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Stan Turner #9
Disillusioned
After being discharged from the United States Marine Corps, Stan ends up in Dallas where he intends to finish law school. In the spring of 1976, while attending SMU, he is recruited into the republican party, elected county chairman, and finds himself helping President Gerald Ford in his campaign against Jimmy Carter. The campaign is marred, however by an untimely FBI investigation into the financial dealings of a major party contributor, Brad Thornton. The investigation unleashes an avalanche of misfortune beginning with the alleged murder-suicide of Stan's friend, Ron Shepard, his wife Cindy and their three children and culminating in the resignation of two republican candidates for the 67th District's state representative seat. Stan, who can't believe his best friend could have murdered his family, launches his own personal investigation to clear Rob's name. When the investigation turns up new evidence that threatens members of a powerful Mexican drug cartel, Stan is kidnaped and taken to a secluded place called "the dump" where he is to be murdered and his body burned to prevent identification.
308 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
8 people are currently reading
1109 people want to read
About the author
William Manchee
39 books192 followersWilliam Manchee is an attorney by trade and practices consumer law in Texas with his son Jim. Originally from southern California, he now lives in Plano, Texas. He is the author of 25 novels including the Stan Turner Mysteries, Rich Coleman Novels, and the Tarizon Saga.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
October 23, 2010
Disclaimer – I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
This book had the makings of a good story. In fact, I do believe that there was a good story in there somewhere. I just had difficulty finding it. I was too distracted by the countless spelling and grammatical errors. The book is written with very little narrative. What little narrative there was had too many minute details which distracted from the story. In fact, some of the narrative read like a shopping list.
Then there was the endless dialogue, as if the writer were writing a script, rather than a book. Oftentimes, I really did not know who was talking, and I had to go back to the beginning of the dialogue to check.
The hero of the story Stan Turner was really unrealistic. I remember being a student, and while I was not a law student, I certainly did not have time to have a family, a job, run a political campaign, and investigate a crime for the FBI. Just not very realistic. At one point, I made an update that stated: Stan is an idiot with no sense of self-preservation.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, some of them with similar names like Ron and Rob. Again, this was distracting and left me constantly going back and forth to make sure I understood.
A good editing job would have made this a more pleasurable reading experience.
This book had the makings of a good story. In fact, I do believe that there was a good story in there somewhere. I just had difficulty finding it. I was too distracted by the countless spelling and grammatical errors. The book is written with very little narrative. What little narrative there was had too many minute details which distracted from the story. In fact, some of the narrative read like a shopping list.
Then there was the endless dialogue, as if the writer were writing a script, rather than a book. Oftentimes, I really did not know who was talking, and I had to go back to the beginning of the dialogue to check.
The hero of the story Stan Turner was really unrealistic. I remember being a student, and while I was not a law student, I certainly did not have time to have a family, a job, run a political campaign, and investigate a crime for the FBI. Just not very realistic. At one point, I made an update that stated: Stan is an idiot with no sense of self-preservation.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, some of them with similar names like Ron and Rob. Again, this was distracting and left me constantly going back and forth to make sure I understood.
A good editing job would have made this a more pleasurable reading experience.
April 3, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this book.I normally read crime/suspense novels...and this book was weel written, fast moving and I was glued to the book till the end.The characters were well developed and the plot constantly thickened with suspense.Thank you for allowing me to read this book.I will definately read some of his other novels.A must read.
February 26, 2016
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks very much! =)
- My Description -
It's 1976 and Stan Turner is a very busy man.
He's in law school.
He's county chairman for The Republican party.
He's employed part time as a life insurance salesman.
He's a family man with a wife and four children.
On top of all that, he begins amateur detective work when his friend and family are found dead.
Rob Shepard, his wife Cindy, their three children and the children's babysitter are all found dead.
To the police, it looks like a murder/suicide.
Stan sees it in a totally different light.
Right before Rob's death, info came to the surface.
Rob was involved in big money investment dealings with Brad Thornton, friend to both Rob and Stan.
Brad Thornton has some demons in his closet.
So, Did Rob murder his family and himself to escape from the aggravation of his pending jail time? Maybe ridding his family of having to go through the ordeal?
Perhaps Rob and family were murdered? And if so, why?
- My Review -
I wasn't really sure if I'd like this book or even understand the political mumbo jumbo.
Well lucky for me, there wasn't much political mumbo jumbo in this book. Yay.
I really liked this read, but wasn't happy with the way it ended.
I thought Stan was pretty careless to put his family and himself in danger time after time.
When one has a family, you don't do that.
"Stupid Stan, you did it again!"
This is book 9 in the Stan Turner series. Right now, there are 10 in the series.
I haven't read the others in the series.
Beginning at book 9, the author explained what happened in previous books pretty clear.
I added book 1 to my want to read list.
June 21, 2011
Oh Lordy. Where to begin? While I'll admit I've read some guilty pelasure books that have assuredly lowered my IQ, this one I just feel like is almost insulting. The plot isn't mind-blowingly original and some of the literary structure are akin to Dick & Jane books.
Its not going to take you long to read this one but it'd take you a lifetime trying to find it believable. It's amazing how easily the protagonist acquires information just by walking in the door and asking for it. A 100 pages in he's gotten info out of two women he met for the first time with sweetalking skills I'm sure Marilyn Manson could top. it's just implausible that this man would have all this sensitive information dropped in his lap when it's info that got a man & his family killed. Surely it has to be more difficult than that. Even when James Patterson mails one in it's still more tangible that the events in the story happened.
Power to you William Manchee for having a whole Stan turner series, it gives hopes to the rest of us that maybe someday our awful books will be published too... but even the cover art in this one makes no sense... not that I ever really have myself.
Its not going to take you long to read this one but it'd take you a lifetime trying to find it believable. It's amazing how easily the protagonist acquires information just by walking in the door and asking for it. A 100 pages in he's gotten info out of two women he met for the first time with sweetalking skills I'm sure Marilyn Manson could top. it's just implausible that this man would have all this sensitive information dropped in his lap when it's info that got a man & his family killed. Surely it has to be more difficult than that. Even when James Patterson mails one in it's still more tangible that the events in the story happened.
Power to you William Manchee for having a whole Stan turner series, it gives hopes to the rest of us that maybe someday our awful books will be published too... but even the cover art in this one makes no sense... not that I ever really have myself.
October 25, 2010
Politics, corruption, murder, kidnapping, and a drug cartel - Disillusioned has it all.
I found the book (the first of Mr. Manchee's that I have read) to be reminiscent a little of the Mike Hammer mysteries - a little noirish, but not dated. The pace is good, so is the plot. What I also liked about the book is that the characters are not static, though I would like to read more of the series (both earlier books and those to come) to see how the main character evolves.
Since, as mentioned, this is my first book by Mr. Manchee, I do not have a point of comparison to the earlier Stan Turner books, but I do think that it can be read as a stand-alone book. Having said that, the earlier books would be a good recommendation to read first to see how the character progresses and I do intend to look into the series.
I found the book (the first of Mr. Manchee's that I have read) to be reminiscent a little of the Mike Hammer mysteries - a little noirish, but not dated. The pace is good, so is the plot. What I also liked about the book is that the characters are not static, though I would like to read more of the series (both earlier books and those to come) to see how the main character evolves.
Since, as mentioned, this is my first book by Mr. Manchee, I do not have a point of comparison to the earlier Stan Turner books, but I do think that it can be read as a stand-alone book. Having said that, the earlier books would be a good recommendation to read first to see how the character progresses and I do intend to look into the series.
March 29, 2020
This read like a first draft rather than a published novel. There could have been a good story under all the faults, but the faults were far too numerous and rudimentary to overlook.
On almost every page, there was a grammar, punctuation, or spelling error. I am not talking complicated grammar issues either that one would need an editor to figure out. I mean using the wrong your or their kind of basic. Due to that, I found my eyes jumping error to error instead of paying as much attention to the story itself as one should.
The male characters all had one of two personalities: abrasive masculinity or deeply wronged martyr. There was little nuance and on the pages with only a couple dialog tags/action beats to tell who was saying what, I would forget who was actually saying a line. Their personalities were so indistinguishable from each other, I would mix them up. On top of this, they are referred to by the narrator as a mixture of their first and last name which is fine, but gets confusing once you've introduced so many and are now on page 200 referring to a character by a name that hasn't been mentioned since page 50. I am admittedly not the greatest with character names, but can usually figure them out by about half way. This was a near constant confusion for me.
