Review of The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead

[Diana Lowery]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead" by Miriam Pia.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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The dark, mysterious cover of The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead intrigued me because of the streaks of lightning coming out of the man's mouth. The paperback itself was an extra large size, so the total page count was a little misleading. The blurb on the back cover mentioned "urban fiction set in a real city." I hoped that the "touch of magic" that was also discussed would not be too much.


The story follows a cast of mercenary, unaffiliated, undercover agents brought together by Indianapolis city officials to rid their city of a cocaine problem. There is an added twist because some of the characters have superpowers that appear to be paranormal. As the characters are slowly introduced, it almost sounds like a bad joke: "A mayor, a sheriff, a police chief, a priest, a fighter, and a criminal all walk into a room."


It was difficult for me to stay interested initially, but it picked up a little in the middle. I found many annoying spelling errors of common words. In addition, the sentences ranged from simple to rambling. However, the biggest hurdle for me was the lengthy list of characters that would be hard to keep up with under any circumstances, but the writer chose to use descriptions. Instead of saying the character's name or occupation, for instance, often the sentence would read, "the blond" or the "dark-haired one." This technique forced me to make a character chart so that I could figure out who was being referred to.


I was pleased that the paranormal activity was not overplayed. The minimal amount of magic made the story more interesting without being too weird and outlandish. The sex and profanity were also within tolerable limits. My favorite character was the priest. He was not a stereotypical clergyman. I liked the way that the occult character of Talitha interacted with him. The way that he handled her was compassionate and humorous. I haven't made up my mind if I liked the occasional use of the second person or not. Being addressed as Dear Reader gave the story a Mark Twain vibe, but at times it was too interruptive.


This is Miriam Pia's first published book, but she has done some ghostwriting. Pia shows much promise as a storyteller. I like the theme she introduced of how to know when it is right to do the wrong thing, but she needs an editor. My rating is three out of five due to the errors and the confusing structure I mentioned. I don't think I would recommend this to anyone in its current state. I gave the rating of three out of five because the book has some good qualities.

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The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Naimah Agboluaje]

After reading the review of "The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead," it seems like the book has potential but falls short in a few areas. The reviewer mentions that the story starts slow and has a confusing structure with a lengthy list of characters. However, there are some positive aspects, such as the minimal use of paranormal activity and the interesting interaction between the priest and the occult character. The reviewer suggests that the book could benefit from better editing. Overall, I would rate this book as a three out of five. While it shows promise, the issues mentioned may deter some readers. Intense emotional depth, explored with sensitivity and nuance.

[Gerry Steen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead" by Miriam Pia.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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The dark, mysterious cover of The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead intrigued me because of the streaks of lightning coming out of the man's mouth. The paperback itself was an extra large size, so the total page count was a little misleading. The blurb on the back cover mentioned "urban fiction set in a real city." I hoped that the "touch of magic" that was also discussed would not be too much.


The story follows a cast of mercenary, unaffiliated, undercover agents brought together by Indianapolis city officials to rid their city of a cocaine problem. There is an added twist because some of the characters have superpowers that appear to be paranormal. As the characters are slowly introduced, it almost sounds like a bad joke: "A mayor, a sheriff, a police chief, a priest, a fighter, and a criminal all walk into a room."


It was difficult for me to stay interested initially, but it picked up a little in the middle. I found many annoying spelling errors of common words. In addition, the sentences ranged from simple to rambling. However, the biggest hurdle for me was the lengthy list of characters that would be hard to keep up with under any circumstances, but the writer chose to use descriptions. Instead of saying the character's name or occupation, for instance, often the sentence would read, "the blond" or the "dark-haired one." This technique forced me to make a character chart so that I could figure out who was being referred to.


I was pleased that the paranormal activity was not overplayed. The minimal amount of magic made the story more interesting without being too weird and outlandish. The sex and profanity were also within tolerable limits. My favorite character was the priest. He was not a stereotypical clergyman. I liked the way that the occult character of Talitha interacted with him. The way that he handled her was compassionate and humorous. I haven't made up my mind if I liked the occasional use of the second person or not. Being addressed as Dear Reader gave the story a Mark Twain vibe, but at times it was too interruptive.


This is Miriam Pia's first published book, but she has done some ghostwriting. Pia shows much promise as a storyteller. I like the theme she introduced of how to know when it is right to do the wrong thing, but she needs an editor. My rating is three out of five due to the errors and the confusing structure I mentioned. I don't think I would recommend this to anyone in its current state. I gave the rating of three out of five because the book has some good qualities.

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The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Thank you for this review. I will stay away from this one until it is re-edited and gets a good review. It is encouraging that you mentioned Miriam Pia shows promise as a storyteller. I hope that she takes your critiques into account.

[Diana Lowery]

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The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
[/quote]

Thank you for this review. I will stay away from this one until it is re-edited and gets a good review. It is encouraging that you mentioned Miriam Pia shows promise as a storyteller. I hope that she takes your critiques into account.
[/quote]

Gerry, Thank you for your thoughtful comment.

[Joe Alex 2]

The unique mix of mercenaries, superpowers, and minimal paranormal activity in The Double Life of Tutweiler Buckhead sounds interesting, but the character list and confusing writing style might make it difficult to follow. While I appreciate the author’s promise, the errors and structure issues would probably hold me back from reading this book. I think I’ll pass for now.

[NetMassimo]

This novel blending diverse elements seems to have good potential but still needs more editing to fully develop its potential. Indeed, a professional editor might help in this task. Thank you for your great review!