Posted in Blog, Reviews

Review: Knuckle, Crack, Bone by Derek Scarzella

The book draws the reader in right from page one, which shows a glimpse of someone who tries to steal money from the mafia. It isn’t pretty. We follow along with three friends who are part of this mafia and the lengths they will go to for each other.

There is excellent character development seen throughout the story. Delving into the backstories of the three main characters and why they are in this predicament. At times the author will jump scenes, and it isn’t always clear that this is about to happen. A few asterisks between those shifts will help with that for future books.

My favourite part of the book was the ending and how it made the entire story and character development come together. It was a very satisfying ending.

Get your copy here.

Posted in Blog, Reviews

The Vicious Game by Derek Scarzella

Right from the start I was hooked into the life of one of the main characters. The scene was set through dialogue and observations which let the reader get right to the story. There are two story lines throughout the book which shows two sides of the same coin. It was interesting to see this contrast between the two plots that were interconnected and yet weren’t. Most times I wouldn’t think that would work in a story but it did for this one.

I won’t give away any spoilers but I will say that at the end I was shocked. It was wrapped up nicely and I must say that the characters got what was coming to them.

However, as this was the first novel written by Derek Scarzella there could have been some better formatting choices. Overall, the story was to the point and I enjoyed it. It was an easy read (though not for anyone who is uptight about language or sexuality). The only real problem I had with it was that at times in the middle of a chapter the story would change scenes without notice and I would have to do a double take to readjust my visuals (I like to see the story play out in my head).

Many books will do this shift in scene or even a time lapse but they will utilize some type of formatting technique to make it clear to the reader. Usually some asterisks ***** in-between the paragraphs. I don’t hold this against Derek and it would be something that he can easily incorporate into future novels.

If you would like to get your hands on this book, please consider using my affiliate link HERE.