BOOK REVIEW: The Coffin Maker (H.G.Ahedi)

The Coffin Maker is a mystery that follows the MC, Angelus, in an investigation of a mysterious murder he stumbles across accidentally. It intrigues his mind, and he is motivated to follow the case even without compensation, especially when he finds a string of similar murders over the years, all unsolved.

 

Although the plot continues to move, the pace feels slow, especially in the beginning and middle of the book. Imo, there are too many detail fillers that can be cut because they make the flow clunky, distracting, and have no impact on the overall plot. Below is one of the examples. The whole section that contains this paragraph can be compacted into a sentence or two.

 

Angelus left Stroudsburg just after dawn, steering east on I-80 as rain streaked the windshield in steady threads. He drove south of the New York line, winding through the back roads of northern New Jersey and across a sliver of eastern Pennsylvania, before merging north on I-87 through the Hudson Valley. The hills were draped in fog, and by the time he crossed into western Massachusetts, the road narrowed between dense stretches of pine. He stopped for coffee near Pittsfield and called Joe for an update on the current cases. Then he pressed on, turning east onto Route 7, and finally crossed into Vermont near Bennington.

 

There is also a feeling of detachment from the main character. Instead of getting into his head, it feels like he is just narrating the event.

 

Fortunately, the ending is decent, with good visuals and action, as the characters become more sympathetic and personable when the stakes are higher. To be honest, everyone around the MC is better than the MC, in terms of skills and their distinguishable traits. The mystery itself is interesting. The clues and developments throughout are well-woven, though the start is slower. It picks up from the middle of the book.

 

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

BOOK REVIEW: Sunset Garden (Peter J. McKenna)

Sunset Garden is a fun book that exceeds my expectations. I can tell that the author is having fun writing it. (And I cheat too, because I read his Afterword).

If you think that a retirement home is boring, this is not the case. Just ask the poor Ernest, who is thrown into an absurd situation straightaway by the mischievous Dorothy (I imagine Betty White as the character, and nothing can change my mind). Both of them turn into investigators to find out what is actually going on and get to experience the thrill, excitement, and danger.

If I have to nitpick, of course, there are some situations that are questionable, like the lack of other workers in such a big place, because someone like Dorothy would go to them in the first place. It’s also bizarre that, with a large area and plenty of green space, Alistair and Fester don’t do the much-needed gardening and instead choose the much more tedious and expensive method.

 

Putting that aside, I recommend this book. Besides the humor and lightheartedness, it touches on a delicate social situation that becomes more realistic as people age. Loneliness, manipulation, health problems, and life struggles. Not to mention the actual case of fraud and mistreatment at senior homes and childcares.

 

I like the characters, the flows, the pace, and bits of side stories that all end up relevant to the plot. The book is easy to read and entertaining.

5 out of 5 stars

BOOK REVIEW: Akula (Arnar Vik)

 

What a ride. A fast-paced, gripping espionage and political thriller that stands too close to reality.  The plot revolves around a power struggle to get hold of some evidence that could lead to international conflicts and wars.

 

There are so many details in the first part of the book, including some unfamiliar terms. It takes a while to learn their sides, roles, and parties involved, but once the story moves along, everything falls into its place. All the intertwining incidents from various POVs are the strongest factor in this book. New characters appear throughout the span of the story, but they fit well into their roles, and no one overstays their welcome.

 

Unfortunately, the book is not easy to read because of the lack of formatting. The jumble of words without paragraphs and chapter breaks makes it a strain in the eyes. Fortunately, the story is very engaging and well-written, with a lot of real-life information to learn from. The submarine and what happens inside it led me to have a new favorite villain.

 

The ending is realistic, and everyone with a good head on their shoulder would know that this kind of cover-up exists. While the fate of one main character is very questionable and feels like plot armor, it opens up to the possibility of a sequel.

4 submarines out of 5 search parties

The Freezer Cat

 

I knew I wouldn’t last long in that office a week after I joined. In half a year, I was out after clearing my probation. It was just my stubbornness to prove I was good enough for the company I didn’t like, but they were kind to me (except for one thieving mentor who stole my work and passed it off as his own). That was my shortest working period in a company. This was the year 2012.

 

As I tendered my resignation in November, I could only leave in December because of the one-month notice. Therefore, the time would fall around Christmas.

 

Besides the working style that was opposite to mine, which was one of the main reasons I quit, I also couldn’t stand the party culture there. They celebrated every birthday and event, which probably doesn’t sound like something terrible, but it was for me. They were distractions, and standing around awkwardly, clapping, and singing off tune were not my cup of tea. There were fewer than 20 people in the company, but I swear it happened at least twice a week. We had to fork out extra money every time for food I didn’t like, and for times I didn’t enjoy. I was so relieved to quit before my birthday month because it was something I dreaded. I’m not exaggerating, it actually gave me social anxiety, and I’d do ridiculous things to avoid it, including wasting my off day to escape my birthday in another office. Attention. Party. Celebration. It sounds ridiculous to be scared, but trust me, there are many like me.

