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Parker's Choice
After serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, Parker and his wife, Paula, hide from an old enemy in an Atlanta suburb. Their new beginning is disrupted when his new boss solicits his help with a fraud that will ship thousands of American jobs overseas and Parker suspects his secret birth father is involved. Then a body is pulled from the Chattahoochee River and Parker believes Paula has murdered his enemy, but police think Parker did it. He and his brilliant colleague, Sabrina, who can trace her roots to Virginia slaves, steal the “smoking gun” that will expose the fraud and go on the run, pursued by cops and crooks. After a violent showdown in a frightening New Orleans cemetery, they connect the dots between murder, fraud, and a man from his mother’s past. Loyalties are torn. What will be Parker’s Choice?
398 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2021
About the author
Mike Nemeth
14 books84 followersMike Nemeth, a Vietnam veteran and former high-tech executive, writes love stories tucked inside murder mysteries highlighting America’s social issues. THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY won the Beverly Hills Book Award for Southern Fiction and the Frank Yerby Prize at the Augusta Literary Festival. The novel inspired singer/songwriter Mark Currey to compose the song Who I am. PARKER’S CHOICE won a Firebird Award for thrillers and American Fiction Awards for Diverse and Multicultural Mystery/Suspense, and for Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Other credits include The New York Times, Georgia Magazine, Augusta Magazine, Southern Writers’ Magazine, and Deep South Magazine. In 2018, I was named Atlanta’s Best Local Author by Creative Loafing magazine. Mike lives in Villa Rica with his wife, Angie, and their rescue dog, Scout.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 21, 2022
This was an interesting read on a couple of levels. Like very few books I have encountered it kept me turning pages even though I decided very early on that I wasn’t interested in the plot and didn’t really like the convoluted cast of characters Nemeth created.
Mike Nemeth is a very talented writer in that he can create action in small scenes that maintain the reader’s interest while piling on so many twists and turns and new characters that the ultimate resolution really no longer matters. By the time I slogged to the end of the book, my only feeling was relief that it was over.
I have to add one more note because I think it impacted my impression of Parker’s Choice. Nemeth is a numbers guy, so he made his protagonist a numbers guy. For readers who are not familiar with the minds of Quants and AI Theories, the underlying plot of the book may be more of a distraction than a proof of Nemeth’s bona fides. Anyway it was for me. Three Stars for the writing. ***
Mike Nemeth is a very talented writer in that he can create action in small scenes that maintain the reader’s interest while piling on so many twists and turns and new characters that the ultimate resolution really no longer matters. By the time I slogged to the end of the book, my only feeling was relief that it was over.
I have to add one more note because I think it impacted my impression of Parker’s Choice. Nemeth is a numbers guy, so he made his protagonist a numbers guy. For readers who are not familiar with the minds of Quants and AI Theories, the underlying plot of the book may be more of a distraction than a proof of Nemeth’s bona fides. Anyway it was for me. Three Stars for the writing. ***
March 5, 2021
What a great opening line! - “Parker watched her through the doorbell camera on his phone.”. Parker could be anybody. She could be anybody. But I already know he’s observant and inquisitive and she is a person of interest.
The choices Parker makes deal with moral issues many of us face. Because he’s a flawed man who is trying to do the right thing we cheer for him and want him to be the best man he can be. Nemeth doesn’t let us down. Parker is a man we’d be proud to call friend.
The choices Parker makes deal with moral issues many of us face. Because he’s a flawed man who is trying to do the right thing we cheer for him and want him to be the best man he can be. Nemeth doesn’t let us down. Parker is a man we’d be proud to call friend.
May 18, 2021
Parker's Choice is a thriller wrapped in a mystery wrapped in suspense edged with action and topped with an unlikely romance. In all of that, there are twists, a few shockers, tons of drama, murder, and a lot of crazy! That describes how the storyline keeps you turning those pages. The characters keep you in the story too. They are very believable and realistic, so is this story.
Parker's Choice is an entertaining story told through the lens of Parker, an ex-con who keeps getting the short end of the stick in life while trying to do the right thing with good intentions. Sabrina becomes someone important to him as he tries to stay true to his marriage, but why should he? Sabrina challenges Parker in ways no one has, and he cannot get his head around what it is about her. Parker's wife Paula is an alcoholic who he tries to save. He learns that saving Paula is not his place. I like their daughter Jordyn. She is intelligent and smart-alecky. With dysfunctional parents, she has learned to take care of herself while loving them both. Through a series of things that happen in his career, we see that Parker has always had a choice and how he exercised that choice rules his life.
I read this book in a couple of days. It was such an easy read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Parker's Choice is an entertaining story told through the lens of Parker, an ex-con who keeps getting the short end of the stick in life while trying to do the right thing with good intentions. Sabrina becomes someone important to him as he tries to stay true to his marriage, but why should he? Sabrina challenges Parker in ways no one has, and he cannot get his head around what it is about her. Parker's wife Paula is an alcoholic who he tries to save. He learns that saving Paula is not his place. I like their daughter Jordyn. She is intelligent and smart-alecky. With dysfunctional parents, she has learned to take care of herself while loving them both. Through a series of things that happen in his career, we see that Parker has always had a choice and how he exercised that choice rules his life.
I read this book in a couple of days. It was such an easy read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 14, 2021
Parker's Choice is one mystery that eschews many of the trappings of a traditional "southern-flavored" novel. The back-story of Parker quickly unfolds, and the stage is filled with multi-dimensional characters that don't always fit the run of the mill morally good or bad. Nemeth gradually unveils a tale of intrigue that intertwines the big business of insurance, analytics, and the growth and flexibility of outsourcing jobs to India. A slow-burning romance lies beneath the surface as Parker attempts to map the complexities of marriage and unresolved family secrets that could cost him his life. A search for his father's true identity, multiple partners in crime, a journey through the Crescent City that reveals new threats while allowing the reader to enjoy a seat at the table at Arnaud's is part of this rollercoaster ride. The rich character descriptions, flirtations, gunplay, and a big ending twist make this a must-read. I loved the ending!
March 29, 2021
A corporate thriller with a murder mystery tossed in. Based in Atlanta, Parker is struggling to overcome his past choices as his business and marriage are caught in the middle of a murder plot that will take his business down as well.
Mike Nemeth brings Parker to life through his gift of dramatic scene descriptions that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you turn page by page and are drawn into the intrigue and mystery.
Thanks, Mike for another great story. I got to read an advance copy as his book just released.
Mike Nemeth brings Parker to life through his gift of dramatic scene descriptions that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you turn page by page and are drawn into the intrigue and mystery.
Thanks, Mike for another great story. I got to read an advance copy as his book just released.
May 11, 2021
Was a little leery, but I was wrong!
To me, this book started off slow and I was unable to figure out where the story was going. However, once I got into this book, I could not put it down - and that almost a literal statement - read whenever I had time to do so. Towards the end - was totally shocked, but the absolute end wasn't a 100% surprise to me.
If you like fast paced mysteries/thrillers, this book is for you!
To me, this book started off slow and I was unable to figure out where the story was going. However, once I got into this book, I could not put it down - and that almost a literal statement - read whenever I had time to do so. Towards the end - was totally shocked, but the absolute end wasn't a 100% surprise to me.
If you like fast paced mysteries/thrillers, this book is for you!
June 19, 2021
The story didn’t quite hook me, I can’t say that it’s boring but I can’t say that it was the most entertaining I have read.
Parker and his decisions and choices, some right, some not, but many times carried out by his impulse to fix everything.
The past return to try to ruin his present and future, and in this journey he will end up ending his long marriage and finding love again, as well as find his father’s identity.
It’s not bad, but lacks tension and intrigue for my taste.
Parker and his decisions and choices, some right, some not, but many times carried out by his impulse to fix everything.
The past return to try to ruin his present and future, and in this journey he will end up ending his long marriage and finding love again, as well as find his father’s identity.
It’s not bad, but lacks tension and intrigue for my taste.
August 11, 2021
Parker's Choice by Mike Nemeth is a fantastic story that I have loved reading very much. I was hooked on this story from the very beginning till the very end of the story. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about mystery, suspense and thrillers.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 5, 2021
I was provided a free copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book crossed several genres, but did not effectively handle any of them. Not horrible, but could ahve been much better.
March 13, 2021
Complete review on my website at www.jonsokol.com/blog
Nemeth unabashedly shows off thriller influences from masters of crime fiction such as Gresham and Le Carré. His character development for the protagonist is a compelling study in the differences between moral and ethical choices, self-preservation, and doing what’s right, giving the anti-hero an honest quality that becomes perhaps his biggest flaw.
Nemeth unabashedly shows off thriller influences from masters of crime fiction such as Gresham and Le Carré. His character development for the protagonist is a compelling study in the differences between moral and ethical choices, self-preservation, and doing what’s right, giving the anti-hero an honest quality that becomes perhaps his biggest flaw.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews