Official Review: The Mystery Factor by Michael Brightman
Posted: 07 Apr 2015, 19:17
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Mystery Factor" by Michael Brightman.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Set in Scythia, an island off of Greece, Seb encounters the mafia, mystery, relationship troubles, and more in Michael Brightman’s The Mystery Factor.
Seb is a wealthy businessmen and art dealer who is having a midlife crisis. His relationship with his wife, Susie, on the rocks, he can’t seem to get out of a funk, and he’s overworked and overtired. On a whim, Seb decides to take his partner, Nick’s advice, and go on a vacation to Scythia. This Greek island is rumored to not only have healing properties, but also many mysteries. There are two, however, that have grabbed Seb’s attention and aren’t letting go. First, are the mysterious “Men in Gray.” They appear to know more about the island than they let on and they’ve taken a deep interest in Seb. Then there’s the mafia. Seb has a run-in with the wealthy widow, Suzanne, who seems more like a black widow. Some say her former husband was the boss of the mafia and she’s inherited the business. Her Cosenza rivals claim she’s supposed to be marrying one of them, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping her from flirting with Seb. Caught between two mafia factions, will Seb figure out these two island mysteries in time to live to tell the tale? What are the island’s best-kept secrets? Will he be able to patch things up with his wife?
This book was well writtenand enjoyable to read. It had a steady pace and the character development is wonderfully done. You can’t help but fall in love with all the characters, even the bad guys. The character dynamic is realistic despite what the plot suggests. My favorite ones would have to be the mysterious “Men in Gray.” They’re not only mysterious to a tee, but also quite humorous and add a new level of depth to the story. Some of the characters’ names, however, were similar enough to be difficult to keep straight.
The mysteries weren’t as front and center as I expected. The story revolved more around Seb’s falling in love with the island and feeling himself change and grow. This in and of itself felt like a bit of a mystery as well, but the author did a good job of mixing internal and external dialogue to pull the reader into Seb’s view of the island. The mysteries surrounding the “Men in Gray” and the mafia were well-written and intriguing despite being more in the background. It didn’t feel like the character, Seb, got to solve them, however. The way they concluded made the reader feel like Seb was more of a bystander.
My favorite part of the story would have to be when Seb gets labeled a hero for saving someone from getting killed while swimming. Not only was the rescue intense and hard to put down, but the dynamics of the island’s inhabitants changed and you could see Seb grow even more in love with the island.
There were a few problems with the grammar, punctuation, and sentence structures being incomplete or off from what they were supposed to be, but it didn’t detract too much from the story.
Overall, I’d give The Mystery Factor 3 out of 4 stars. It was a delightful read that was hard to put down. The intriguing plot and character development were superb and I hope to read a sequel. Recommended for most readers, but especially for those who like character-driven, slightly humorous stories that have a little mystery and capture your heart.
******
The Mystery Factor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Set in Scythia, an island off of Greece, Seb encounters the mafia, mystery, relationship troubles, and more in Michael Brightman’s The Mystery Factor.
Seb is a wealthy businessmen and art dealer who is having a midlife crisis. His relationship with his wife, Susie, on the rocks, he can’t seem to get out of a funk, and he’s overworked and overtired. On a whim, Seb decides to take his partner, Nick’s advice, and go on a vacation to Scythia. This Greek island is rumored to not only have healing properties, but also many mysteries. There are two, however, that have grabbed Seb’s attention and aren’t letting go. First, are the mysterious “Men in Gray.” They appear to know more about the island than they let on and they’ve taken a deep interest in Seb. Then there’s the mafia. Seb has a run-in with the wealthy widow, Suzanne, who seems more like a black widow. Some say her former husband was the boss of the mafia and she’s inherited the business. Her Cosenza rivals claim she’s supposed to be marrying one of them, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping her from flirting with Seb. Caught between two mafia factions, will Seb figure out these two island mysteries in time to live to tell the tale? What are the island’s best-kept secrets? Will he be able to patch things up with his wife?
This book was well writtenand enjoyable to read. It had a steady pace and the character development is wonderfully done. You can’t help but fall in love with all the characters, even the bad guys. The character dynamic is realistic despite what the plot suggests. My favorite ones would have to be the mysterious “Men in Gray.” They’re not only mysterious to a tee, but also quite humorous and add a new level of depth to the story. Some of the characters’ names, however, were similar enough to be difficult to keep straight.
The mysteries weren’t as front and center as I expected. The story revolved more around Seb’s falling in love with the island and feeling himself change and grow. This in and of itself felt like a bit of a mystery as well, but the author did a good job of mixing internal and external dialogue to pull the reader into Seb’s view of the island. The mysteries surrounding the “Men in Gray” and the mafia were well-written and intriguing despite being more in the background. It didn’t feel like the character, Seb, got to solve them, however. The way they concluded made the reader feel like Seb was more of a bystander.
My favorite part of the story would have to be when Seb gets labeled a hero for saving someone from getting killed while swimming. Not only was the rescue intense and hard to put down, but the dynamics of the island’s inhabitants changed and you could see Seb grow even more in love with the island.
There were a few problems with the grammar, punctuation, and sentence structures being incomplete or off from what they were supposed to be, but it didn’t detract too much from the story.
Overall, I’d give The Mystery Factor 3 out of 4 stars. It was a delightful read that was hard to put down. The intriguing plot and character development were superb and I hope to read a sequel. Recommended for most readers, but especially for those who like character-driven, slightly humorous stories that have a little mystery and capture your heart.
******
The Mystery Factor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like kio's review? Post a comment saying so!