The female characters all had also two personalities: mother or whore. Unfortunately, this is far from the first book to do this. It is so commonly done it has it's own name: The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy. And, also unfortunately, every woman except for the main character's wife fell under whore. The wife was a Madonna, meaning that her entire personality was being a wife and mom (usually overbearingly so). Every other woman tried to seduce (often repeatedly) the main character, Stan. He would thwart off their advances... but not without wildly fantasizing about the legs of all the women he could not have since he was a family man, of course. But when the class whore who is forced to break up with the college professor all but forces you to come to her apartment study session, you can't help but long for her, right?
I do appreciate the attempt to add in as many women characters as men and it was actually about as even as I've ever seen a book especially for such a large cast, but neither the male nor female characters were developed.
I am suspending disbelief for a lot of the novel to allow creative license as all authors should be afforded, but there was one thing I could not reconcile:
A character is released on $5 million bonds. This novel takes place in 1977, so adjusting for inflation that would be like someone today being released on nearly $17 million bond (It would be $16,751,890.48 today to be exact). I won't even get into how that is just unheard of (someone would be held on remand if the judge felt that strongly about it) for any crime, but these are a couple of white collar crimes. Sure, he is connected to a cartel, but he is being charged with the same charges a rouge accountant would be charged with. Being in a gang did not legally carry more weight to it in 1977's sentencing guidelines (not like today where Gang Affiliation Sentencing Enhancements exist, most of which were born out of the mid to late 1980s). Today, $5 million is not unheard of but even Bernie Madoff got only $10 million and he is likely worth much more and ran a $50 billion ponzi scheme.
The writing did not feel intense or thrilling. The large swaths of dialogue slowed the pace down and it stayed pretty constant. I read with the same intensity on page 1 that I did throughout the rest of the book. Another draft would fix this issue along with a lot of the others ones with this.
On almost every page, there was a grammar, punctuation, or spelling error. I am not talking complicated grammar issues either that one would need an editor to figure out. I mean using the wrong your or their kind of basic. Due to that, I found my eyes jumping error to error instead of paying as much attention to the story itself as one should.
The male characters all had one of two personalities: abrasive masculinity or deeply wronged martyr. There was little nuance and on the pages with only a couple dialog tags/action beats to tell who was saying what, I would forget who was actually saying a line. Their personalities were so indistinguishable from each other, I would mix them up. On top of this, they are referred to by the narrator as a mixture of their first and last name which is fine, but gets confusing once you've introduced so many and are now on page 200 referring to a character by a name that hasn't been mentioned since page 50. I am admittedly not the greatest with character names, but can usually figure them out by about half way. This was a near constant confusion for me.
The female characters all had also two personalities: mother or whore. Unfortunately, this is far from the first book to do this. It is so commonly done it has it's own name: The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy. And, also unfortunately, every woman except for the main character's wife fell under whore. The wife was a Madonna, meaning that her entire personality was being a wife and mom (usually overbearingly so). Every other woman tried to seduce (often repeatedly) the main character, Stan. He would thwart off their advances... but not without wildly fantasizing about the legs of all the women he could not have since he was a family man, of course. But when the class whore who is forced to break up with the college professor all but forces you to come to her apartment study session, you can't help but long for her, right?
I do appreciate the attempt to add in as many women characters as men and it was actually about as even as I've ever seen a book especially for such a large cast, but neither the male nor female characters were developed.
I am suspending disbelief for a lot of the novel to allow creative license as all authors should be afforded, but there was one thing I could not reconcile:
A character is released on $5 million bonds. This novel takes place in 1977, so adjusting for inflation that would be like someone today being released on nearly $17 million bond (It would be $16,751,890.48 today to be exact). I won't even get into how that is just unheard of (someone would be held on remand if the judge felt that strongly about it) for any crime, but these are a couple of white collar crimes. Sure, he is connected to a cartel, but he is being charged with the same charges a rouge accountant would be charged with. Being in a gang did not legally carry more weight to it in 1977's sentencing guidelines (not like today where Gang Affiliation Sentencing Enhancements exist, most of which were born out of the mid to late 1980s). Today, $5 million is not unheard of but even Bernie Madoff got only $10 million and he is likely worth much more and ran a $50 billion ponzi scheme.
