Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Thriller
Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
Smashwords store
Author:
A mother of
three and a respiratory therapist, M.P. McDonald has been an avid reader her
entire life. As the fifth of eight
children, hiding in the corner with a book may have been M.P.’s only way to get
a moment of peace. She has been married
for twenty-something years despite it being a mixed marriage – M.P. is a Bears
fan and her hubby roots for the Packers.
Description:
“After
thwarting a disaster in the nation's capital, Mark Taylor captures the
attention of the CIA. Mark doesn't trust the agency—not with his history with
them—but he agrees to demonstrate the miraculous camera in the hopes of
creating a team to help him ward off future catastrophe.
Mark
realizes too late that he should have listened to his gut instincts when he
finds himself held in the bowels of DC against his will while agents of the
CIA, intent upon learning the secrets of his psychic abilities, use him as a
test subject.”
Appraisal:
For those
new to this series, Mark Taylor has an old camera purchased in an Afghanistan
bazaar with magical qualities. Sometimes when he develops a roll of film (the
stories take place in the early part of the century when not everyone had
converted to digital) he discovers pictures he didn’t take which depict future
events, usually someone being hurt or killed in some way, which he then dreams
about at night. However, all of these events are preventable, if only Mark can
figure out enough details to intervene. Needless to say, this puts a lot of
pressure on Mark.
As with
other books in the series, this installment has some smaller events that Mark
prevents, plus one big catastrophe-in-the-making. If the books in the series
have developed a high-level formula, March
into Madness conforms, yet there are other things going on that make this
book unique. One large difference is the introduction of Chris “C.J.” Sheridan,
the son of CIA agent Jim Sheridan (who has been a major player in the series
from the beginning). C.J. plays a major role in this story and, in the process
of doing so, sets up several directions the series might go. As with all the
Mark Taylor books, this is an intense, unpredictable read.
FYI:
Some adult
language.
Not
counting the prequel novel, this is the fourth book in the Mark Taylor series.
The author does a good job introducing backstory that is required to follow
this book and it could probably be enjoyed as a standalone. However, my advice
would be to read the full series. A more complete understanding of the
character’s history, especially the evolution of the relationship between Mark
Taylor and Jim Sheridan, adds a lot.
Format/Typo Issues:
A small
number of typos and other copyediting and proofing issues.
Rating: **** Four Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment