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Murder in the Magic City
Ross Sterling’s young daughter died at the hands of a burglar sent to their home under the direction of local drug kingpin, Carlos Medina. Trouble was, Sterling had never met the man, nor anyone remotely connected to him. Sterling vowed to avenge his daughter’s death. Bringing her back was impossible, but some way, somehow, he would atone for his failure to safeguard her from the horrors of the world. On the run and out of options, the Organized Crime Agency welcomed Sterling with open arms as he pursued his quest for vengeance.
Micah Brantley never had much of a plan for what life would look like once he reached adulthood. He tried his hand at a life in the military, spending a few years in special ops doing the kinds of operations which often end up with the gory details redacted to all but those with the highest of security clearances. Eventually, his path diverged down a less honorable route. He made inroads with a man who had connections to Carlos Medina, a man eager to make use of Brantley’s specialized combat abilities. Soon, he was sending Medina’s enemies away on permanent vacations; and being rewarded handsomely.
Trouble was, no two roads run parallel forever. At some point, they either converge or reach an untimely end, their tarmac engulfed by the torrential waters of their sins. Such was the case for the roads traveled by Sterling and Brantley. Their paths altered, and sometimes even orchestrated, by outside forces hellbent on producing a reality of their choosing. The two men forged their own path. One separate from the demands of others. A path whose end was anything but certain.
Micah Brantley never had much of a plan for what life would look like once he reached adulthood. He tried his hand at a life in the military, spending a few years in special ops doing the kinds of operations which often end up with the gory details redacted to all but those with the highest of security clearances. Eventually, his path diverged down a less honorable route. He made inroads with a man who had connections to Carlos Medina, a man eager to make use of Brantley’s specialized combat abilities. Soon, he was sending Medina’s enemies away on permanent vacations; and being rewarded handsomely.
Trouble was, no two roads run parallel forever. At some point, they either converge or reach an untimely end, their tarmac engulfed by the torrential waters of their sins. Such was the case for the roads traveled by Sterling and Brantley. Their paths altered, and sometimes even orchestrated, by outside forces hellbent on producing a reality of their choosing. The two men forged their own path. One separate from the demands of others. A path whose end was anything but certain.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 29, 2021
"Murder in the Magic City" is a 2021 novel by G.P. Sorrells. The novel follows "What Remains Is Infinity," which also features main character Micah Brantley. However, you needn't have read "What Remains" to enjoy "Murder in the Magic City." In fact, the novels are almost completely unconnected.
"Murder in the Magic City" reads like a plot out of Miami Vice. Hitman Micah Brantley has a career on the rise. After whacking some high profile targets, Micah finds himself in the steady employ of Carlos Medina, one of Miami's most successful crime kingpins. Hot on Micah's trail are two cops who will stop at nothing until the perp is behind bars. In another plot thread, Miami resident Ross Sterling is out for blood when his young daughter is killed by a hired gun also in the employ of Carlos Medina. With no idea why Medina would target him, Sterling will have to untangle the mystery, and will eventually find himself on a collision course with up-and-coming hitman Micah Brantley.
"Murder in the Magic City" was quite the curious read for me, and most likely will be for you as well, assuming you've read the previous book, "What Remains Is Infinity." I spent the entire book trying to figure out how it's connected to the previous book (other than a main character with the same name) and why the author eschewed so many of the ideas from book one, particularly multiverse theory. I have a lot of good things to say about the novel, but it seems rather odd that the two books are so different in terms of story ideas and even in genre. "Murder in the Magic City" starts off very much as a conventional crime thriller, and it works well as such. I thought the book was incredibly entertaining, with interesting perspective changes between the various plot threads. Not until quite far into the book does author Sorrells start to introduce the science fiction element. At first, the science fiction idea is a little murky and confusing, but as I started to grasp what the author was going for, I found the ideas presented to be compelling, and was reminded of the 2020 film Possessor.
"Murder in the Magic City" shows a marked improvement in plotting and writing quality over its predecessor. The plotting was tight, made sense, and had clear direction. The quality of writing was also improved, and I found the novel to be very readable. Occasionally, awkward turns of phrase jumped out at me, but otherwise the prose was solid, as was the dialogue. Small witticisms and bits of humor litter the novel, and I enjoyed these lighthearted moments. Author Sorrells writes with a commanding sense of authority when it comes to the setting, Miami. The author seemed to enjoy writing in that setting as much as I enjoyed reading that setting; the research and first-hand knowledge were apparent. The setting really helped sell the book, and gave it a cool personality, similarly to Miami Vice or other stylish police shows.
