Moonbow by Shelia Hollinghead

This started out with a bang. What a great, tension packed beginning. Then I thought it would continue building, but it fell a bit flat. I got heavily bogged down switching back and forth between Gisa and Raydon. Great premise, but it didn't follow through to the end.

The prologue is unnecessary. It does not add to the flow of the story, nor does it create anything but a deceptive understanding of what the storyline will be.

Character development is okay. The split between the two protagonists creates a story flow jam. No tension builds because the reader is yanked from one character's story to another every few pages.

I'm not a fan of this style of story plotting The dialogue is a bit stilted, and doesn't seem natural in places as if the author is trying to make characters do and say something that is just a a bit out of character for them.

Otherwise, the pace is fast and the writing is pretty good. It would be good for a fast, afternoon read. I give it 2 of 5 stars.

An Elegant Solution by Paul Robertson

MY REVIEW

I do like how Robertson writes. He has such a knack for painting pictures with words. For example, Leonhard has walked the streets of his town all his life. Robertson describes the scenery such as a boy might see, leaving out much detail. Then as Leonhard grows up from an 18 year old boy into an 18 year old man, Robertson describes more detail as Leonhard walks along the streets making the city come to life.

He illustrates thoughts that will lay in your mind rising to wakefulness when you least expect it. The story stays with you even after you turn out the light.

This story is not a light or fluffy read. There is lots of meat to chew on, and many points to ponder as you chew. Sometimes Robertson will not lead into an illustration well and you may find yourself lost, groping for some kind of foundation. Descriptions of what Leonhard sees (because he sees things not seen), do not seem to meld into the story well. You find yourself struggling to connect some dots. But, those are few and far between.

The characters are extremely well developed. No head jumping or hopping for the story is written in first person. As Leonhard delves deeper into the mystery, the reader is sometimes left to wonder what Leonhard has just discovered. It reminds me of sitting in Algebra class and everyone "got" the illustration, but I'm sitting there without a clue.

Mathematics plays a huge role in this storyline, but in this part of the story everything remains crystal clear. Robertson does an excellent job describing and explaining what the role in complete clarity.  No connecting dots or wondering if a paragraph or two was cut and laying on the editor's floor.

Frankly, the mystery is not the fascinating part of the novel. Leonhard's journey to maturity, and his deep faith through this journey is the most fascinating. Somehow when you get to the end, you aren't panting for "whodunit" but you are marveling at how gently, inexhorbaly you are drawn to understand how important faith, honesty, and God's will is to the believer.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When the Rules That Govern Men Are Shattered, All You Can Trust Are the Invisible Rules That Govern Life Itself

For math prodigy Leonhard Euler, the Bernoulli family have been more than just friends. Master Johann has been a demanding mentor, and his sons have been Leonhard's allies and companions. But this is a family torn by jealousy. Father and sons are engaged in a ruthless competition for prestige among the mathematical elites of Europe. And now, their aspirations may have turned deadly.

Lured into an investigation of the suspicious death of Jacob Bernoulli, his master's brother, twenty years ago, Leonhard soon discovers he's facing an elusive puzzle as complicated as any math equation. Surrounded by the world's most brilliant--and cunning--minds, Leonhard finds himself tracing an unraveling and invisible spiral of greed, blackmail, and murder. He'll need all his genius to find an elegant solution to this desperate battle of wills.