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Dandelion: We're all just dandelion seeds in a hurricane
He is on a journey of change, pushing himself to feel... something. When he meets Violet, an innocent, life-affirming young woman, he's tempted into being something tame. Something he's not. Then he discovers George, a sociopathic serial killer. Both are now in a tug-of-war for his loyalty. Who will he choose? Can a criminal psychopath really change?
Dr Raveed Makesh is delving deep into the mind of one of Cardiff's most deadly killers, revolutionising therapy for criminal psychopaths. Is Makesh successful? Or just another victim of his games?
If you love American Psycho or Hannibal, Dandelion is the book for you. A dark, literary thriller that will have you second-guessing yourself and, in the end, agreeing with a criminal psychopath.
Dr Raveed Makesh is delving deep into the mind of one of Cardiff's most deadly killers, revolutionising therapy for criminal psychopaths. Is Makesh successful? Or just another victim of his games?
If you love American Psycho or Hannibal, Dandelion is the book for you. A dark, literary thriller that will have you second-guessing yourself and, in the end, agreeing with a criminal psychopath.
257 pages, Hardcover
Published June 24, 2021
9 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lowes
3 books9 followersMark Lowes is a former teacher, current early childhood educator, and future dad. He lives in Cardiff, Wales, UK, and is sometimes found lamenting over how awful his football team is. While he's not working with deaf children and their families, he's writing dark and twisty fiction.
Mark is the winner of Litopia's Pop-Up Submissions and of a pitch contest at the Cardiff Book Festival.
Mark is the winner of Litopia's Pop-Up Submissions and of a pitch contest at the Cardiff Book Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 25, 2021
The man is a psychopath, a man without remorse for the murders he has done beginning at a very young age, a man who feels nothing for anyone.
He becomes involved with Violet ... maybe he feels of spark of ... something.
It's when he meets George, a sociopathic serial killer, that really turns his life upside down.
Like having an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other ... both seem to be vying for his soul.
The reader is given the man's life experiences through a transcript between him and his therapist. And what s story it is! There is an agreement between the two men that the patient will be honest with his telling of what he's done and how he really felt. But can a psychopath really tell the truth? Or is he working the system and his therapist?
It's uniquely written with few characters to detract from the telling. It's a page-turning engaging story. Characters are finely drawn. The ending was unexpected.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this dark and twisty tale. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
He becomes involved with Violet ... maybe he feels of spark of ... something.
It's when he meets George, a sociopathic serial killer, that really turns his life upside down.
Like having an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other ... both seem to be vying for his soul.
The reader is given the man's life experiences through a transcript between him and his therapist. And what s story it is! There is an agreement between the two men that the patient will be honest with his telling of what he's done and how he really felt. But can a psychopath really tell the truth? Or is he working the system and his therapist?
It's uniquely written with few characters to detract from the telling. It's a page-turning engaging story. Characters are finely drawn. The ending was unexpected.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this dark and twisty tale. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
July 4, 2021
If you want rainbows and lollipops this is not the book for you.
It tells the tale of Cardiff's worst serial killer and his fractured mind.
It is dark. How dark is it? It's dark than a pint of Guinness in a cupboard under the stairs, in the basement, at midnight, in a power cut.
From the absolute sledgehammer of an opening line it is relentless.
This is a scary book. It is scary precisely because it does not deal in the gothic monsters of literature. No werewolves or vampires or even zombies. No, it deals the most terrifying thing known to man, the dark corners of the human mind. These monsters are real and they can lead a man to kill. It is a complex book, in that you will spend your time trying to decipher who is real and who is in the patient's head. The book is given added gravitas because it is written in epistolary form, using Doctor's notes, diary entries, screen grabs of text messages and even a DNA report.
This is a very good book. The only caveat I can find is that the author does leave a few questions unanswered. What was the patient's job and how did he get fired/resign among them.
The author does however have a gift for making the reader uncomfortable through the book. He does this in two distinct ways.
One is a small twist on general language for example, instead of "day turned to night" we get "Outside, the night had crawled over the day." Isn't that delicious? subtle yet dark. He is very clever in that they are sparingly used and if you are not looking for them you wont see them (but you will feel them.)
