Review of The Poe Consequence
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Lexys Gutierrez
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Review of The Poe Consequence
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Poe Consequence" by Keith Steinbaum.]
The Poe Consequence by Keith Steinbaum is a paranormal mystery novel centering around the death of English professor Warren Palmer, a man who was fascinated by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. An unfortunate result of a failed drive by shooting between two rivaling L.A. gangs, Warren's death led to his promise of revenge against the gangsters who took him away from his newly orphaned son.
Although the novel is categorized as a paranormal mystery, a large part of the story focused on the economic and racial happenings that often take place within the poor neighborhoods of L.A.'s Mexican-American community. While Warren is a Caucasian man, the two rivaling gangs responsible for his death primarily consisted of men of Mexican descent. A significant part of the novel focused on these gangs and the way they lived their daily lives. Steinbaum dedicated a large portion of his story to explaining why these Mexican gangsters acted the way they did through the personal narrations of some of the book's main characters. Combined with the death of a Caucasian man, Steinbaum did an excellent job of demonstrating the events that take place every day within the poor Mexican-American communities of L.A.
Despite this, the novel has several plot holes within its pages. In at least two cases, the author contradicted pieces of the plot already written, in which he wrote one thing in one chapter, yet several chapters later wrote something else opposite of what was originally written. Although not major gaps in the overall story, the contradictions were enough to throw the reader off and leave them questioning what they originally read.
With these two aspects in mind, I would rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars. The author's expert descriptions of the every day decisions made by L.A.'s gangs and the thought processes leading to those decisions made for a fascinating read. These descriptions provided an in depth peak into the minds of gangsters and allowed the reader an opportunity to understand something they may not have before. However, the inconsistencies in the plot made reading difficult at times and left the reader needing to pause and think back to a previously written part of the plot. While these inconsistencies are minor, they were enough to be considered confusing.
Due to its intense scenes and sometimes triggering content, I would not recommend this book to anyone sensitive towards gang related violence. However, for those interested in the inner workings of gang culture or even those who are not sensitive to gang culture and are just looking for a good read, the contents of The Poe Consequence are captivating and at times, enlightening.
******
The Poe Consequence
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
The Poe Consequence by Keith Steinbaum is a paranormal mystery novel centering around the death of English professor Warren Palmer, a man who was fascinated by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. An unfortunate result of a failed drive by shooting between two rivaling L.A. gangs, Warren's death led to his promise of revenge against the gangsters who took him away from his newly orphaned son.
Although the novel is categorized as a paranormal mystery, a large part of the story focused on the economic and racial happenings that often take place within the poor neighborhoods of L.A.'s Mexican-American community. While Warren is a Caucasian man, the two rivaling gangs responsible for his death primarily consisted of men of Mexican descent. A significant part of the novel focused on these gangs and the way they lived their daily lives. Steinbaum dedicated a large portion of his story to explaining why these Mexican gangsters acted the way they did through the personal narrations of some of the book's main characters. Combined with the death of a Caucasian man, Steinbaum did an excellent job of demonstrating the events that take place every day within the poor Mexican-American communities of L.A.
Despite this, the novel has several plot holes within its pages. In at least two cases, the author contradicted pieces of the plot already written, in which he wrote one thing in one chapter, yet several chapters later wrote something else opposite of what was originally written. Although not major gaps in the overall story, the contradictions were enough to throw the reader off and leave them questioning what they originally read.
With these two aspects in mind, I would rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars. The author's expert descriptions of the every day decisions made by L.A.'s gangs and the thought processes leading to those decisions made for a fascinating read. These descriptions provided an in depth peak into the minds of gangsters and allowed the reader an opportunity to understand something they may not have before. However, the inconsistencies in the plot made reading difficult at times and left the reader needing to pause and think back to a previously written part of the plot. While these inconsistencies are minor, they were enough to be considered confusing.
Due to its intense scenes and sometimes triggering content, I would not recommend this book to anyone sensitive towards gang related violence. However, for those interested in the inner workings of gang culture or even those who are not sensitive to gang culture and are just looking for a good read, the contents of The Poe Consequence are captivating and at times, enlightening.
******
The Poe Consequence
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Project Tau by Jude Austin
