The Maine Event

by Alex Wilson

•Curiosity brought Josh and Dana together…and almost got them killed. Two independent people in their mid-life met through a Maine coast research project that turned deadly. They probed an anomaly and rattled a lethal business kingpin. Josh, ex-Marine turned journalist, and Dana, the young widow of a ‘black ops’ Navy Seal. Their intellectual exercise became more action than theoretical.

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Romance

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Carol Mello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amateur crime fighters in action novella

Josh is ex Marine black ops, ex Pulitzer Prize LA Times investigative reporter. Dana is the widow of a Navy Seal and a History Phd candidate at Bowdoin College. The get together over some local Maine research. Josh is investigating a Maine based drug running group and brings in Dana, her dad, and a couple of friends. Not so much a mystery as an action novella. Quick read. No frills writing.

[J A · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Maine Event would be a fairly standard 'potboiler' crime thriller ... BUT it's the introductory book (or should that be 'hook') of a series. If it intends to attract buyers for the following books, it misses by a mile.

Short, skimpy and poorly written, it feels like a synopsis (and probably is), although I've seen better-written and more literate synopses.

The characters are 2-dimensional, the plot as thin as tissue paper and there are more plot-holes than a used target.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this short story. It covered an interesting plot with good character development extremely well in the short format. Aside from a relatively unimportant line about ("married right out of high school") Dana that proved a distraction througout the book (getting a degree "over the internet" while new husband is deployed, something that has only been a possibility for about 10, max 15 years) that called into question Dana's implied mature middle age status, the story is tight and to the point.

[Lillie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short book read more like a synopsis that a complete story. The characters are described with their life stories--far more than is pertinent for such a short story--in passive voice and present tense at the beginning of the book. Then the story itself is mostly passive, often convoluted, and more a summary of the action than active writing that makes the reader feel she is right in the story. There were tense changes in scenes and sometimes even sentences as well as grammar and spelling errors. Editing and revising could make the story much stronger.

[David]

Two people meet in Maine and do their part to bust up a drug ring. That is the first third of the book, then you come to the phrase 5 years later. The remainder of the story is the growing love, marriage, and child rearing between the two drug-ring-busters. 'The Maine Event" is two books in one. Both poorly written and stories badly told. Don't bother.

[GoldenjoyBazyll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts out ok but quickly goes downhill. Immature writing style ... end seemed to come abruptly with a shoot em' up / put em ' in police protection..... tidy clean up... we all live happily ever after. BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, could be better.

Needs to be more complete. or did I get a condensed version via Kindle? Seriously Dislike! the misinformation about Maine and the inaccurate stereotyping of Maine people and places! I'm a native!

[Britney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is only 80 something pages long. It was a nice quick easy read.

[Jen_C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird, odd style... just not my cuppa. May work better for men from Brooklyn.

[Jane Herring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read.

[Jim Perry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine story/plot, endearing characters. Flow is a little abrupt. Dialog needs work. But, enjoyed it.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had so much trouble trying to read this story. I have no clue what it was about.