The second method of keeping the reader uncomfortable is used more often. This method is dropping what I have called "cynical society truth bombs." Ideas and tropes that occur in our culture, of which you have probably given little thought to, are deconstructed in a scornful and sceptical manner and you end up thinking Yes, I can see the sinister, prophetic truth in that line. e .g. "Nothing excites me anymore. Nothing. When I was young I felt some excitement in discovery and enthusiasm in the unknown. as I grew up things became more and more mundane. That's the nature of growing up, we are worn down."
So he makes us uncomfortable, but he makes us come back for more, time and time again. It is like an addiction. It is like having a guilty pleasure. This is the second Mark Lowes book I have read and although you can see the influence of Stephen King, Robert Louis Stephenson and others in his writing he has a style all his own. His forte is describing and manipulating the conflicting thoughts and emotions in a person's mind and soul. His prose is simultaneously disturbing and, when called for, mouth-wateringly rich.
This is a very gifted writer. He deserves to be more well know and he deserves to be snapped up by a publisher ASAP.
By @grumpyoldbooks
It tells the tale of Cardiff's worst serial killer and his fractured mind.
It is dark. How dark is it? It's dark than a pint of Guinness in a cupboard under the stairs, in the basement, at midnight, in a power cut.
From the absolute sledgehammer of an opening line it is relentless.
This is a scary book. It is scary precisely because it does not deal in the gothic monsters of literature. No werewolves or vampires or even zombies. No, it deals the most terrifying thing known to man, the dark corners of the human mind. These monsters are real and they can lead a man to kill. It is a complex book, in that you will spend your time trying to decipher who is real and who is in the patient's head. The book is given added gravitas because it is written in epistolary form, using Doctor's notes, diary entries, screen grabs of text messages and even a DNA report.
This is a very good book. The only caveat I can find is that the author does leave a few questions unanswered. What was the patient's job and how did he get fired/resign among them.
The author does however have a gift for making the reader uncomfortable through the book. He does this in two distinct ways.
One is a small twist on general language for example, instead of "day turned to night" we get "Outside, the night had crawled over the day." Isn't that delicious? subtle yet dark. He is very clever in that they are sparingly used and if you are not looking for them you wont see them (but you will feel them.)
The second method of keeping the reader uncomfortable is used more often. This method is dropping what I have called "cynical society truth bombs." Ideas and tropes that occur in our culture, of which you have probably given little thought to, are deconstructed in a scornful and sceptical manner and you end up thinking Yes, I can see the sinister, prophetic truth in that line. e .g. "Nothing excites me anymore. Nothing. When I was young I felt some excitement in discovery and enthusiasm in the unknown. as I grew up things became more and more mundane. That's the nature of growing up, we are worn down."
So he makes us uncomfortable, but he makes us come back for more, time and time again. It is like an addiction. It is like having a guilty pleasure. This is the second Mark Lowes book I have read and although you can see the influence of Stephen King, Robert Louis Stephenson and others in his writing he has a style all his own. His forte is describing and manipulating the conflicting thoughts and emotions in a person's mind and soul. His prose is simultaneously disturbing and, when called for, mouth-wateringly rich.
This is a very gifted writer. He deserves to be more well know and he deserves to be snapped up by a publisher ASAP.
By @grumpyoldbooks
July 11, 2021
Being brought into the mind of a serial killer is a dark and dangerous journey. This story was dark with a twisty sense of humor written into it. I liked the way the author used three excellently written characters to tell the story while filling it with suspense and a twist ending. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
June 16, 2021
We are all just dandelion seeds in a hurricane
In his debut book Feral Snow, Mark Lowes took readers on a fast paced, thrilling journey across the frozen landscape of Antarctica, in his second book Dandelion, he takes us on a captivating journey into the twisted mind of a killer. A story with a plot that is completely different from the author's first book in every way but is just as intense and enthralling.
The story centre's almost entirely around our main character who is known throughout the entire book as The Patient as he recounts events that occurred throughout his life whilst attending his therapy sessions with Dr Raveed Makesh. The Doctor was hoping that by letting his patient tell his account in full detail, from his own point of view that he won't revert to manipulative techniques and that the sessions would eventually provide the patient with a sense of empathy and understanding from other's perspectives. We learn about the patient's unhappy childhood, his first killing and his interactions with the two characters who would have such a dramatic effect on his life, Violet Driscoll and George Harrison (no not the bloody Beatle) Two people who ended up being the living embodiment of the Angel and devil characters that you see perched on the shoulders of cartoon characters and caused our main character to question his life's philosophies and experience thoughts and feelings that were completely alien to him.It was obvious that our main character suffered from a number of mental health issues from a young age and was most definitely an introvert but did he also suffer from schizophrenia. Did George Harrison who was a seriously twisted individual,had the same total lack of feelings and empathy as a pod person from Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and was most definitely not very likeable actually exist, was he a real person, a figment of the patient's imagination or one of his other personalities? As the story unfolded, I struggled to decide how I felt about the patient, there was many times when I thought he was unlikable but he did have some redeemable qualities and I also felt that it was unfair to pass judgement on him due to his mental issues. I thought it was really clever and ingenious how the author keep the reader guessing by blanking out the name of the patient during the chapters that covered the therapy sessions.
Scattered through the book was extracts from Violet's diary in which she gave the reader a insight into her thoughts about the patient, the reasons why she was so fascinated with him and kept instigating encounters between the two characters. Violet was a really likeable character who was so lively and full of life, every time she appeared in the story I wanted to reach into my kindle,give her a good shaking and tell to run away as far as she could.
The plot of this thought provoking, dark, spine chilling and at times intense story covers some realistic issues including mental health, the question of if therapy actually works or not and the age old issue of nature v nurture. It's a fascinating,thrilling and intelligently written exploration into one or more twisted minds. The characters were a mixed bag of vivid, realistic individuals, some likeable,some not so likeable. I really really loved this mesmerising story and would give it far more than five stars if I could. This Author is very talented and I look forward to reading many more of his books in the future.
In his debut book Feral Snow, Mark Lowes took readers on a fast paced, thrilling journey across the frozen landscape of Antarctica, in his second book Dandelion, he takes us on a captivating journey into the twisted mind of a killer. A story with a plot that is completely different from the author's first book in every way but is just as intense and enthralling.
The story centre's almost entirely around our main character who is known throughout the entire book as The Patient as he recounts events that occurred throughout his life whilst attending his therapy sessions with Dr Raveed Makesh. The Doctor was hoping that by letting his patient tell his account in full detail, from his own point of view that he won't revert to manipulative techniques and that the sessions would eventually provide the patient with a sense of empathy and understanding from other's perspectives. We learn about the patient's unhappy childhood, his first killing and his interactions with the two characters who would have such a dramatic effect on his life, Violet Driscoll and George Harrison (no not the bloody Beatle) Two people who ended up being the living embodiment of the Angel and devil characters that you see perched on the shoulders of cartoon characters and caused our main character to question his life's philosophies and experience thoughts and feelings that were completely alien to him.It was obvious that our main character suffered from a number of mental health issues from a young age and was most definitely an introvert but did he also suffer from schizophrenia. Did George Harrison who was a seriously twisted individual,had the same total lack of feelings and empathy as a pod person from Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and was most definitely not very likeable actually exist, was he a real person, a figment of the patient's imagination or one of his other personalities? As the story unfolded, I struggled to decide how I felt about the patient, there was many times when I thought he was unlikable but he did have some redeemable qualities and I also felt that it was unfair to pass judgement on him due to his mental issues. I thought it was really clever and ingenious how the author keep the reader guessing by blanking out the name of the patient during the chapters that covered the therapy sessions.
Scattered through the book was extracts from Violet's diary in which she gave the reader a insight into her thoughts about the patient, the reasons why she was so fascinated with him and kept instigating encounters between the two characters. Violet was a really likeable character who was so lively and full of life, every time she appeared in the story I wanted to reach into my kindle,give her a good shaking and tell to run away as far as she could.
The plot of this thought provoking, dark, spine chilling and at times intense story covers some realistic issues including mental health, the question of if therapy actually works or not and the age old issue of nature v nurture. It's a fascinating,thrilling and intelligently written exploration into one or more twisted minds. The characters were a mixed bag of vivid, realistic individuals, some likeable,some not so likeable. I really really loved this mesmerising story and would give it far more than five stars if I could. This Author is very talented and I look forward to reading many more of his books in the future.
June 24, 2021
The Patient, Cardiff's most dangerous serial killer, is being interviewed by Dr Makesh under a new therapy programme for psychopaths. But is The Patient really a psychopath or a product of his environment? Nature vs nurture raises it's head again in this fast paced, all in thriller.
