In another life, I ran a restaurant and Yelp/Google/Facebook reviews mattered to the powers above me. Giving power to the Karens and Heathers of the world. I know that Amazon reviews can also make or break indie authors, so I’ve been nervous about my first reviews. But my friend behind Equal Opportunity Reader was gentle.

I know my reviews won’t always be something to hang on the fridge like a gold star in spelling. But my writing isn’t for everyone. I explore dark places with a high-powered flashlight.

The embeded image won’t display the words and I’m not a web designer. It is quoted below.

“#justfinished — White Hell, by Parker O’Dwyer
[Turkey in picture may be less real than it appears.]
I’m hesitant to give this a traditional star rating because it’s so far out of my wheelhouse. I can count the number of thrillers I’ve read before on one finger, so once I realized what White Hell was, I had no idea what to expect or what to compare it to.

“But did I like it? Yes, I did.

“Some terrible secrets are festering in the Flynn family and just before Thanksgiving, they all burst and spill over into the little farm town of Grinnell and the neighboring city of Des Moines. The result is a trip through some very dark spaces in society with occasional glimmers of light popping up here and there to help the characters when they need it most. O’Dwyer writes very compelling sidekicks for our terrified protagonists, and the story is engaging–I wanted to know how this would end immediately after finishing the second chapter.

“Since I’m so unfamiliar with how crime fiction works, I can’t really critique the novel competently. But I can recommend it, if you don’t mind a little blood and guts with your Thanksgiving turkey. It’s a solid first effort with a well-paced story and entertaining characters. I enjoyed it despite my unfamiliarity with the genre. Well done, @parkerodwyer ! 😁

(Full disclosure: the author and I are friends IRL.)”

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#thriller #crimefiction #books #reading #readingisfundamental#parkerodwyer #WhiteHell #literature #Iowafiction