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Donovan Creed #3
La salvación de Rachel
Sam Case parece tenerlo todo: se gana bien la vida como informático, está casado con Rachel, una guapa publicista, vive en una casa con todo tipo de comodidades, tiene un buen coche y sin que nadie lo sepa, excepto su mujer, se ha hecho multimillonario gracias a un programa informático que permite desviar y blanquear dinero sin que el Gobierno pueda intervenir. Sus clientes: asesinos, mafiosos, terroristas y jefes del crimen organizado.Hasta aquí una vida privilegiada. Pero lo cierto es que su relació con Rachel está atravesando un bache. Su mujer se muestra fría y distante. Una mañana decide tener un romance con Karen Voguel, la chica de sus sueños. Y la idílica mañana se convierte en su peor pesadilla. Sam Case se encontrará sumido en una espiral de acontecimientos inimaginables hasta verse obligado a elegir entre salvar la vida de Rachel o la de su amante.Creed es cliente de Sam y se convertirá en su única esperanza para salir con vida.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
353 people are currently reading
1158 people want to read
About the author
John Locke
55 books390 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. This is the novelist (2x spaces), not the philosopher (1x space).
New York Times best-selling author John Locke is the international best-selling author of sixteen books in four different genres. He is the 8th author in history to have sold one million eBooks on Kindle. Locke has had four books in the top ten at the same time, including #1 and #2. His Donovan Creed thriller series has sold more than 1,700,000 copies since January, 2011, and foreign rights have been acquired by six major publishers for Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, and Lithuanian translations. (Amazon's brief biography)
NY TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!
8th MEMBER of the KINDLE MILLION SALES CLUB!
First self-published author to hit #1 on Amazon/Kindle!
First self-published author to hit Kindle Million Sales Club!
John sold 1,100,000 eBooks in 5 months by word of mouth!
John wrote and published 6 best-selling books in 3 separate genres in 6 months, part-time!
John has had 4 of the top 10 eBooks on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including #1 and #2! He’s also had 6 of the top 20, and 8 of the top 43 at the same time!
Every eBook John Locke has written and published has become a best-seller.
New York Times best-selling author John Locke is the international best-selling author of sixteen books in four different genres. He is the 8th author in history to have sold one million eBooks on Kindle. Locke has had four books in the top ten at the same time, including #1 and #2. His Donovan Creed thriller series has sold more than 1,700,000 copies since January, 2011, and foreign rights have been acquired by six major publishers for Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, and Lithuanian translations. (Amazon's brief biography)
NY TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR!
8th MEMBER of the KINDLE MILLION SALES CLUB!
First self-published author to hit #1 on Amazon/Kindle!
First self-published author to hit Kindle Million Sales Club!
John sold 1,100,000 eBooks in 5 months by word of mouth!
John wrote and published 6 best-selling books in 3 separate genres in 6 months, part-time!
John has had 4 of the top 10 eBooks on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including #1 and #2! He’s also had 6 of the top 20, and 8 of the top 43 at the same time!
Every eBook John Locke has written and published has become a best-seller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
December 20, 2011
This is not a grand work of fiction. The story starts on the get-go with a high pace of goings on, the writing is not written in a really good prose. But saying all this it does serve up a dose of thrill and entertainment the beginning was good and the twist's were good the author kept the pace going. Cutting away many things readers like in stories he has tried to break the rules a bit here and serve up a short dose of thrill. You will come across a few 'that's ridiculous! moments', and some unrealistic scenarios but if you want a quick fix this not as bad as many of the ebook wannabe writers"s and one night hit wonders out there. The writing reminded me of some of James Patterson novels, which i eventually gave up on Alex Cross couple of books down the line.
I purchased this on my kindle a few months ago a press release prompted me to try the story out.
Taken from the bookseller.com http://www.thebookseller.com/news/self-p...
I purchased this on my kindle a few months ago a press release prompted me to try the story out.
Self-published author hits one million Kindle sales
20.06.11 | Lisa Campbell
John Locke has become the first self-published author to sell more than one million e-books through Amazon.
The author used Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform to publish and sell his titles. He joins Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins and Michael Connelly in what Amazon dub the Kindle Million Club.
Locke said: "Kindle Direct Publishing has provided an opportunity for independent authors to compete on a level playing field with the giants of the book selling industry. Not only did KDP give me a chance, they helped at every turn. Quite simply, KDP is the greatest friend an author can have."
Russ Grandinetti, vice-president of Kindle Content, said: "It's so exciting that self-publishing has allowed John Locke to achieve a milestone like this."
Locke, from Louisville in Kentucky, has written nine novels including Vegas Moon, Wish List, A Girl Like You, Follow the Stone, Don't Poke the Bear! and the New York Times bestselling e-book, Saving Rachel. His latest book is called How I Sold 1 Million e-books in 5 Months.
Taken from the bookseller.com http://www.thebookseller.com/news/self-p...
October 4, 2011
This book is really terrible. I'm sure it doesn't help that I read it right after finishing a Harlan Coben novel, a man who really knows how to write a gripping, fast-paced, yet believable crime thriller. This book was fast-paced, yes, but it felt like the reader was being jerked around just for the sake of being jerked around. It was in no way believable, and none of the characters were anything but flat and one-dimensional. The novel begins with Sam, who is married, having sex with his girlfriend, and as the plot moves on, there are no redeeming qualities to this guy at all. You kind of want him to die because he's such a scumbag. The women in this novel are smokin' hot and extremely docile and obedient. In fact, all Donovan Creed has to do to shut Rachel up at one point is to glare at her. Really?? I was rather insulted by that. And what is with Mary being described as overweight, yet carrying around a photo of a thinner version of herself to show everyone how attractive she used to be? There's absolutely no reason for that little anecdote. The writing too was terrible, full of little asides to the reader meant to draw him in, but they really only serve to alienate him. The novel read like the wet dream of a 15-year-old boy, full of fast cars, plenty of money, and hot women.
Read
March 3, 2011If goodreads had negative stars for a rating system, this book would receive at least -1, possibly -2 on the scale. It gets one star for being so short.
I like John Locke's writing style--it's Raymond Chandler for the 21st century, but that combined with totally unlikable characters and a completely implausible plot line that was too complicated to follow still adds up to a waste of time.
The main character, Sam, is an adulterer who makes money untraceable so that the bad guys can hang onto their fortunes. His wife is an angry, profane, nasty woman and by the time they are fighting for their lives, I really didn't care if they made it out of the conundrum or not.
I like John Locke's writing style--it's Raymond Chandler for the 21st century, but that combined with totally unlikable characters and a completely implausible plot line that was too complicated to follow still adds up to a waste of time.
The main character, Sam, is an adulterer who makes money untraceable so that the bad guys can hang onto their fortunes. His wife is an angry, profane, nasty woman and by the time they are fighting for their lives, I really didn't care if they made it out of the conundrum or not.
March 21, 2011
I try to find redeeming qualities in a book. This read more like a screenplay of one of those late night movies. Those crappy late night movies one runs across when battling a bout of insomnia or at the laundromat. The only good things I can say about this book:
no spelling errors
decent grammar/punctuation
it wasn't too long
The book so anti-woman it was disgusting. Every page I read prompted, "are you effing kidding me?!" and a solemn shaking of the head. As for the mystery, I figured it all out by page 10. All I can say is that I am so happy that I didn't spend money on this train wreak!
no spelling errors
decent grammar/punctuation
it wasn't too long
The book so anti-woman it was disgusting. Every page I read prompted, "are you effing kidding me?!" and a solemn shaking of the head. As for the mystery, I figured it all out by page 10. All I can say is that I am so happy that I didn't spend money on this train wreak!
February 23, 2013
This is a book that contains a lot of twists and turns which makes you think you will not be able to put it down, when in fact, all you want to do is set it aside and forget about it. None of the characters are likable and you can't really root for either the mistress or the wife to be saved. The scenarios grow progressively more implausible. For instance, the main character discovers his sister-in-law in the trunk of a car so how does he verify if she's still alive? Does he check for a pulse or if she's breathing? No, he starts squeezing and pinching her breasts. Something the author obviously has a penchant for, based on the many references to them throughout the book. In the end, I should have saved my valuable time instead of reading this.
July 20, 2012
In order to be fair to the writer and the story I need to say that I have never read Mr. Locke's work before and wasn't aware that this book was part of a series. I don't know where this book fits in the overall chronology of the other Donovan Creed books (and to be honest I have no desire to find out) so part of my issue could be that I came into an established story without the proper background.
The most positive thing I can say is that it was a quick read (although that could be due to my glossing over the more ludicrous sections). In order to make it through this story a suspension of belief is absolutely required. The resolution, and I use that term very loosely, was so abrupt I thought that maybe the remainder of the book for some reason did not end up on my Kindle.
Be warned, possible spoilers ahead.
The situations the characters found themselves in were completely bizarre. Sam finds himself moving from one insane circumstance to another and that is what initially fueled my interest in the story. How in the world was he going to appease his captors and protect his wife and mistress? Once it is revealed how and why these things are happening as well as the mastermind behind everything I quickly lost interest.
I found the characters unlikeable, especially Donovan Creed. He comes across as a total sociopath and he was so off-putting that I would not want to attempt reading another book that featured him as a character. Obviously the story focuses on saving Rachel but by the end of the book I was really hoping that she wouldn't be saved. She was such a shrill and despicable character that it was hard to feel any real sympathy for her. I disliked her. Immensely. Not that Sam or Donovan were any better; a philandering, pretentious husband and a lunatic contract killer who squats in an attic.
Would I recommend it? In a word, no.
The most positive thing I can say is that it was a quick read (although that could be due to my glossing over the more ludicrous sections). In order to make it through this story a suspension of belief is absolutely required. The resolution, and I use that term very loosely, was so abrupt I thought that maybe the remainder of the book for some reason did not end up on my Kindle.
Be warned, possible spoilers ahead.
The situations the characters found themselves in were completely bizarre. Sam finds himself moving from one insane circumstance to another and that is what initially fueled my interest in the story. How in the world was he going to appease his captors and protect his wife and mistress? Once it is revealed how and why these things are happening as well as the mastermind behind everything I quickly lost interest.
I found the characters unlikeable, especially Donovan Creed. He comes across as a total sociopath and he was so off-putting that I would not want to attempt reading another book that featured him as a character. Obviously the story focuses on saving Rachel but by the end of the book I was really hoping that she wouldn't be saved. She was such a shrill and despicable character that it was hard to feel any real sympathy for her. I disliked her. Immensely. Not that Sam or Donovan were any better; a philandering, pretentious husband and a lunatic contract killer who squats in an attic.
