Parallax

Jon F. Merz, an author I have been introduced to via Twitter, is a talented modern voice in the fast tempo world chorus of crime/mystery/fiction. Parallax is the first I have read of his works, though he has many, and I enjoyed this performance very much.

I like books that move, and this story sprinted. Here the reader is thrown into the story in the very first chapter. There is no fluff, no idle conversations, only the gas pedal to the the floor of a story that is sure to thrill. Usually one must wait until halfway through a book to get to the "twist", but in Parallax it is within the first 30 pages!

Good, solid characters, that were easy to relate to, and like, help the story build credibility and strength. The two main characters are both hired guns, exterminating lives in order to maintain their own. By choice or chance they have chosen this path, though at the point at which we meet them, they are both desiring a very different, more sedentary path. Their paths collide, their presents intertwine and their futures become dependent upon on another for survival.

Though in my version of the book, there were mass grammatical errors, I blame this completely on the editor and the publishing house and not the author. That said, it did not cloud what fun I had. It fulfilled its purpose for me = an escape.

I would recommend Parallax to anyone who enjoys that type of book (crime, murder, mystery, fiction) and is not looking to puzzle it all out before the author wants you to.

Happy reading!