The writing did not feel intense or thrilling. The large swaths of dialogue slowed the pace down and it stayed pretty constant. I read with the same intensity on page 1 that I did throughout the rest of the book. Another draft would fix this issue along with a lot of the others ones with this.
September 24, 2010
This is not a terrible book. (It didn't make it to my sucks-ass bookshelf.) However, it does have some problems. It really needs a good proofreader and editor. There are typos and mistakes on most every page. It got to the point where the errors were so distracting they detracted from my enjoyment of the story. For example, in the blurb on the back cover a character named Rob Shepard is referred to as Ron. Silly errors like this are scattered throughout the book. If this were a first draft of a novel, I probably would rate it three or even four stars since it is an enjoyable story, but no published book should have this many errors.
I enjoyed the plot of the story, and think it could be made into a good book. Unfortunately, in this book the descriptions were inelegant and simple, and a lot of the dialog was stilted and forced. The book got preachy at times. Especially as each female character wanted to sleep with the protagonist Stan Turner, but he is pure of heart and turns them all down since he is married.
I enjoyed the plot of the story, and think it could be made into a good book. Unfortunately, in this book the descriptions were inelegant and simple, and a lot of the dialog was stilted and forced. The book got preachy at times. Especially as each female character wanted to sleep with the protagonist Stan Turner, but he is pure of heart and turns them all down since he is married.
October 16, 2010
Even though reading Disillusioned requires the reader to keep track of a ton of characters, the story keeps you guessing nearly up until the very end. Stan Turner, all-around-good-guy (sort of, he sure does fantasize a lot about women other than his wife), is trying to juggle law school, a state election campaign, and a jealous wife when he is thrown into the fray of solving his best friend's murder. Stan's determination to find the murderer, gets him into dangerous situations, many of which he doesn't think through to the end. He narrowly escapes injury or death by relying on the right friend at the right time for back-up.
In the end, he discovers the killer's identity, and he is surprised to find out the culprit was right under his nose the whole time. Full of suspense, insights into political campaigns, and mystery, Disillusioned is a great book for a light murder reading (an oxymoron?)...anyway, I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you to Goodreads-Firstreads, Top Publications, Ltd, and William Manchee for this advanced reading copy.
In the end, he discovers the killer's identity, and he is surprised to find out the culprit was right under his nose the whole time. Full of suspense, insights into political campaigns, and mystery, Disillusioned is a great book for a light murder reading (an oxymoron?)...anyway, I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you to Goodreads-Firstreads, Top Publications, Ltd, and William Manchee for this advanced reading copy.
September 15, 2010
This book is a fast read but not, in my opinion, a good book
There are discrepancies and gramatical errors so severe I imagine that the text was spellchecked but not proofread. (I am not good at grammar or spelling when I type but I am not publishing)
I wouold not have read it to completion but I got it "won it" from Goodreads on the basis that I would review it.
The situations are not very creditible. The characters are not believealbe and all are very superficial.
It seems to be Republican/ conservative oriented politically -
The book is not reccommended by me and the author will try to be remembered to be avoided.
Too bad the story moves along but no attention or time was given to making the characters real or interesting and the plot believeible so therefore interesting.
There are discrepancies and gramatical errors so severe I imagine that the text was spellchecked but not proofread. (I am not good at grammar or spelling when I type but I am not publishing)
I wouold not have read it to completion but I got it "won it" from Goodreads on the basis that I would review it.
The situations are not very creditible. The characters are not believealbe and all are very superficial.
It seems to be Republican/ conservative oriented politically -
The book is not reccommended by me and the author will try to be remembered to be avoided.
Too bad the story moves along but no attention or time was given to making the characters real or interesting and the plot believeible so therefore interesting.
September 11, 2014
This book is my first win from Goodreads and I was anxious to get started on the story. The beginning was a bit slow, but the action sped up quickly. Stan's life is very busy with going to school, working, being a husband and a dad, yet he still finds time to solve the murder of his best friend and the BF's wife and family. It's unlikely that local police much less the FBI would be at his beck-and-call, but it still makes for an interesting story. Stan's wife comes across as whiny and insecure which may account for some of his need to be out fighting crime instead of being with her. The end is a little predictable, but it's still a nice, easy read.
