Paranormal Noise (Marco Santucci)

 This book is a unique view into the world on the other side.

Not the kind of book I usually pick up; this is the first time, actually. Last and this year, I explored books in genres I would never read before and was pleasantly surprised by many.

I have lived long enough to learn that there are many things out there that we don't know, and open-mindedness is the wisest way to live. I stayed and explored strange places. People I trust, including my Dad, had experienced unexplainable stuff. I like how the author offers his opinions as opinions, and even though there are mentions of religions and beliefs, there is no agenda.  

The book is an easy read, although sometimes I find the usage of 'he said I asked etc' very heavy, but I understand they are needed for the content. It feels honest and genuine as well.

My favourite quote is: The problem is that all the man-made religions that pit one against another, each trying to prove that they are the sole possessors of "the truth" and must be the only ones going to Heaven. In the end, none of those matters. Not all the good works, the millions of Watch Towers distributed, or all the Rosary Beads in the world, and the list goes on.

4.5

Watery Grave (Dave Saari)

 

Watery Grave is a book about a suspected murder investigation for a case that had been ruled out as an accident. A persistent family member of the deceased insists on finding out the truth when everyone else has given up.

This book has too many things besides the mystery itself. I wish for more suspects, more motives, and more natural investigations of the case. Still, instead, it focuses a lot on relationships and some unnecessary scenes and interactions that are distracting and bring down the story's primary focus. The characters and their interactions are unrealistic. In my opinion, they feel unnatural, and it's hard for me to root for them. The main characters are cheesy and horny most of the time, and it's confusing about which traits define them because they feel all over the place. Some mundane dialogues go on for a long time without getting anywhere or escalate out of nowhere. Even though there are enough backstories, they don't make me feel for the characters as they serve as mere backstories, and I don't feel the deeper story connections to them than grazing the surface.

A suspension of disbelief is needed for the case itself, and some information is contradictory. Is the case famous or not? Some scene mentions keeping it secret from the students but providing the place and time; some mention about eight thousand nosy reporters, but no one notices anything until the main character comes along.

The case itself is intriguing, and there are enough details as it is uncovered layer by layer. The effort to put in plausible, logical explanations is commendable, and I enjoyed the details. The early part of the book, when many supporting characters are introduced, could be much stronger if they played more significant parts and if there were more suspense. If only the story focused more on the case than other distracting things, it would have much more potential to be a strong mystery novel.

3 out of 5