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Jan Phillips #3
Sparkles
A Jan Phillips Story
A life cut short; unsolved robberies plaguing Philadelphia’s Jeweler’s Row; a cryptic message scrawled on a paper napkin; a Romanov prince; a young man held captive in Iran; a terrorist cell bent on revenge; and an opera company due to mount a rarely performed production of Handel’s Alexander’s Feast. What do these have to do with Jan Phillips?
One plunges Jan into a prolonged sadness. One leads him on a race to prevent a nuclear disaster. One offers Jan the promise of renewed love. One leads him to reluctantly wield his power as a Mundus master. One is bent on shattering thousands of lives beyond repair, while one unknowingly holds the key to the mystery that has baffled Philadelphia’s finest. Follow Jan as he untangles this Gordian knot that will alter his life in a way he never thought possible.
A life cut short; unsolved robberies plaguing Philadelphia’s Jeweler’s Row; a cryptic message scrawled on a paper napkin; a Romanov prince; a young man held captive in Iran; a terrorist cell bent on revenge; and an opera company due to mount a rarely performed production of Handel’s Alexander’s Feast. What do these have to do with Jan Phillips?
One plunges Jan into a prolonged sadness. One leads him on a race to prevent a nuclear disaster. One offers Jan the promise of renewed love. One leads him to reluctantly wield his power as a Mundus master. One is bent on shattering thousands of lives beyond repair, while one unknowingly holds the key to the mystery that has baffled Philadelphia’s finest. Follow Jan as he untangles this Gordian knot that will alter his life in a way he never thought possible.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2016
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 30, 2016
4.5 Stars ~ Sparkles is the third book in the Jan Phillips series, so I highly recommend reading Whatever Happened to Jan Phillips? and Sons to get the full effect of Jan’s life.
Jan finds himself alone again after the passing of his longtime lover, Michael Lin. He has been secluded while mourning his loss, but he gets an e-mail from his son, Colin, and travels to Montana for a visit. Jan is proud of Colin and what he’s accomplished, but he can tell there’s something troubling between Colin and his wife. There are some really heartfelt moments when Jan takes time to talk with his son about the past, and gives him guidance.
When Jan is asked to rescue Armande Bonnet from a foreign country, he decides to call Joachim Nussbaum, an ex-Mossad agent, to take on the dangerous task of finding Bonnet. Joachim is one of the most interesting and solid characters that I’ve ever come across. Aida Fabian, a longtime friend to Jan, Jan’s brother Daniel, Charlotte De Vere, and Amal are just a few more characters that add a special camaraderie to the storyline.
Then there’s Stephen Roman, who will turn Jan’s life upside down.
There’s quite a bit of reminiscing for Jan in this story, but one life lesson he learns is that one can be powerful and wealthy, but it doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have someone to share your love with.
Michael Halfhill has created a really good series in the Jan Phillips stories. They’re suspenseful, fast paced, action packed and take us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Even with all the situations going on, the author made this story flow smoothly and brought us an exciting conclusion. From the very first novel of the series, I thought the creation of the Mundus Association was intriguing. Most of all, I really like Jan’s character; he’s made some mistakes, but he stayed strong, true to himself, and he has a good heart. I’m looking forward to Jan Phillips’ next adventure.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
Jan finds himself alone again after the passing of his longtime lover, Michael Lin. He has been secluded while mourning his loss, but he gets an e-mail from his son, Colin, and travels to Montana for a visit. Jan is proud of Colin and what he’s accomplished, but he can tell there’s something troubling between Colin and his wife. There are some really heartfelt moments when Jan takes time to talk with his son about the past, and gives him guidance.
When Jan is asked to rescue Armande Bonnet from a foreign country, he decides to call Joachim Nussbaum, an ex-Mossad agent, to take on the dangerous task of finding Bonnet. Joachim is one of the most interesting and solid characters that I’ve ever come across. Aida Fabian, a longtime friend to Jan, Jan’s brother Daniel, Charlotte De Vere, and Amal are just a few more characters that add a special camaraderie to the storyline.
Then there’s Stephen Roman, who will turn Jan’s life upside down.
There’s quite a bit of reminiscing for Jan in this story, but one life lesson he learns is that one can be powerful and wealthy, but it doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have someone to share your love with.
Michael Halfhill has created a really good series in the Jan Phillips stories. They’re suspenseful, fast paced, action packed and take us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Even with all the situations going on, the author made this story flow smoothly and brought us an exciting conclusion. From the very first novel of the series, I thought the creation of the Mundus Association was intriguing. Most of all, I really like Jan’s character; he’s made some mistakes, but he stayed strong, true to himself, and he has a good heart. I’m looking forward to Jan Phillips’ next adventure.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
August 18, 2016
Sparkles by Michael Halfhill is the third in the Whatever Happened to Jan Phillips series. It’s an ensemble book about Jan Phillips, a man in mourning from the loss of his lover. In Sparkles Jan solves the mystery of Philadelphia’s stolen jewels, stops a nuclear war, and finds new love. Yeah, it was a lot.
Halfhill’s characters were rife with palpable emotions, and the settings came alive with explicit details. (As a Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania native, I appreciated the all too rare hometown shout-out.) Unfortunately, I struggled with much of this book. Some of the issue was, undoubtedly, the fact that I started the series three books in. This left me with no connection to the characters, therefore, struggling to relate to the intensity of their emotions, especially those in the first chapters. Sparkles had so many storylines that I couldn’t always keep up from one jump to the next and often needed to go back in attempt to reorient myself.
Sparkles by Michael Halfhill was well-written, but not for me. I’m sure followers of the series will feel differently. In my opinion, you need to start from the beginning of this series to fully enjoy it.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
Halfhill’s characters were rife with palpable emotions, and the settings came alive with explicit details. (As a Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania native, I appreciated the all too rare hometown shout-out.) Unfortunately, I struggled with much of this book. Some of the issue was, undoubtedly, the fact that I started the series three books in. This left me with no connection to the characters, therefore, struggling to relate to the intensity of their emotions, especially those in the first chapters. Sparkles had so many storylines that I couldn’t always keep up from one jump to the next and often needed to go back in attempt to reorient myself.
Sparkles by Michael Halfhill was well-written, but not for me. I’m sure followers of the series will feel differently. In my opinion, you need to start from the beginning of this series to fully enjoy it.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews