Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Primal Calling, by Barry Eisenberg {ends 1/11}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Jack jumped to answer the pay phone. It was Wednesday. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the clock on his cell phone. 10.02a.m. “Hello,” he said, his voice bursting with eagerness and energy.

“Hi, it’s me. I have some news. How’s tomorrow?”

“I’ll make it work. Same time?” Jack asked.

“See you there,” Cathy said.

How quickly their communication had achieved high-level efficiency, like that of operating room team members. No waste, no imprecision. It was synchrony produced by urgency, repetition and common purpose.

Of all the outcomes Jack imagined when he started looking for his father, this was probably quite unexpected.

Official synopsis:

While rummaging through the attic, high school senior, Jack Davies, is surprised to find his never-before-seen birth certificate, revealing a startling bit of information that changes his life. The story his mother told about his birth, he discovers, is revealed to be a lie, shattering long-held beliefs and the trust he had for her. Jack becomes obsessed with discovering the truth, leading him down a dangerous path. Faced with unanswered questions and confounding obstacles at every turn, Jack finds himself deeply enmeshed in an intricate world of national security and international intrigue. Relationships are tested as his every move is tracked by a group of mysterious people. Who are they? Whose side are they on? Who can he trust? And, most importantly, who will he ultimately become?

The beginning of this book was interesting and encouraged the reader to keep going - what would happen next? The story was unique. Everyone fancies themselves a fairly competent detective, with the help of all the information on social media and the internet. When Jack starts searching for his father, he ends up enlisting the help of a young woman who works at the university his father was supposed to have attended. After both of them hit mysterious dead-ends, they begin to suspect this is more than just a missing person—did he ever even exist?

A few secret government people show up to explain the precarious situation with his father. They ask that his search end immediately. But what if Jack isn’t the only one searching? The search could be dangerous to anyone involved. As the book progressed, a few more characters were introduced, and sometimes their level of knowledge and involvement seemed a little unclear.

Overall, I’d rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. It’s hard to say a lot more about the plot without spoiling it, but I was much happier with the setup and buildup than with the conclusion. The story of Jack and his search, and the mystery/thriller aspect were the most enjoyable parts of the book.

{click here to purchase; currently free for Kindle Unlimited!}

Becki Bayley is a searcher, a planner, a reader, and a writer at SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Primal Calling!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, January 11th, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Primal Calling, by Barry Eisenberg