Would I recommend it? In a word, no.
August 15, 2012
This was the firzt of John Locke's books I had read. I stumbled upon it by accident one late night after finishing a book. At such a low Nook price, I could not resist it and thought I would give it a go. I am SO glad I did. Like many of the other reviewers, I could no...Read MoreThis was the firzt of John Locke's books I had read. I stumbled upon it by accident one late night after finishing a book. At such a low Nook price, I could not resist it and thought I would give it a go. I am SO glad I did. Like many of the other reviewers, I could not put this book down. If only I did not have to work, I too would have finished it in a day! I was biting my nails one minute and laughing so hard the tears were coming the next. Such a roller coaster of emotions! I just never knew what would happen when I turned the next page, and I was always in awe of the originality of what the next page held. A great read, a quick read, humor, romance (yes, romance), guns, gangsters and cheating spouses. What's not to love???
February 3, 2018
Fast-paced, mind-twisting and sick. Then again, which of the Donovan Creed series is not?
July 20, 2011
I've been REALLY crappy about reviewing lately so I actually read this a week ago, give or take. Forgive me if I forget some details. I remember the gist of it all though.
I'm surprised to see so many negative reviews. I'll admit that while reading this I expected it to be a first book or a new author but it's it's a good story. I'd urge people to keep in mind that readers usually have genres they love - and those they don't love so much. If I read a western, romance (in the strictest sense) or most any self-help it'd probably get a negative rating from me. Then there are genres that aren't really in my top three but that I can like and sometimes love. I don't really go for mysteries more often than not and that's what I label this. And I loved it.
I'd be willing to bet that at least half, if not the majority, of the people who rated this poorly are people who like non-fiction, memoirs, etc. and they like very realistic fiction. That's me actually. But, at the same time I can open my mind and enjoy something that tugs at the limit. This tugs. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who could really relate to Locke's characters lifestyles. But it could happen, couldn't it? Besides, the story is there. And it's a good one. The story progresses and the characters are so fun to read about.
I'll be the first to admit that Locke's writing is hardly eloquent. But who says that - and that alone - is the basis for great writing? Not I.
Soon after finishing with this I noticed a friend of mine had another of Locke's Donovan Creed books called Wish List. Long story short, she let me borrow that book which I loved just as much. Just this morning I ordered the rest of the Donovan Creed books from amazon and I plan to read each and every one. He also has a few others not in the series that seem to be westerns. I'll be passing those by because westerns really aren't my thing at all but I'd bet - again - that they're just as good for readers of that genre.
**There are two instances from the book that follow but they aren't spoilers and don't affect the story.**
There were a few contradictions in Saving Rachel that caught my eye. The first was when Mary's car was at her house and the main character checked the trunk before entering her condo. After leaving the condo he decided to travel to Seneca Park to look for her car which wasn't at her condo.
The second has to do with the blood from the "policeman" in the trunk. The trunk was empty before he entered the condo. No blood mentioned at all. But minutes before, in a phone call from Karen, he was told that her friend was lying in her trunk, bloody and in a police-mans uniform.
The third was a few pages later when he worries about the police finding blood evidence in Karen's trunk from the same man mentioned. Yet it was stated previously the trunk was clean.
These are things that bother me but I think I'm bothered less by them here because Locke's books are anything by simple. You really need to follow along and pay attention. I guess with so much drama all around I can overlook a few minor contradictions. I do wish someone would have caught them for him though.
But I really, really liked the story, The ending was the edge-of-your-seat type of ending. I wasn't prepared for Rachel's answer most of all and... hell, I wasn't prepared for a lot of it.
For 99 cents on Kindle you really can't beat it. I'm really happen I happened to see this while browsing in the Kindle store.
I'm surprised to see so many negative reviews. I'll admit that while reading this I expected it to be a first book or a new author but it's it's a good story. I'd urge people to keep in mind that readers usually have genres they love - and those they don't love so much. If I read a western, romance (in the strictest sense) or most any self-help it'd probably get a negative rating from me. Then there are genres that aren't really in my top three but that I can like and sometimes love. I don't really go for mysteries more often than not and that's what I label this. And I loved it.
I'd be willing to bet that at least half, if not the majority, of the people who rated this poorly are people who like non-fiction, memoirs, etc. and they like very realistic fiction. That's me actually. But, at the same time I can open my mind and enjoy something that tugs at the limit. This tugs. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who could really relate to Locke's characters lifestyles. But it could happen, couldn't it? Besides, the story is there. And it's a good one. The story progresses and the characters are so fun to read about.
I'll be the first to admit that Locke's writing is hardly eloquent. But who says that - and that alone - is the basis for great writing? Not I.
Soon after finishing with this I noticed a friend of mine had another of Locke's Donovan Creed books called Wish List. Long story short, she let me borrow that book which I loved just as much. Just this morning I ordered the rest of the Donovan Creed books from amazon and I plan to read each and every one. He also has a few others not in the series that seem to be westerns. I'll be passing those by because westerns really aren't my thing at all but I'd bet - again - that they're just as good for readers of that genre.
**There are two instances from the book that follow but they aren't spoilers and don't affect the story.**
There were a few contradictions in Saving Rachel that caught my eye. The first was when Mary's car was at her house and the main character checked the trunk before entering her condo. After leaving the condo he decided to travel to Seneca Park to look for her car which wasn't at her condo.