 

Back to the story. Since it was December, of course, the problem was Christmas parties outside office hours. They had many planned along the way (yes, multiple Christmas/New Year celebrations), but there was a particular one that was purposely timed before my leaving date. While I had become an expert at avoiding this kind of social situation, this time I couldn’t escape because of that. It was some sort of dedication to me, well, except for another painful farewell in the office.

 

The barbecue party would be conducted in one of the project managers’ home, a female who stayed in an apartment unit with a small balcony for outdoor barbecue. There would be over ten people, so the place was quite cramped.

 

As usual, if I had to attend a barbecue in this kind of awkward ‘I don’t know or like you well enough’ office setting, I would volunteer and park my ass in front of the grill to make myself busy so that I didn’t need to socialize too much.

 

While it sounds like torture for me, I have a unique memory of this party. So, before the barbecue, we helped prep the food. Taking them out of the freezer, and categorizing them nicely for the flaming execution. There was a small kitchen for that, with a medium-sized fridge that held all the food. Everything went well. The food was okay, and the people were nice, giving me well-wishes. After the barbecue, we sat around chatting.

 

The host, let’s call her Anna (just in case she reads this one day, since the story is quite unique), told us she looked forward to her boyfriend's visit. Anna was in her thirties, so we are not talking about teenagers here. The conversation flew from there, and someone asked her about her cat. Apparently, this person was close enough to Anna that she knew about her cat.

“My cat just died.” That was Anna’s answer, and it happened a few days/a week before. Of course, we were shocked and offered our condolences. I understand the pain of losing a pet. Anna then explained that it was unfortunate that her boyfriend was away because she would like her boyfriend to see the cat one last time, since he also loved the pet a lot, therefore she had put the cat in the freezer.

 

At this moment, my eyes were bulging, but fortunately, I sat in the corner, obscured by a potted palm tree (nice spot). Unfortunately, I didn’t mishear it. Someone asked, “In the freezer in your kitchen?” and Anna confirmed it while continuing to share stories about how his boyfriend loved the cat without missing a beat. The story moved to their relationship, and Anna was a talker that nobody had the time to process the freezer cat information. I just noticed people who were still holding on to their plates had stopped chewing.

 

I have to give credit to my fellow co-workers here, they were nice and politically correct, but it also drove me nuts. No one commented anything, although I saw some weird expressions. Me? I always try to be invisible in this kind of social situation. The party went on.

 

To be honest, it weirded me out. Her fridge was a normal fridge with a common freezer that held the food we ate that night. I don’t know about the potential health risk, but the idea itself sounds nuts to me. So there was a dead cat next to our marinated chicken wings. I probably made an eye contact, and grateful I didn’t take the wrong thing out for barbecue. I also don’t think anyone would prefer to look at their frozen pet in their last moments, but I could be wrong. I have seen two delayed pet funerals (when the pets had to be kept in a freezer first), and in those cases, they looked okay, but they were handled by professionals and kept in freezers dedicated to that purpose. I deal with frozen food a lot, and they don’t look good after staying in a home fridge for a while. Tiny ice particles would cover the surface, along with many other undesirable details.

However, since I didn’t want to ask anyone there what they thought about it because I didn’t want to gossip or invite unwanted conversations, I spent my last few days in the office without pursuing my curiosity. Maybe it was a normal practice that I wasn’t aware of, so I brushed this aside in my memory.

 

Until one day, which was actually quite recent, just a few months ago, I found a similar story in Reddit. I can’t access Reddit where I am, but a YouTube video about it appeared in my algorithm. One of the stories was about a cat in the freezer. The story only involved family members, and it weirded them out. The comments agreed that it sounds nuts. So, after fourteen years, I get the confirmation that the freezer cat is not a normal thing to do! Not to mention the bigger scale of my story, when the food was served to multiple people who had no prior knowledge about it.

 

So, this is my freezer cat story. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell it to people around me back then (which I’ll do now). I guess the party itself was too overwhelming, and after that, I dealt with moving away for my new job. It was forgotten, and now I have been collecting inputs about the story. Do you think it’s normal/weird?

 

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting for a while. There were some personal matters and family reunions to attend. All good.

Wishing you a good one as well. With a blink of an eye, 2025 and the holiday season had come and gone. For me, as long as my loved ones are happy and healthy, I consider it a good year.

Just like Die Hard is a Christmas movie, Freezer Cat is my holiday tale.

 

I parallel post my newsletter here. In my main one you’ll get free short story or you can get them here The Freezer Cat.

Thank you for being here.