September 12, 2010
Disillusioned was the first Stan Turner mystery I have read so I wasn't too sure about him in the beginning. I felt like I entered his life in the middle. (Guess I will have to go back and read the previous books.) Wife, kids, school, job and party leader - seemed pretty overwhelming but it managed to handle it all with quiet steadiness. The mystery builds quickly and the momentum continues to the end.
An easy read, good for airplanes, quiet afternoons, or beaches. Nothing that requires intense concentration or ponderance. I look forward to more "Stan" mystery.
An easy read, good for airplanes, quiet afternoons, or beaches. Nothing that requires intense concentration or ponderance. I look forward to more "Stan" mystery.
September 26, 2010
This is a free Goodreads First Reads win. William Manchee has written 9 books. My favorite part about Disillusioned was the characters' temptations and their reaction to temptation. This so mirrored real life and eschewed the usual formula mystery. My most unfavorable point would be that Mr. Manchee obviously had no one read his manuscript errors, grammer, or clarification. I almost put it down because of this, but I found the book to be a fast read and liked it more and more as I kept reading.
September 30, 2010
I just finished this book which I won on goodreads. I really enjoyed it. Great characters and story line, though Stan's constant flirting with any woman he sees is a bit annoying, especially when he doesn't seem to see the problem with doing so even though he's married! Besides that though, I like this book a lot and wouldn't mind reading the other novels in this series.
September 12, 2010
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
Stan Turner is one busy guy who seems to find himself in the middle of the action wherever he turns. Law student, campaign manager, detective, father...he does it all. The story was enjoyable and action happened at a quick pace.
Unfortunately, the typos throughout the book detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
Stan Turner is one busy guy who seems to find himself in the middle of the action wherever he turns. Law student, campaign manager, detective, father...he does it all. The story was enjoyable and action happened at a quick pace.
Unfortunately, the typos throughout the book detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
January 24, 2011
I won this through the Goodreads First Reads section of the site! I look forward to reading it and finishing this review soon!
Finally got a chance to read this...It wasn't half bad, but I kept finding grammatical issues that got under my skin after awhile. I think I also would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the others in the series.
Finally got a chance to read this...It wasn't half bad, but I kept finding grammatical issues that got under my skin after awhile. I think I also would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the others in the series.
February 5, 2013
Disillusioned had an interesting story line. As Stan's investigation plays out, the twists and turns incorporate politics, murders, kidnappings, and money laundering. While politics are not a subject I enjoy, it was interesting to read about. I guess it helps that I am from Texas and appreciate the fact that we are a Republican state. I would be interested in reading other Stan Turner mysteries.
September 20, 2010
I spent the weekend reading this book and really enjoyed it. I loved the political atmosphere in 1976 along with a great mystery. This is the first Stan Turner novel that I have read and can't wait to read more.
December 30, 2010
Very good plot overall. There were a few places where it was dry in the story telling. Also, I was finding quite a few spelling errors and a few words that were omitted from the sentence.
In the end though, this book makes me curious to read the previous Stan Turner books.
In the end though, this book makes me curious to read the previous Stan Turner books.
October 1, 2010
Manchee writes a well-constructed mystery with good character development and surprising events. His editor did not do him a service because there are a number of grammatical errors that the editor should have caught.
It is a worthwhile mystery read
It is a worthwhile mystery read
February 10, 2013
I won this book from Goodreads. I found this book to be very entertaining. I didn't want to put it down. I did find a few errors in spleling and even in the reference to the wrong persons name being put. I still thought it was a good thriler. I can't wait to read more from William Manchee.
October 2, 2010
I received this book in the giveaway and it kept me interested but there was a lot of typos, is this the editor or publishers fault?
January 27, 2013
Well put together story. Kept my interest from beginning to end.
December 17, 2012
Almost unreadable. Needs proofreader & editor.
July 1, 2020
Stan is a busy man. He's in his final year of law school, has a job and is campaigning hard for the upcoming elections.
He has a lovely night out with his friends and then disaster strikes. His friends and their children are found dead and it looks to all concerned that it's murder/suicide. Stan however isn't convinced and sets out to clear his friends name.
When I got this book I thought it was the first by the author and was surprised that it's his ninth. This is due to the style of writing which at times reads like a script rather than a novel and there were several grammatical errors. It could also benefit from proof reading.
On the whole this a quick, easy read which is enjoyable. The action is interspersed with Stan's home life where wife Rebekah is constantly worried for Stan while caring for his children.
It's somewhat far-fetched that as a law student Stan is able to have time to do everything so you need to suspend believe. He does though come across as likeable and a loyal friend.
It can definitely be read on its own as the reader is filled in on previous events.
I received the book for free but the views expressed are my own.
He has a lovely night out with his friends and then disaster strikes. His friends and their children are found dead and it looks to all concerned that it's murder/suicide. Stan however isn't convinced and sets out to clear his friends name.
When I got this book I thought it was the first by the author and was surprised that it's his ninth. This is due to the style of writing which at times reads like a script rather than a novel and there were several grammatical errors. It could also benefit from proof reading.
On the whole this a quick, easy read which is enjoyable. The action is interspersed with Stan's home life where wife Rebekah is constantly worried for Stan while caring for his children.
It's somewhat far-fetched that as a law student Stan is able to have time to do everything so you need to suspend believe. He does though come across as likeable and a loyal friend.
It can definitely be read on its own as the reader is filled in on previous events.
I received the book for free but the views expressed are my own.
August 23, 2017
Likable characters and interesting plots, but too flawed to be considered a good book. Too many different plots that don't flow well, stilted dialogue and a whole of of not being grounded in the decade in which it's set. Also, a few spelling and a bunch of punctuation errors.
My biggest concerns: 1) Chilis & Black Eyed Pea may have been in Plano in the mid-70s but I'm almost positive Dunkin Donuts was not. They still hadn't made it to NC by the 90s.
2) Our hero introduces his wife to a politician named Barnes. But a chapter of so earlier, all of them had been seated together at a reception. I suppose, it's possible they never actually met despite spending hours together, but I kind of doubt it.
3) An FBI agent lends the protagonist her CELL PHONE. Um, maybe the FBI had secret mobile devices in the 70s but I bet they didn't get service in rural California (& probably still can't). And they sure didn't use the phrase cell phone.
So, good on the author for self-publishing but not for self-editing. At least get a proofreader next go-round.
My biggest concerns: 1) Chilis & Black Eyed Pea may have been in Plano in the mid-70s but I'm almost positive Dunkin Donuts was not. They still hadn't made it to NC by the 90s.
2) Our hero introduces his wife to a politician named Barnes. But a chapter of so earlier, all of them had been seated together at a reception. I suppose, it's possible they never actually met despite spending hours together, but I kind of doubt it.
3) An FBI agent lends the protagonist her CELL PHONE. Um, maybe the FBI had secret mobile devices in the 70s but I bet they didn't get service in rural California (& probably still can't). And they sure didn't use the phrase cell phone.
So, good on the author for self-publishing but not for self-editing. At least get a proofreader next go-round.
March 17, 2020
Stan Turner. A man of, apparently, many talents. Stan is currently going to law school and is high up in the Republican party when one of his good friends, someone running for election, is murdered. Stan makes it his business to find the murderers, all the while he is attending law school and working a full time job. When the investigation leads to a necessary extraction of a key informant, guess who is leading the charge? Stan the man.
I found the character of Stan completely unbelievable and quite unlikable. He's full of himself and his ability to charm women and do any dangerous task he is faced with. The plot of this novel takes a very long time to unfold. Where there could be more action or focus on the task at hand, the author tries to fit in sexual innuendo where it is not needed and, frankly, is frustrating to try to wade through as a reader.
I am usually a big fan of criminal thriller novels, however this one missed the mark for me.
I received this book complimentary from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
I found the character of Stan completely unbelievable and quite unlikable. He's full of himself and his ability to charm women and do any dangerous task he is faced with. The plot of this novel takes a very long time to unfold. Where there could be more action or focus on the task at hand, the author tries to fit in sexual innuendo where it is not needed and, frankly, is frustrating to try to wade through as a reader.
I am usually a big fan of criminal thriller novels, however this one missed the mark for me.
I received this book complimentary from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
February 21, 2019
Disillusioned (Stan Turner, #9) by William Manchee
This mystery book we find Stan involved in not only being a campaign manager but helping the FBI.
What I liked about this book was catching up with others I've met by reading the other books in the series, although they can be read as standalones.
This one starts out with Stan in his younger days, still at college. Like how he gets the help he needs from professors.
Like the action, locations, mysteries and how they are solved and how he puts his life in danger to get the facts.
