Official Review: When the Rules Don't Apply

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 09 May 2018, 13:12

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "When the Rules Don't Apply" by Gerard Shirar.]

3 out of 4 stars

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When the Rules Don’t Apply is a fast-paced crime thriller that kept me captivated till the very last page. Timothy Flaherty and Donny Faye attended the same school as boys. Donny was a troubled child. He had challenges with school work and did not make friends easily. Timothy and Donny were drafted into the army during the Vietnam War. They survived the war and came home to uncertain futures. Timothy became a lawyer handling petty criminal cases. Donny went into a life of crime. They did not meet for several years until Donny contacted Timothy to retain him as his defense counsel. Donny’s defense was Timothy’s first high profile criminal case.

The story is divided into two parts. Part one of this book is largely about Donny’s life and adventures. It is a shocking tale of life in the underworld. It gives readers a glimpse into the mind of a killer. I did not like the character Donny. I found myself wishing each crime would be his last. The story is told in first person narrative, but with multiple points of view. Chapter one was written from Timothy’s point of view. The switch to Donny’s point of view in chapter two took me a little by surprise. The second part of the book is an account of the meeting between Timothy and Donny. It describes how Timothy tried to save Donny from a life sentence to jail. It contains a lot of intriguing courtroom drama which I enjoyed reading. I also enjoyed the few details on crime scene investigation and ballistics.

The writing was very good with vivid descriptions of settings that evoked imagery. The characters were diverse and deep. It was easy to visualize them. The author had a way with words that added some wit to his writing. An example of one such description that I liked is this:
“Faye drank heavily when he felt insecure, or angry, or disappointed, or for any reason, or no reason.”

If you do not like graphic accounts of violence and nudity, it may be better to avoid reading this book. This book was a fabulous psychological thriller. Even though I did not like the graphic details of violence, I found the plot captivating with several unexpected twists and turns. I couldn’t wait to find out how it would end. I was a little worried I would not find the ending satisfactory, but I did.

This book would have benefited from another round of editing to eliminate the grammatical and punctuation errors that I noticed in the book. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because it was an enjoyable read. I could not give it a 4-star rating because of the grammatical errors which I found very distracting. Readers of crime thrillers will enjoy reading this book.

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When the Rules Don't Apply
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gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 14 May 2018, 23:36

Thank you for your detailed review. The premise is interesting, and the writing seems to be witty - I liked the sentence you quoted from the book. It sounds like something I would have to pick up soon!

420waystoreachthesun · Post by **420waystoreachthesun** » 15 May 2018, 00:14

Thank you for this review. I found the title off-putting, but I will give this book a try.

Laura Ungureanu · Post by **Laura Ungureanu** » 15 May 2018, 04:10

I do not usually read crime thrillers, but the plot here looks intetesting. I think I will not like Donny too. It seems like it is more a story of a friendship, and for that I would gice it a try.

Jackie Holycross · Post by **Jackie Holycross** » 15 May 2018, 10:08

I like the idea of getting inside the killers mind. The book sounds intense.

cpru68 · Post by **cpru68** » 15 May 2018, 11:19

Written from both points of view sounds interesting. Too bad about the grammatical errors, though. Thank you for including details on the graphic nature as I shy away from that. Nice to have your review to let me know that this one probably isn’t for me.

Mouricia Allen · Post by **Mouricia Allen** » 16 May 2018, 00:10

This doesn't seem like a book I would read anytime soon, however, I loved your review of it.

Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 16 May 2018, 03:10

I don't know why, but the title made me think this book belonged to the non-fiction genre. Your review made things clear. The storyline with the two friends taking different paths in life is quite appealing. However, the technical errors as well as the graphic violence and nudity definitely keep me off this thriller.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 17 May 2018, 09:07

This definitely sounds like an interesting read. The writing seems good, and I guess it's just a pity about the grammar errors--I agree they get really distracting, and often detract from full immersion in the story! Other than that, it does seem like something I'd pick up, as a fan of thrillers.

Thank you for writing this review--I found it really helpful!

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 18 May 2018, 17:10

gen_g wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 23:36 Thank you for your detailed review. The premise is interesting, and the writing seems to be witty - I liked the sentence you quoted from the book. It sounds like something I would have to pick up soon!

Thanks for taking out time to read and reply. The writing was very witty! Cheers

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 18 May 2018, 17:12

Ginnamassa19 wrote: ↑17 May 2018, 09:07 This definitely sounds like an interesting read. The writing seems good, and I guess it's just a pity about the grammar errors--I agree they get really distracting, and often detract from full immersion in the story! Other than that, it does seem like something I'd pick up, as a fan of thrillers.

Thank you for writing this review--I found it really helpful!

I am glad you found my review helpful. The writing is definitely good. I hope the author is able to do another round of editing to make it perfect!

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 18 May 2018, 17:14

cristinaro wrote: ↑16 May 2018, 03:10 I don't know why, but the title made me think this book belonged to the non-fiction genre. Your review made things clear. The storyline with the two friends taking different paths in life is quite appealing. However, the technical errors as well as the graphic violence and nudity definitely keep me off this thriller.

Thanks for your insightful comment. You are right about the title suggesting another genre. I read the summary out of curiosity and took my chance on it! Cheers!

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 18 May 2018, 17:16

Mouricia25 wrote: ↑16 May 2018, 00:10 This doesn't seem like a book I would read anytime soon, however, I loved your review of it.

Thanks a lot for your kind words. Deeply appreciated!

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha · Post by **Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha** » 18 May 2018, 17:19

cpru68 wrote: ↑15 May 2018, 11:19 Written from both points of view sounds interesting. Too bad about the grammatical errors, though. Thank you for including details on the graphic nature as I shy away from that. Nice to have your review to let me know that this one probably isn’t for me.

I find several points of view interesting too. I am glad I was able to help!