|
AKW books :: -Mystery and Thrillers :: One Always Chooses Paris
| Customer feedback |
|
|
Product rating |
|
Voting |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author: Al Kalar
Adventure, Romance, Thriller; all wrapped into one
What a trip!
This story took me to three continents with trouble nipping on the heroin's heels all the way. The plot was excellent and the hero ... well, he was what you'd expect in a romance that's also an adventure/thriller: square jawed, intelligent, and capable.
The surprise? The heroin was not the usual shrinking violet, but a rather capable business woman who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty in the field. The two are well-matched.
I look forward to Conroy's next book.
Note: I work for the publisher, but I can say anything I want without losing my job. So, take it for what it's worth.
|
Author: Jack Herbst
I don’t know much about romances, but I recognize a darn good action/thriller when I read one. James Conroy’s One Always Chooses Paris is one of those. A very timely tale that mixes corporate crime, international intrigue and yes, I’ll admit, a healthy dose of romance.
Anita Gold is every parent’s dream of the model daughter: highly intelligent, self-motivated, athletic and resourceful. She is no one’s idea of a damsel in distress. But distress comes in many guises. Without giving the away the plot, Anita’s company is corrupt right up to the top floor and the CEO’s office. Determined to foil their lethal ambitions, she enlists the aid of a mercenary security operative, Ezra Paris. Their investigations take them from Africa to New York to Paris (France that is) with a delightful interlude in Sardinia (yes, the romance, if you must have it).
Conroy’s plotting is not only original but very believable with all that has been recently exposed about Wall Street and the integral part private security firms are playing in global security. You can almost change his fictitious names with ones off the front pages of any newspaper. Also his knowledge of Africa appears extensive from terrain and climate to culture and customs.
For me, One Always Chooses Paris was a page-turner and I would like to see more from this author. Soon!
|
Author: Sam White
This book is hodge-podge of romance, mystery and action. It's like a cross between a Jason Bourne story and a Harlequin romance novel. Or a mix of a Lifetime Network Original Movie, the TV show Nikita, and the Wall Street Movies. I know that sounds confusing, but trust me when I say it's better than it sounds.
Anita Gold and Ezra Paris are fascinating characters with rich, deep back-stories that make them very interesting and likable and they have great chemistry together. The people closest to them are also have a lot of depth and personality (even Paris' deceased parents sound captivating) and even the minor characters play off our leading man & lady really well. And Mr. Conroy has a gift for imagery as he describes the various settings from New York at Christmas time to Paris' vineyard on Sardinia Island to the deserts, plains and jungles of Africa. And call me old fashioned, but I really liked Conroy's talk of honor and integrity in a world filled with greed and corruption. I felt like it really kept things grounded in a story that could've ended up being over-sentimental & sappy.
However, I had some issues with it. For starters, I would've preferred a better villain. I can understand having the antagonist(s) on the sidelines for mystery and not to get in the way of the love story, but I would've preferred one interesting, maybe even fun bad guy (ya know, someone you'd love to hate) instead of a bunch of one-note crooks. Someone to be the anti-thesis of Paris and Anita's father. A Gordon Gekko type who saw good in the evils he was doing and would think up a way to justify them even as he profited. Or at least an "invisible hand" the other bad guys would speak of nervously or who's name would pop up over all others in Anita's investigations. When short lived rebel thugs are more interesting than the men pulling the strings, that's a problem. Though this is a personal quibble and other readers might not mind so much. But they might mind the other problems.
Until the last eighth (or maybe seventh) of the book, action scenes are reported ala Shakespeare and it worked out nicely. Then things get ugly. It's quite jarring and feels unnecessary after the story has been fairly calm for so long. Anita becoming an action heroine at the last minute and smacking around thugs just didn't feel right to me. During the same time, the narrative becomes strangely preachy about what's going on in Zimbabwe (though that might just be me).
If you're looking for a story with a diverse mix of elements and well written characters, you've come to the right place. Things get out of hand near the climax, but until then it's both a moving love story and enticing mystery.
|
Add your review here |
|
|
|
|
|
|