Unfortunately, I'm still not sold on the character of Micah Brantley. I had a difficult time figuring out who Micah was at his core in the last book, and that lack of personality persists into "Murder in the Magic City." There just isn't enough backstory on Micah to create any kind of compelling specimen of a character. He seems like some kind of friendly dude you'd want to meet, but also happens to be a killer, and the whole package of Micah just doesn't quite track with me. The character does undergo some development in "Murder in the Magic City," but in my opinion, it's the characterization of Micah that remains the weak link in the books so far.
With two very different books under his belt, I'm very excited to see what author G.P. Sorrells has next in store for his readers. With "Murder in the Magic City," a clear voice has started to show through in the writing of Sorrells. I'm looking forward to seeing where this voice takes him, and believe his literary future to be a bright one.
"Murder in the Magic City" reads like a plot out of Miami Vice. Hitman Micah Brantley has a career on the rise. After whacking some high profile targets, Micah finds himself in the steady employ of Carlos Medina, one of Miami's most successful crime kingpins. Hot on Micah's trail are two cops who will stop at nothing until the perp is behind bars. In another plot thread, Miami resident Ross Sterling is out for blood when his young daughter is killed by a hired gun also in the employ of Carlos Medina. With no idea why Medina would target him, Sterling will have to untangle the mystery, and will eventually find himself on a collision course with up-and-coming hitman Micah Brantley.
"Murder in the Magic City" was quite the curious read for me, and most likely will be for you as well, assuming you've read the previous book, "What Remains Is Infinity." I spent the entire book trying to figure out how it's connected to the previous book (other than a main character with the same name) and why the author eschewed so many of the ideas from book one, particularly multiverse theory. I have a lot of good things to say about the novel, but it seems rather odd that the two books are so different in terms of story ideas and even in genre. "Murder in the Magic City" starts off very much as a conventional crime thriller, and it works well as such. I thought the book was incredibly entertaining, with interesting perspective changes between the various plot threads. Not until quite far into the book does author Sorrells start to introduce the science fiction element. At first, the science fiction idea is a little murky and confusing, but as I started to grasp what the author was going for, I found the ideas presented to be compelling, and was reminded of the 2020 film Possessor.
"Murder in the Magic City" shows a marked improvement in plotting and writing quality over its predecessor. The plotting was tight, made sense, and had clear direction. The quality of writing was also improved, and I found the novel to be very readable. Occasionally, awkward turns of phrase jumped out at me, but otherwise the prose was solid, as was the dialogue. Small witticisms and bits of humor litter the novel, and I enjoyed these lighthearted moments. Author Sorrells writes with a commanding sense of authority when it comes to the setting, Miami. The author seemed to enjoy writing in that setting as much as I enjoyed reading that setting; the research and first-hand knowledge were apparent. The setting really helped sell the book, and gave it a cool personality, similarly to Miami Vice or other stylish police shows.
Unfortunately, I'm still not sold on the character of Micah Brantley. I had a difficult time figuring out who Micah was at his core in the last book, and that lack of personality persists into "Murder in the Magic City." There just isn't enough backstory on Micah to create any kind of compelling specimen of a character. He seems like some kind of friendly dude you'd want to meet, but also happens to be a killer, and the whole package of Micah just doesn't quite track with me. The character does undergo some development in "Murder in the Magic City," but in my opinion, it's the characterization of Micah that remains the weak link in the books so far.
With two very different books under his belt, I'm very excited to see what author G.P. Sorrells has next in store for his readers. With "Murder in the Magic City," a clear voice has started to show through in the writing of Sorrells. I'm looking forward to seeing where this voice takes him, and believe his literary future to be a bright one.
May 20, 2021
Suspense at its best
Very suspenseful, keeped me engaged until the end. G.P. Sorrells is an up and coming writer. Looking forward to the next book.
Very suspenseful, keeped me engaged until the end. G.P. Sorrells is an up and coming writer. Looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews