Saturday 24 January 2015

Book Review - The Puppet Master: An MSCE Investigation by David A. Xavier

 

On November 26th, I ordered a couple of books written by two of my fellow writers and friends of mine. They arrived shortly before Christmas, as they were both self-published and print-on-demand. I started reading them once I finished the edits on my own novel. I finished reading the first of them a few days ago.


The Puppet Master: An MSCE Investigation is the first in a series of novels written by David A. Xavier. MSCE stands for Metropolitan Special Circumstance Executive, a secret agency in the UK that specializes in keeping track of people with unique abilities. Detective Sergeant Oliver Soames is a member of the Metropolitan London Police Department who, upon investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide, suddenly becomes privy to a society he never knew existed. It's a world that is both fascinating and terrifying for him, and he is thrown into it without so much as a warning.


Well, what can I say? Xavier is a very talented writer. He knows what plot twists are and how to use them. (I didn't know whodunit until about seven chapters from the end, despite my guesses.) The characters are real, and they compliment each other well. They are characters I want to get to know more in depth.


The writing switches from 1st person to 3rd person in pivotal moments, and the writing is superb in these moments. One of the 3rd person chapters is my favourite chapter in the entire book. (Chapter 28 to be precise.)


The book just recently received a very positive review from The US Review of Books, and you can read the full review here: HERE


David A. Xavier is the pen name of David Kingsmill, a gentleman who is somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. He's a musician, a playwright (he's had several shows in the Edinburgh Festival; in 2014, 2 received 5 stars), and now, a published author. He also has an excellent singing voice. I know this because he just happens to be a wonderful friend of mine. And before you say it, no, his friendship has not swayed my review of his book. His writing truly is that good!


It was interesting for me to read this book on a personal level. I met him in November 2012 when he started the novel as part of NaNoWriMo, and I remember having a few conversations with him regarding the progress of our respective projects. I am incredibly proud of him for completing the book and getting his work out there. I cannot wait to read the second in the series (a fact he is more than well aware of), and I hope to delve into the lives of some of the supporting characters.


If you'd like to pick up a copy of the book and take a look for yourself, you can get it on Kindle, in hardcover, or in paperback from any of these sites:


The Puppet Master - Amazon.com

The Puppet Master - Amazon.ca

The Puppet Master - Amazon.uk


You can also check out more of David's work and future projects via his website: Dragon Literature


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