The Patient has killed already but after meeting sweet Violet and fellow psychopath George which path will he follow? Desperate to feel something we follow The Patient on his journey which ends with him in a high security facility. And just what or who is the mysterious George? Mistreated psychopathic neighbour or just a figment of The Patients damaged mental health?
I really enjoyed this book. Straight into the action with the back story dripped in where necessary so no prolonged build up to the action.
The Patient has killed already but after meeting sweet Violet and fellow psychopath George which path will he follow? Desperate to feel something we follow The Patient on his journey which ends with him in a high security facility. And just what or who is the mysterious George? Mistreated psychopathic neighbour or just a figment of The Patients damaged mental health?
I really enjoyed this book. Straight into the action with the back story dripped in where necessary so no prolonged build up to the action.
July 4, 2021
this is a mesmerising book as he takes us on a journey into the mind of a killer. The main character who was just called the patient and his doctor Makesh we explore the patients life his unhappy childhood and his killings I liked the parts from violets diary.
A great book never read any by this author before but i will have to now.
A great book never read any by this author before but i will have to now.
July 11, 2021
This a dark read with a very quirky sense of humour running throughout. Told from a few different perspectives, including as transcripts of psychiatric sessions, the story takes us into the mind of a serial killer and his journey to becoming the murderer he is today.
With some fascinating characters, this makes for a captivating read that was difficult to put down.
With some fascinating characters, this makes for a captivating read that was difficult to put down.
June 25, 2021
Deliciously dark with a twisted and quirky sense of humour that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story is told from the unique and insightful perspective of a, strangely engaging, antihero who speaks of murder in a matter of fact way as though he’s describing what he had for breakfast. When he randomly meets with a murdering sociopath this becomes an explosive and mutually destructive cocktail, stand back and watch the results!
I really enjoyed that our reality, as a reader, is blurred and i didn’t know what to believe at times. The psychiatrist and Police reports gave snapshots of a possible truth to ground us with and Violet was a lovely antidote to the evil bubbling on the surface.
The psychological aspect was brilliant and gave a lot of food for thought on some big questions in life such as nature versus nurture. I loved the questioning of human nature in the scenarios presented throughout and analysing what my own responses would be. Worryingly now I’m starting to question my affinity with the main character.
Excellent writing, having read a previous book of Mark’s, I was confident I would enjoy this, as his style is so captivating, I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
I really enjoyed that our reality, as a reader, is blurred and i didn’t know what to believe at times. The psychiatrist and Police reports gave snapshots of a possible truth to ground us with and Violet was a lovely antidote to the evil bubbling on the surface.
The psychological aspect was brilliant and gave a lot of food for thought on some big questions in life such as nature versus nurture. I loved the questioning of human nature in the scenarios presented throughout and analysing what my own responses would be. Worryingly now I’m starting to question my affinity with the main character.
Excellent writing, having read a previous book of Mark’s, I was confident I would enjoy this, as his style is so captivating, I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
June 26, 2021
A captivating book about the twisted mind of a killer. Page turning at its best. I like how there are not lots of characters to distract you and the story is mainly about the killer and the therapist. Totally didn’t expect the ending.
July 14, 2021
A very dark story about 'The Patient'. Twisted, evil and without remorse, those were my thoughts. Different to what I would usually read.
July 8, 2021
Can a criminal psychopath really change?
Dr Raveed Makesh is delving deep into the mind of one of Cardiff's most deadly killers, revolutionising therapy for criminal psychopaths. He takes on a serial killer identified only as The Patient and through transcripts, diary entries and The Patient's own words, the reader is drawn into the mind of a mentally ill psychopath with multiple personalities. As the book progresses, the reader is given an insight into The Patients sad and scarring past, reasons behind his behaviour and damaged mind. Reasons to feel empathy for him.
Forget mythical monsters that lurk in the dark or inhabit your sleep, there is nothing scarier than a killer dressed as a normal human being. I love reading about serial killers and what drives them to act, I just don't want to ever meet one in real life.
The Patient has a sense of humour, making me laugh and helping me read this dark, uncomfortable book. 'Yes, the fucking Beatle.' He says referring to George Harrison, the man he holds responsible for most of the killings. The Monster, the Devil, the scapegoat.