Campaign was a new theme for me as I know there is corruption in most politicians and how they use that to get their candidate to run as the state representative after having Democrats in the office for many years.
Having the drug cartels involved just brought the whole book up a notch for me.
Can't wait to read more of Stan and his escapades.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
This mystery book we find Stan involved in not only being a campaign manager but helping the FBI.
What I liked about this book was catching up with others I've met by reading the other books in the series, although they can be read as standalones.
This one starts out with Stan in his younger days, still at college. Like how he gets the help he needs from professors.
Like the action, locations, mysteries and how they are solved and how he puts his life in danger to get the facts.
Campaign was a new theme for me as I know there is corruption in most politicians and how they use that to get their candidate to run as the state representative after having Democrats in the office for many years.
Having the drug cartels involved just brought the whole book up a notch for me.
Can't wait to read more of Stan and his escapades.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
June 28, 2020
The plot was interesting and the characters were well developed. I look forward to other books in this series! I received the book free in order to review it.
There were so many errors which made the reading difficult.
"here" should be "her" and an unneeded "a" in a sentence
Reading on my iPad horizontally:
- one or two letters dropped off the beginning of each line from left page 358 to the end of the book
- Page 467 to 473, the first couple of letters are missing from the lines of right pages also
- Words missing page 474 "haven't talked {TO} the FBI lately
- Page 501 "Maybe I'll round up some of {THE} kids from class to help
- Chapter 25 "There you {ARE}
- Page 656 "Our man {in} is Vincente"; "reports are he's responsible for {A} dozen or more"
= Page 691 "Then an{D} idea came to him"
You really need a better editor McLauchlan.Brenda421@Gmail.com
There were so many errors which made the reading difficult.
"here" should be "her" and an unneeded "a" in a sentence
Reading on my iPad horizontally:
- one or two letters dropped off the beginning of each line from left page 358 to the end of the book
- Page 467 to 473, the first couple of letters are missing from the lines of right pages also
- Words missing page 474 "haven't talked {TO} the FBI lately
- Page 501 "Maybe I'll round up some of {THE} kids from class to help
- Chapter 25 "There you {ARE}
- Page 656 "Our man {in} is Vincente"; "reports are he's responsible for {A} dozen or more"
= Page 691 "Then an{D} idea came to him"
You really need a better editor McLauchlan.Brenda421@Gmail.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2019
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
Stan Turner embarks on a fascinating journey through politics, crime, and drug cartels. The novel is full of mystery which kept my interest throughout the novel. I honestly couldn't put the book down.
If you love mystery and a good scandal or two, you will love this book.
I did knock off a star due to the number of missing words and grammatical errors in the book itself. I was still able to understand what the author meant, but it could be distracting at times. Having said that, despite these errors, I do plan on reading another novel by this author as I did enjoy the plot line.
Stan Turner embarks on a fascinating journey through politics, crime, and drug cartels. The novel is full of mystery which kept my interest throughout the novel. I honestly couldn't put the book down.
If you love mystery and a good scandal or two, you will love this book.
I did knock off a star due to the number of missing words and grammatical errors in the book itself. I was still able to understand what the author meant, but it could be distracting at times. Having said that, despite these errors, I do plan on reading another novel by this author as I did enjoy the plot line.
May 17, 2020
What can I say about “Disillusioned“ by William Manchee other than that I was left disillusioned by this book.
In fairness to the author the premise for the novel sounded interesting.
However, it did not live up to expectations. The story left you feeling as though this was a very first draft. Not engrossing in its delivery and often implausible.
It lacked character development, and in fact the attempts to let you into the mind and thoughts of Stan were only superficial. Almost every woman he had dealings with thru the course of the story has to be documented with his sexual feelings towards that particular person. Irritating at best, poorly contrived and left you feeling you were listening to the fantasy life of a newly awakened teenager.
In fairness to the author the premise for the novel sounded interesting.
However, it did not live up to expectations. The story left you feeling as though this was a very first draft. Not engrossing in its delivery and often implausible.
It lacked character development, and in fact the attempts to let you into the mind and thoughts of Stan were only superficial. Almost every woman he had dealings with thru the course of the story has to be documented with his sexual feelings towards that particular person. Irritating at best, poorly contrived and left you feeling you were listening to the fantasy life of a newly awakened teenager.
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