Review of The Ultimate Frame

[Maggie Johnson 2]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ultimate Frame" by Andrew M. Semple.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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The Ultimate Frame by Andrew M. Semple begins with John discovering the body of his friend and colleague, Will. He quickly realizes that whoever murdered Will intended for John to take the fall. However, this isn’t just a simple murder. John and Will had been working on a revolutionary cancer drug that would have made waves in the healthcare system. John is being framed by rich and powerful people. In order to clear his name, John must unveil the mastermind behind the conspiracy. Rather than be arrested for the murder, he flees into the night and sets off on a dangerous journey in the pursuit of truth and justice.

When I first read the description for this book, I was intrigued by the premise and excited to read it. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. My biggest complaint about this book is that it is incredibly vague. John would make an exciting discovery or do something extremely clever to escape a situation, but I was never told how any of this happened. What was the discovery? How did he escape? There were also some basic questions that went unanswered, as well as some pretty significant plot holes. Where was John living through all of this? How was he meeting with senators when he was supposed to be a fugitive? At the beginning of the book, when John first goes on the run, the author mentions that John has a wife and kids. However, his family is completely forgotten until halfway through the book. Does John have contact with them? I felt like I was being told a story by someone who had heard it secondhand and didn’t know any of the details.

The book was also very repetitive. It felt like the same plot kept repeating, just with a different adversary. Phrases like “the stakes were higher than ever before” and “John realized the conspiracy went deeper than he could have imagined” were used so often that they lost all meaning. There were also times when it seemed like a storyline would conclude, then jump back in time and tell the same story again with hardly any new information added. This made it difficult to keep track of the timeline and overall plot.

As much as I disliked this book, it did have some positive qualities. There is a lovely dedication at the beginning of the book where the author commends those who are unwavering and relentless in their pursuit of truth and fight against injustice. The characters in the book demonstrated these qualities. I liked the message and themes about standing up to adversity and the power of one person to make a difference.

I would give this book a rating of 2 out of 5 stars. The lack of details was frustrating and made it impossible for me to be invested in the story. Revelations that were supposed to be shocking felt anticlimactic. After finishing the book, I had more questions than answers.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it.

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The Ultimate Frame
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[Ami Sanghavi]

I really appreciate how thoroughly you broke this down. I was initially drawn to the premise too, but your points about the vagueness and repetitive plot give me pause. It’s frustrating when a story holds such promise but doesn’t follow through on the details that make it believable. Thanks for sharing such an honest and thoughtful review; it definitely helped me set my expectations.

[Kibet Hillary]

The plot of the book really seemed promising and I expected that the book would live up to that expectation and deliver an enthralling tale. I hope that another edition that will address the downsides mentioned will be produced. Many thanks for the review, @Maggie Johnson 2.

[Gerry Steen]

Kudos to the author for promoting the ideas of the relentless pursuit of truth, the fight against injustice, and the difference that one person can make. I hope the author takes your critiques into account so as to improve this story and bring it up to a 5-star status.

[NetMassimo]

This novel seems to have potential, but it's hindered by its execution. Possibly, a professional editor could help the author in properly developing the story and its important themes. Thank you for your honest review!