The writing is beautifully done, so many examples to choose, so here's one, '... dosed up on drugs to the point I could have sworn her back teeth were drowning... ' There are many, many more.
The Patient meets Violet, sweet and full of life and maybe the answer to him making different choices, but really, there was only ever going to be one outcome for anyone crossing the path of this unstable mind. I felt for his victims because they had no idea what they were dealing with, how dangerous he was, how his personality could flip.
Many questions are asked throughout the book, thought provoking for the reader to try and answer, a thrilling take on the nature v nurture question. I'm still considering most of them.
Did I agree with the criminal psychopath? I think not. But will you?
Dr Raveed Makesh is delving deep into the mind of one of Cardiff's most deadly killers, revolutionising therapy for criminal psychopaths. He takes on a serial killer identified only as The Patient and through transcripts, diary entries and The Patient's own words, the reader is drawn into the mind of a mentally ill psychopath with multiple personalities. As the book progresses, the reader is given an insight into The Patients sad and scarring past, reasons behind his behaviour and damaged mind. Reasons to feel empathy for him.
Forget mythical monsters that lurk in the dark or inhabit your sleep, there is nothing scarier than a killer dressed as a normal human being. I love reading about serial killers and what drives them to act, I just don't want to ever meet one in real life.
The Patient has a sense of humour, making me laugh and helping me read this dark, uncomfortable book. 'Yes, the fucking Beatle.' He says referring to George Harrison, the man he holds responsible for most of the killings. The Monster, the Devil, the scapegoat.
The writing is beautifully done, so many examples to choose, so here's one, '... dosed up on drugs to the point I could have sworn her back teeth were drowning... ' There are many, many more.
The Patient meets Violet, sweet and full of life and maybe the answer to him making different choices, but really, there was only ever going to be one outcome for anyone crossing the path of this unstable mind. I felt for his victims because they had no idea what they were dealing with, how dangerous he was, how his personality could flip.
Many questions are asked throughout the book, thought provoking for the reader to try and answer, a thrilling take on the nature v nurture question. I'm still considering most of them.
Did I agree with the criminal psychopath? I think not. But will you?
August 13, 2021
This is a very different book to the type of book I normally read but I really enjoyed it. It reads like a memoir of a psychopath and makes the reader question everything as they go. I enjoyed the way the story is broken up by different elements such as notes from the psychiatrist or extracts from Violet’s diary.
I love the way Mark creates a story with lots of layers in quite a short novel. Can’t wait to see what he releases next.
I love the way Mark creates a story with lots of layers in quite a short novel. Can’t wait to see what he releases next.
September 3, 2021
I very sinister MC who got under my skin from the opening scene.
The way the author plays with the reader by showing hints of emotion, alongside absolute emptying; some would call gaslighting-capturing what I imagine a genuine psychopath is capable of.
The entire storyline is clever, dark and dare I say it, exciting; the thrill of what come next and how each character is nothing but a pawn.
I loved it.
The way the author plays with the reader by showing hints of emotion, alongside absolute emptying; some would call gaslighting-capturing what I imagine a genuine psychopath is capable of.
The entire storyline is clever, dark and dare I say it, exciting; the thrill of what come next and how each character is nothing but a pawn.
I loved it.
August 10, 2021
I was supposed to be reading this one as part of a book tour, which sadly was cancelled. But as I'd already read it, seemed silly not to post my review.
This was unputdownable & I read it in one sitting! Told through transcripts between our protagonist & his therapist, this was a very cleverly written book. Compelling & totally original. Characters were very well developed.
This was unputdownable & I read it in one sitting! Told through transcripts between our protagonist & his therapist, this was a very cleverly written book. Compelling & totally original. Characters were very well developed.
July 8, 2021
A very different read
The story of a killer and his battle to decide whether he’s heading towards Good or Evil!
Well written with 3 excellent characters that work to tell the story
Really enjoyed
The story of a killer and his battle to decide whether he’s heading towards Good or Evil!
Well written with 3 excellent characters that work to tell the story
Really enjoyed
February 6, 2022
A really dark and twisted thriller, inerspersed with black humour. I found the story of 'the patient's' deepening fascination of death and pain an uncomfortable, yet intriguing read
July 22, 2021
A very dark twisty story, but a good one,nonetheless. I found it very interesting and it had some dark humor to it. Great read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews