicts the "worst case scenario" for someone that is bullied and unable to cope with the trauma. Mental illness is starting to gain footing in the healthcare community as professionals realize that mental health is just as important as physical health.
The story Taylor created is a four star story. However, the flow is broken as the reader jumps back and forth in time between stories. If I could give this story 3.5 stars I would, because it's almost there. With a little re-sequencing it would be perfect. Since half points aren't an option, I have to give Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Shutter Speed
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like rachel_jacks's review? Post a comment saying so!
-- 19 Nov 2015, 16:34 --
So the comments from the editors regarding this review criticized the synopsis portion of the review, stating that it was long-winded and the wording did not make sense in places. I have reread over that portion and am not really seeing what they were referring to. However, I was the one that wrote the review, so it all makes sense to me!
I need some outsider suggestions on what could be changed to make that part better. Thanks!
Journey beyond the jacket.
Latest Review: The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis
