Greg M Sarwa

While the description revels in the allegorical ties to ancient religious icons, this was a book that was easy to get lost in, to feel the emotions with Joe as he follows a path set out by his wife in a letter discovered shortly after her death. The letter, and the subsequent travel to the Cote d’Azur to follow her wishes lead Joe into a strange mix of fantasy and reality, where questions answered only spur the growth of more questions and require him to find a faith in answers that have no basis in logic.

When we are told not to judge books by their covers, it holds doubly so for Joe: with a reasonably menial job and an easy-going manner, the depth and breadth of his emotional life and ability to express his emotions far outweigh the façade he presents to the rest of the world. His grief and anger at the world and the unknown is apparent and palpable. His refusal to take any answer on faith, and keep digging for some logical explanations, even when there are none readily apparent had me slightly frustrated, but that was the point. He had lost his love and his faith, and this proscribed journey was to provide him with a better understanding of his love, and the ability to reach to faith. While the book didn’t present to me as particularly preachy, as it is truly voiced as Joe’s perspective on the trip and the people he encounters, there are enough additional elements for a more religious minded reader to apply their own interpretations.

While you may not be drawn to a book that is essentially a travelogue through the grief process as one discovers the hidden depths of the recently departed, this book is the perfect mix of emotion and legend, travel and quiet reflection that will spur thought as the book concludes. A lovely story that will keep a reader intrigued learning and thinking as they read the passages within.

I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for my Indie Authors Rock promotion on I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.
… (mais)

Joe is a grieving husband. The sudden loss of his wife Sally was a tremendous blow to him. No good explanation could ease his pain. Not only that, but his daughter Rosie is in a hospital in a coma, with no hope of recovery.

Sally’s father, Pete, tries so hard to help Joe, but Joe cannot let it go. Pete gives Joe a letter Sally wrote, which only confuses him even more. Joe loved Sally so, and would do anything for her. Pete tries to get Joe to remember his trust for Sally, and her final request for her husband.

Without giving away the ending, it is a must read. Great suspense, depth of emotion for feeling for Joe, adventure and so much more. You’ll want to keep reading until you get to the end.

My complaint lies with the conversion to Kindle. There is nothing more aggravating than to have the page number, book title and author from the written text in between the Kindle version. In addition, there are space and missing letters in words. Finally, the first letter of each chapter was a few lines below mixed in with the text.… (mais)

As part of the Real ID Act of 2005, the National Identification System is created for American citizens as an anti-terrorism measure. The government goes into overdrive, collecting personal information to be stored in a highly secured database. Another part of the law mandates the injection of a RFID (radio frequency identification) chip in all American citizens, and all visitors to America, where that information will be stored. There are all sorts of safeguards in place to prevent misuse of the system, headquartered in a secure portion of O’Hare Airport in Chicago.

The system also has a much more evil, and extremely Classified, purpose, one which is accidentally discovered by mid-level systems analyst Brian Warburton. He copies the information on to a CD-ROM, and manages to get rid of it, just before he dies of a "stroke." This happens on the day before the law, and the mandatory RFID injection, is supposed to take effect. It falls into the hands of Jacob Reed, local TV reporter. Along with Anna Tabor, a young woman who flew in that day from Poland, and into whose luggage Warburton put the CD-ROM, he keeps one step ahead of police and federal agents looking for them. Can Jacob and Anna get this information on TV to warn the American people in time?

This book certainly gives new meaning to the phrase "ripped from today’s headlines." It’s a very spooky, and very well-done, story that will give the reader plenty to think about. It is recommended for everyone, but especially for those who think that implanting people with RFIDs, as an anti-terrorism measure, or as the next step in personal information storage, is a good thing.… (mais)