The second has to do with the blood from the "policeman" in the trunk. The trunk was empty before he entered the condo. No blood mentioned at all. But minutes before, in a phone call from Karen, he was told that her friend was lying in her trunk, bloody and in a police-mans uniform.
The third was a few pages later when he worries about the police finding blood evidence in Karen's trunk from the same man mentioned. Yet it was stated previously the trunk was clean.
These are things that bother me but I think I'm bothered less by them here because Locke's books are anything by simple. You really need to follow along and pay attention. I guess with so much drama all around I can overlook a few minor contradictions. I do wish someone would have caught them for him though.
But I really, really liked the story, The ending was the edge-of-your-seat type of ending. I wasn't prepared for Rachel's answer most of all and... hell, I wasn't prepared for a lot of it.
For 99 cents on Kindle you really can't beat it. I'm really happen I happened to see this while browsing in the Kindle store.
February 28, 2011
I love Donovan Creed and the writing style of John Locke. Saving Rachel was a twisted, turning, fun train wreck: one of those things that you can’t stop watching or in this case, reading. Just some stats from the geeks in our stat department, yeah we have one of those, they are a hard working bunch: Kindle rankings of John Locke novels-Saving Rachel- #3, Lethal People-#15, Wish List- #19, Lethal Experiment-#36 ,Now & Then-#41. Intense to say the least, they are $.99 downloads; I sucked them all up I am proud to say. I have totally enjoyed them from beginning to end and could have read them all back to back but I have been trying to portion them out. Anyway, one more stat from our geeks- every 10 seconds ,24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world. My experience in the whole thing as far as this blog goes: each one of the posts on Locke is still one of the most visited every day of the week, yes every day, thanks to one and all! The only thing that is staying with these posts is our posts on the Steve Berry Q&A(I think that rocked), and our Trestle Press Spring Submission contest post, that is a fav and the submissions are coming in hot and heavy. Trestle Press thanks you by the way. Now on to the virtual novel (I read it on the Kindle), what lies between the covers:
“What if the best morning of your life suddenly turned into your worst nightmare? Sam Case is about to find out. Saving Rachel is the story of what happens when killers force a man to choose between his wife and his mistress...and the one he rejects must die. But wait--all is not as it appears to be. In fact, nothing is what it appears to be!
Saving Rachel is a scary, funny, roller coaster ride through hell, with twists, and turns that will slap your face and suck you in!”
Not digesting this read in one sitting is difficult. It is quick, it is fun, it will confuse you, and trying to figure it out is just about pointless. For entertainment value, it is off the charts. That is what I love about this guy’s writing; he is an entertainer, period. Great stuff, excellent characters, plenty of action, and my fingers just can’t stop clicking the pages fast enough on the Kindle. Sucking up something this entertaining for a mere buck is an incredible added benefit. I have yet to figure out what he is doing with one of these bad boys as he keeps them as twisted as anyone’s out there, consistently. Donovan Creed is, or I should say, has, quickly become one of my top ten characters in this genre. Did you just read that? BAM, yes you just did. I will read every one this guy puts out with this character. Period! Have you read one of these yet? If you have what are your thoughts?
What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
“What if the best morning of your life suddenly turned into your worst nightmare? Sam Case is about to find out. Saving Rachel is the story of what happens when killers force a man to choose between his wife and his mistress...and the one he rejects must die. But wait--all is not as it appears to be. In fact, nothing is what it appears to be!
Saving Rachel is a scary, funny, roller coaster ride through hell, with twists, and turns that will slap your face and suck you in!”
Not digesting this read in one sitting is difficult. It is quick, it is fun, it will confuse you, and trying to figure it out is just about pointless. For entertainment value, it is off the charts. That is what I love about this guy’s writing; he is an entertainer, period. Great stuff, excellent characters, plenty of action, and my fingers just can’t stop clicking the pages fast enough on the Kindle. Sucking up something this entertaining for a mere buck is an incredible added benefit. I have yet to figure out what he is doing with one of these bad boys as he keeps them as twisted as anyone’s out there, consistently. Donovan Creed is, or I should say, has, quickly become one of my top ten characters in this genre. Did you just read that? BAM, yes you just did. I will read every one this guy puts out with this character. Period! Have you read one of these yet? If you have what are your thoughts?
What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
May 22, 2012
John Locke was the first self-published writer to sell one million ebooks on Amazon. I wanted to see what all the shouting was about. Unfortunately, this thriller just wasn't executed well.
There are many of indicators of amateur writing:
(1) The overuse of italics throughout the first third of the book are distracting.
(2) He uses identifiers when showing the thoughts of the main character, however, this is not needed when in the first-person point of view.
(3) There are a number of clumsily worded passages, for instance: "Jimmy Squint sits across the table, looking at me like my boss must be the craziest son of a bitch on Earth. 'Creed, your boss must be the craziest son of a bitch on Earth."
(4) Also, there are a number of typos throughout the book.
Also, there are many logic issues with the story itself. It's difficult to feel tension when the James Bond-villain-like machinations are so outrageous. There are too many plot twists- every major character has their own twist. I think I sprained my eyes from all the eye-rolling I did trying to get through the story.
John Locke stated in his book "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months" that he didn't expect his ebooks to be taken seriously. I understood that to mean, since these are hard-boiled type thrillers, they are pulp stories meant for entertainment. However, that should not be an excuse for poor writing mechanics.
There are many of indicators of amateur writing:
(1) The overuse of italics throughout the first third of the book are distracting.
(2) He uses identifiers when showing the thoughts of the main character, however, this is not needed when in the first-person point of view.
(3) There are a number of clumsily worded passages, for instance: "Jimmy Squint sits across the table, looking at me like my boss must be the craziest son of a bitch on Earth. 'Creed, your boss must be the craziest son of a bitch on Earth."
(4) Also, there are a number of typos throughout the book.
Also, there are many logic issues with the story itself. It's difficult to feel tension when the James Bond-villain-like machinations are so outrageous. There are too many plot twists- every major character has their own twist. I think I sprained my eyes from all the eye-rolling I did trying to get through the story.
John Locke stated in his book "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months" that he didn't expect his ebooks to be taken seriously. I understood that to mean, since these are hard-boiled type thrillers, they are pulp stories meant for entertainment. However, that should not be an excuse for poor writing mechanics.
October 17, 2020
Just OK
Really wasn't feeling this book. It was..ok, I guess. Not a RIP roaring endorsement, but if anything I consider myself an honest man. Always earnest and frank. On the east coast I'm Earnest and on the west coast I'm Frank.~Mitch Hennessy Long Kiss Goodnight😁😁😁
With caveats, buy it, read it and enjoy.👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
Really wasn't feeling this book. It was..ok, I guess. Not a RIP roaring endorsement, but if anything I consider myself an honest man. Always earnest and frank. On the east coast I'm Earnest and on the west coast I'm Frank.~Mitch Hennessy Long Kiss Goodnight😁😁😁
With caveats, buy it, read it and enjoy.👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
February 5, 2011
Of all the ways there are to write a thriller, 'Saving Rachel' must be said to fall into the 'outrageous' category.
Think of Raymond Chandler freed of all the moral qualms of his day and let lose with his inhibitions loosened and you would get one step of the way towards placing John Locke's novel. Or imagine sitting in a bar next to a guy who really knows how to talk and who has the task of constructing the most implausible story - to explain away why he has just slept with the most beautiful woman in the world while all along he feels guilty about cheating on his loyal wife - and you would be another step closer. Add to this the fact that your storyteller seems set to take as many chances as possible that you might suspect him of straying into the wild, wacky and downright preposterous deliberately to strain your sense of belief in what he is telling you before drawing back just at the point where you might say, 'now that really is going too far' and you would be most of the way there.
The success of 'Saving Rachel ' is all about this voice, captured so well. It's the goal of many authors. It seems easy. Tell the story to your reader as if you are the main character speaking directly to them. The great writers achieve this effortlessly. The rest struggle to find the voice. Here, discounting any claims to effort or higher purpose, John Locke is right there on the money.
Within the parameters of yarn spinning and risk taking, the flow of prose is infectious:
'I'm grounded, but the world around me starts swirling at an insane speed, like I'm stuck in the eye of a tornado, only there's no flying cow. I want to vomit. I want to fall to the ground and pound my fists and scream until this crazy day ends, But I don't do any of these things…….'
He references Stephen King once ('I feel like I'm on a hundred-mile-an-hour roller coaster to hell, with Stephen King at the controls.') and he has certainly taken the great thriller writer's advice – there are no adjectives anywhere to be seen.
The improbability of it all is splendid, semi-surreal at times, inspiring delight at its barefaced cheek. There is the odd 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern' effect as the story is recounted through the eyes of Sam Case when the title tells you that this is a 'Donovan Creed novel' and said contract killer Creed is hardly to be seen.
Creed does in fact take up the narrator role two thirds of the way through, an odd transition where too much of the improbability is attempted to be explained away. Indeed, the Creed voice is the same voice but with a shallow callousness that undermines all that has gone before. This takes away the possibility of the triumph of an ordinary man like Sam Case over adversity, however bizarre, and replaces it with the cynical contention that men like Case are bound to fail at the hands of manipulation by truly evil men like Creed.
More strangely, Rachel and Sam's story has a continuation of sorts in the follow up novel, 'Wish List'. There, it is clear that far from being saved, Rachel has been made a doomed creature for the fulfillment of Creed's weird fantasies and Sam a pathitic bystander.
A dose of reality or cynical anti-humanitarianism? It's not too difficult to decide.
First reviewed here
Think of Raymond Chandler freed of all the moral qualms of his day and let lose with his inhibitions loosened and you would get one step of the way towards placing John Locke's novel. Or imagine sitting in a bar next to a guy who really knows how to talk and who has the task of constructing the most implausible story - to explain away why he has just slept with the most beautiful woman in the world while all along he feels guilty about cheating on his loyal wife - and you would be another step closer. Add to this the fact that your storyteller seems set to take as many chances as possible that you might suspect him of straying into the wild, wacky and downright preposterous deliberately to strain your sense of belief in what he is telling you before drawing back just at the point where you might say, 'now that really is going too far' and you would be most of the way there.
The success of 'Saving Rachel ' is all about this voice, captured so well. It's the goal of many authors. It seems easy. Tell the story to your reader as if you are the main character speaking directly to them. The great writers achieve this effortlessly. The rest struggle to find the voice. Here, discounting any claims to effort or higher purpose, John Locke is right there on the money.
Within the parameters of yarn spinning and risk taking, the flow of prose is infectious:
'I'm grounded, but the world around me starts swirling at an insane speed, like I'm stuck in the eye of a tornado, only there's no flying cow. I want to vomit. I want to fall to the ground and pound my fists and scream until this crazy day ends, But I don't do any of these things…….'
He references Stephen King once ('I feel like I'm on a hundred-mile-an-hour roller coaster to hell, with Stephen King at the controls.') and he has certainly taken the great thriller writer's advice – there are no adjectives anywhere to be seen.
The improbability of it all is splendid, semi-surreal at times, inspiring delight at its barefaced cheek. There is the odd 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern' effect as the story is recounted through the eyes of Sam Case when the title tells you that this is a 'Donovan Creed novel' and said contract killer Creed is hardly to be seen.
Creed does in fact take up the narrator role two thirds of the way through, an odd transition where too much of the improbability is attempted to be explained away. Indeed, the Creed voice is the same voice but with a shallow callousness that undermines all that has gone before. This takes away the possibility of the triumph of an ordinary man like Sam Case over adversity, however bizarre, and replaces it with the cynical contention that men like Case are bound to fail at the hands of manipulation by truly evil men like Creed.
More strangely, Rachel and Sam's story has a continuation of sorts in the follow up novel, 'Wish List'. There, it is clear that far from being saved, Rachel has been made a doomed creature for the fulfillment of Creed's weird fantasies and Sam a pathitic bystander.
A dose of reality or cynical anti-humanitarianism? It's not too difficult to decide.
First reviewed here
June 10, 2011
This was one complicated story. The main character is a man who designs computer programs for a living, and who has created a program that will move money for wealthy clients who need to hide large assets. He makes a lot of money doing this and has control of billions of dollars.
In a bizzare story line that I am not going to try to summarize because it is too complicated, he gets caught up in events in which his wife and mistress may or may not have been kidnapped, his sister-in-law and others may or may not have been killed, and a gangster wants something from him but won't immediately say what it is, other than to demand to know his wife's bra size. (Of course, we all know: he wants those billions of dollars.)
The story proceeds into a conclusion that involves characters imprisioned in large lucite cages, facing multiple ethical dilemmas--but since not one person in this book has any ethics to begin with, it's more of an exercise in guessing who will turn on whom.
In the end, it is explained that these elaborate setups had to take place because the main character is a bright and logical man who could only be fooled if he experienced sensory overload. Unfortunately, the reader gets that same dose of sensory overload. The payoff at the end of the book--unraveling the mystery of what was happening and who was responsible--was not big enough to justify reading it. This was a free Kindle book, but one I wouldn't recommend.
In a bizzare story line that I am not going to try to summarize because it is too complicated, he gets caught up in events in which his wife and mistress may or may not have been kidnapped, his sister-in-law and others may or may not have been killed, and a gangster wants something from him but won't immediately say what it is, other than to demand to know his wife's bra size. (Of course, we all know: he wants those billions of dollars.)
The story proceeds into a conclusion that involves characters imprisioned in large lucite cages, facing multiple ethical dilemmas--but since not one person in this book has any ethics to begin with, it's more of an exercise in guessing who will turn on whom.
In the end, it is explained that these elaborate setups had to take place because the main character is a bright and logical man who could only be fooled if he experienced sensory overload. Unfortunately, the reader gets that same dose of sensory overload. The payoff at the end of the book--unraveling the mystery of what was happening and who was responsible--was not big enough to justify reading it. This was a free Kindle book, but one I wouldn't recommend.
January 31, 2012
This was a book I just picked up for a quick read to get me through until Feb when I could start my Feb reads.
The writing of this felt a bit 'amateurish' at times but I liked the book at some stages because it kept me guessing and made me want to read on to find out what was going to happen.
I did not like 'Part 2' of this book at all. It told the other persons point of view and I found it very confusing and just not my type of thing at all.
All up the logistics of the book were very confusing too me. I got the basic gist of the book:
All up, too confusing to explain - you'll have to read it.
The writing of this felt a bit 'amateurish' at times but I liked the book at some stages because it kept me guessing and made me want to read on to find out what was going to happen.
I did not like 'Part 2' of this book at all. It told the other persons point of view and I found it very confusing and just not my type of thing at all.
All up the logistics of the book were very confusing too me. I got the basic gist of the book:
All up, too confusing to explain - you'll have to read it.
July 4, 2012
Continuing with my pursuit of the lone Hero (see reviews for Joe Pike novels, John Rain novels, and Jack Reacher novels) Donovan Creed is probably the most unique character I came across.
I'd never heard of John Locke until I received my Kindle DX in the mail. Locke made his fame and fortune self-publishing his books in the Kindle world. For the Kindle, his books are ridiculously inexpensive (around $0.99 to $1.99). I was surprised at what I read and hooked from the start. Unlike my other series books, however, there is a difference in the books in terms of ratings...so I have not given them the standard 4 or 5 star ratings across the entire series.
First of all, the books are short but packing a powerful punch, a mixture of excellent humor (left me laughing at the insanity of what I was reading) and the grim reality of a hero who kills people. Lethal people introduces us to Creed, the business he is in, his side-kicks and his insane relationship within his own world and certainly the world most of us live in (let's just say Creed is not fit to live a normal life and does not understand it). Get ready for a roller coaster ride and, above all...enjoy! You will find that towards the end of each book you will be filled with disappointment that the ride is over...and almost certainly you will hunt down the next Donovan Creed thriller.
I'd never heard of John Locke until I received my Kindle DX in the mail. Locke made his fame and fortune self-publishing his books in the Kindle world. For the Kindle, his books are ridiculously inexpensive (around $0.99 to $1.99). I was surprised at what I read and hooked from the start. Unlike my other series books, however, there is a difference in the books in terms of ratings...so I have not given them the standard 4 or 5 star ratings across the entire series.
First of all, the books are short but packing a powerful punch, a mixture of excellent humor (left me laughing at the insanity of what I was reading) and the grim reality of a hero who kills people. Lethal people introduces us to Creed, the business he is in, his side-kicks and his insane relationship within his own world and certainly the world most of us live in (let's just say Creed is not fit to live a normal life and does not understand it). Get ready for a roller coaster ride and, above all...enjoy! You will find that towards the end of each book you will be filled with disappointment that the ride is over...and almost certainly you will hunt down the next Donovan Creed thriller.
July 25, 2011
Saving Rachel isn't the type of book I generally read. So I have to look at this book for what it is, not what i am used to reading.
It was entertaining for sure, almost like watching an action movie. There was a plot twist almost every chapter, and the author really made a point of leaving you on the edge of your seat. And I went through it quickly. (also helps that it was less than 200 pages written at a basic level, and double spaced.)
But it certainly wasn't life changing. Didn't cause any self reflection or moments of inspiration.
People have said that they didn't like the characters, didn't fall in love with them. But that's actually something i enjoyed about this book. I didn't love the characters either, but that's because they were assholes not poorly created characters. I liked that there wasn't the typical good guy bad guy. Because in the real world there isn't, there's just people and everyone has a reason or justification for why they do what they do.
Would I recommend this book? Yeah. It was entertaining and a nice afternoon in the sun read.
Does it rank my top 50 books even? Probably not. It was entertaining but overall i am already starting to forget some of the plot. The impact is surface level.
It was entertaining for sure, almost like watching an action movie. There was a plot twist almost every chapter, and the author really made a point of leaving you on the edge of your seat. And I went through it quickly. (also helps that it was less than 200 pages written at a basic level, and double spaced.)
But it certainly wasn't life changing. Didn't cause any self reflection or moments of inspiration.
People have said that they didn't like the characters, didn't fall in love with them. But that's actually something i enjoyed about this book. I didn't love the characters either, but that's because they were assholes not poorly created characters. I liked that there wasn't the typical good guy bad guy. Because in the real world there isn't, there's just people and everyone has a reason or justification for why they do what they do.
Would I recommend this book? Yeah. It was entertaining and a nice afternoon in the sun read.
Does it rank my top 50 books even? Probably not. It was entertaining but overall i am already starting to forget some of the plot. The impact is surface level.
February 16, 2012
Had to read this to see what all the fuss was about and why, despite what appears to be an amateurish cover, it continually hovers near the top of bestseller lists.
This was a decent thriller, fast paced and a quick, fun and easy read. The characters (even the "good guys") aren't the type I would normally empathize with - they tend to fall onto the side of selfish jerks, so they're not the type of people I would want to associate with, but I can stomach reading about them, particularly when it comes in a decently written narrative.
Locke executes the lightning pace using short "cliffhanger" ending chapters that pretty much demand the reader want to turn the next page. He performs this exceptionally well. In the end it results in a fun and fast paced thriller, not high on substance nor rich with likeable characters, but served up exactly as expected and definitely worth the read.
You have to give Locke credit - he knows exactly who his audience is and he delivers exactly what they're likely to love. it's so easy to see how he sold more than 1 million copies of his work in a 6 month period.
This was a decent thriller, fast paced and a quick, fun and easy read. The characters (even the "good guys") aren't the type I would normally empathize with - they tend to fall onto the side of selfish jerks, so they're not the type of people I would want to associate with, but I can stomach reading about them, particularly when it comes in a decently written narrative.
Locke executes the lightning pace using short "cliffhanger" ending chapters that pretty much demand the reader want to turn the next page. He performs this exceptionally well. In the end it results in a fun and fast paced thriller, not high on substance nor rich with likeable characters, but served up exactly as expected and definitely worth the read.
You have to give Locke credit - he knows exactly who his audience is and he delivers exactly what they're likely to love. it's so easy to see how he sold more than 1 million copies of his work in a 6 month period.
November 4, 2011
This book was not worth my time really. The story line was contrived. It was about fast cars, hot woman and lots of money. The women in the book were sorry pictures of women. They were docile and obedient. Donovan actually calmed Rachel down with a look. Like that really happens in real life. It starts out with Sam screwing his girlfriend in a cheesy hotel room and telling her that he loved her. Then he goes out to his car and gets kidnapped and the gangster that kidnaps him wants to know his wife’s bra size. It goes downhill from there. Then he sees his sister-in-law and this cop get killed and tries to run away because everyone thinks he does it so he heads back to the limo and gives the gangster his wife’s bra size and gets back in. Later, he is told that it was all for a movie. Then he finds his dead sister-in-law and gets chased by midgets. Really! It just gets worse from there. I did finish the book. But I wasted my money on this one. Will not buy another by this author.
May 14, 2013
I read one or two books a day and have my favorite 30 or so best selling authors. I read all of one author's and then move on to the next. I have to have a lot of favorites and they keep growing because they don't write fast enough. Once I've caught up with all my favs, I get a sampling of authors I've never read and find one that has a stack of books then I'm off again to read all of them. For my birthday I was given a nook and I downloaded a pile of 99 cent ones and read them. Now I found another favorite. So you'd better write fast, John. I read Saving Rachael. It moved right along and the main character reminded me of the irreverent Nelson Demille main character, John Corey with the same kind of humor. Nelson DeMille is my very favorite author, by the way. The action and the way the side hero doesn't know who to trust or what's going on raminds me a lot of another favorite of mine, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne. I'm so glad you self-published and didn't allow a publisher to water down your character. It's really different then anything I've read. I'm hooked.
March 13, 2011
I came across this book via the authors Twitter feed, and then looked it up on Amazon & Goodreads. It was 99 cents and I'm always game to try out new books at that price!
Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by my 99 cent find. This was a good read. Its fast, clever, great plot twists. It's not particularly deep, but I didn't mind that. It's like a really good action movie. You know some of the scenes are a bit unrealistic, but that only adds to the fun. The characterization was good but its the plot that really made this book. Unpredictable, you were always left guessing and wondering 'what happens next?'
Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by my 99 cent find. This was a good read. Its fast, clever, great plot twists. It's not particularly deep, but I didn't mind that. It's like a really good action movie. You know some of the scenes are a bit unrealistic, but that only adds to the fun. The characterization was good but its the plot that really made this book. Unpredictable, you were always left guessing and wondering 'what happens next?'
April 24, 2011
I downloaded 'Saving Rachel' for Kindle because it was only $.99. I actually read the whole book (thank goodness it was so short). I found all of the characters in the book lacked dimension. The male characters were cartoon-like and the female characters were written to fulfill some male fantasy. The "plot" is disjointed and tends to unravel rather than unfold. Bottom line is it just wasn't my cup of tea. In all fairness, I tried to find out more about John Locke to try to understand his writing. Apparently, I'm not in his target audience. Here is the URL to his blog explaining his theory on bad reviews: http://donovancreed.wordpress.com/201...
June 8, 2011
I’ll be honest, I'm having a hard time writing my thoughts about this book. One reviewer said she felt a loss of intelligence after reading it. I wouldn't go that far, but I do agree that the story was predictable and the characters were not fully developed. The pace was fast – reading the book is like reading a screenplay for an extremely over-the-top action-packed crime movie – but much of the writer's talent was spent on keeping the reader interested in turning the page.
Am I sorry I read it? No. For 99 cents, I found it predictable but entertaining.
Will I read another John Locke book? Probably not.
Am I sorry I read it? No. For 99 cents, I found it predictable but entertaining.
Will I read another John Locke book? Probably not.
March 22, 2011
I was looking for some fun, light reading for my recent vacation. This book was very popular with ebooks readers at Amazon so I gave it a shot. I hoping for something as good as Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, and maybe that was asking too much, but this book was really disappointing and silly. The plot was unbelievable, and the main character, did not appeal to me at all. I like tough guys like Jack Reacher, but Donavan did not seem to have any redeeming characteristics. I won't be reading any of the other olders books in this seris.
January 4, 2014
John Locke is a very good writer. I am his fan and he has been an inspiration for many. I know this book has sold two million copies. But for me this book is sorta disappointing. May be I expected this book to be a great one but it's just a good book, not great.
The story is about a confused computer man(says maybe a lot) who is caught in a dicey situation and doesn't know what to do. He doesn't even know who is doing what. As the story moves on, he still does not know what is going on and his confusion continues.
The story is about a confused computer man(says maybe a lot) who is caught in a dicey situation and doesn't know what to do. He doesn't even know who is doing what. As the story moves on, he still does not know what is going on and his confusion continues.
March 16, 2011
First book I read on Kindle. Certainly a fast read, and no lack of action or plot twists. Just incredibly incredible. The idea of retelling the same events through a second character was interesting, but I found I kept forgetting that it was a different person, and wondering why the narrator would say or do something. Also, a few plot elements were never fully explained or resolved. And many more were just too far-fetched to accept at any level.
June 21, 2011
Like most of the other reviews, this book was just a waste of time, but there was one redeeming thing about it - it ended. The writing style is a joke and Locke wanders through action scenes like he's flipping through channels trying to decide what episode of the Sopranos to incorporate into the next chapter. In the end, untangling the mess he's made of a plot that ne'er came close to making sense, I found it hard to care if the main character lived or died. I just wanted it to be over.
February 16, 2011
Wow. This one kept me guessing and confused about what was real and what was not. This was my first John Locke book but it will not be my last. My only complaint was the ending left me turning the page thinking my Kindle had not downloaded the entire book. It just STOPPED. It did not tell us what happened to one of the main characters in the story. Very strange.
February 21, 2011
I think I got this book really cheap for my Kindle. I have to say it was enjoyable. Although confusing at times, I even laughed out loud once or twice. The story line was quite intricate but not bad. I was amazed that the author had such an interesting way to kill off someone... I honestly had no idea who was what in this book. Kept me reading for sure - finished in a day.
March 7, 2011
I'm somewhat stunned by the fact that I actually forced myself to finish this book.
As I stated in my comment, there's a reason this book was 0,99$ on Kobo. You truly get what you pay for.
The main character, Sam, is one of those weak wishy-washy characters you just want to smack round the earholes!
As I stated in my comment, there's a reason this book was 0,99$ on Kobo. You truly get what you pay for.
The main character, Sam, is one of those weak wishy-washy characters you just want to smack round the earholes!
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