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The Circle of Eden
Anthony Stanford has everything that life can offer, but he has also been living a lie. When his eighteen- year old son, Sebastian, disappears at a music festival, he dismisses it as a teenage tantrum. It’s only when Seb is then implicated in a murder that Anthony becomes forced to act. Anthony sets out to find him, unaware that Sebastian has become involved with a group of environmental activists known as The Circle of Eden. The group, intent on saving the planet, place a high price on disloyalty. But to save Sebastian, Anthony must first save himself.Chased by MI5, he reconnects with his past, revisiting the people and places he has tried to forget. But will he be in time... and what will be the cost?
403 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2020
Hello My Fellow Book Dragons, welcome to another Freakish Friday. This week’s Gem is a Daisy, literally. It’s made of some rare crystals. Carved diamond like stones with a perfect yellow center. They catch the light and reflect it back. I cannot let you hold this one, deadly you know. Oh, they lure you in, you want to hold them and turn them to watch how they make the light dance on the surfaces around you, but all the while a slow poison is doing it’s work. This is Gem Maker Hazel Dee Smith’s “The Circle of Eden”. And as everyone knows – You do NOT break the Circle.
Imagine you are young, in this case, early 1980’s. You have been charged with taking your teenage sibling to a music festival. Only for a day. No worries, no trouble, he’s a good lad. You go, listen to your favorite bands, and then suddenly you wake up and you have no idea where you are, how you got there nor where your little brother is. This is the opening to “The Circle of Eden”.
Now jump forward 40 years give or take and your son is not much older than you were back then. You bang heads because your too different or is it too much alike? He has a bit of wanderlust since graduation. He stops by and after yet another argument, he leaves. You are fuming, your spouse is angry, hurt and crying. Typical. Days go by and he’s not called. You aren’t too worried. Your spouse is frantic. And then you get news, he’s missing. Is he kidnapped, dead or has he committed a crime, an awful crime?
I loved this book. Ms. Smith has done a fabulous job of dancing round the Maypole and taking me along with her. I was engrossed from the get go. I wanted to know more about “Ant”, the older brother. I wanted deeply to know what happened to his brother on that summer’s day, but I had to wait, because…well this is a British Mystery and no good mystery, let alone a British one gives everything away right away. This one kept the pace going perfectly. The right characters were likeable enough, and if not likeable, certainly understandable. The right characters were also UN-likeable. Sometimes I love a clear good guy and bad guy. I have needed that badly of late.
The freakish part in this tale is an organization called “The Circle of Eden”. Supposedly an Environmental Group, heavy on the Mental. A cultish leader, Moses wields political and economic power through blackmail, threats and physical violence. He has secrets, too. How does he ties in with Ant? If you love intrigue, a good mystery, and good guys vs. bad guys, this story is for you. If you believe history needs saving this one is for you, too.
Available now on Amazon, it is free on KU for a limited time and the paperback, put together very impressively I must say, is available for a very reasonable price. Treat yourself today.
Until tomorrow I remain your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a review copy of this novel at my request from the author. My opinion is my own.
Imagine you are young, in this case, early 1980’s. You have been charged with taking your teenage sibling to a music festival. Only for a day. No worries, no trouble, he’s a good lad. You go, listen to your favorite bands, and then suddenly you wake up and you have no idea where you are, how you got there nor where your little brother is. This is the opening to “The Circle of Eden”.
Now jump forward 40 years give or take and your son is not much older than you were back then. You bang heads because your too different or is it too much alike? He has a bit of wanderlust since graduation. He stops by and after yet another argument, he leaves. You are fuming, your spouse is angry, hurt and crying. Typical. Days go by and he’s not called. You aren’t too worried. Your spouse is frantic. And then you get news, he’s missing. Is he kidnapped, dead or has he committed a crime, an awful crime?
I loved this book. Ms. Smith has done a fabulous job of dancing round the Maypole and taking me along with her. I was engrossed from the get go. I wanted to know more about “Ant”, the older brother. I wanted deeply to know what happened to his brother on that summer’s day, but I had to wait, because…well this is a British Mystery and no good mystery, let alone a British one gives everything away right away. This one kept the pace going perfectly. The right characters were likeable enough, and if not likeable, certainly understandable. The right characters were also UN-likeable. Sometimes I love a clear good guy and bad guy. I have needed that badly of late.
The freakish part in this tale is an organization called “The Circle of Eden”. Supposedly an Environmental Group, heavy on the Mental. A cultish leader, Moses wields political and economic power through blackmail, threats and physical violence. He has secrets, too. How does he ties in with Ant? If you love intrigue, a good mystery, and good guys vs. bad guys, this story is for you. If you believe history needs saving this one is for you, too.
Available now on Amazon, it is free on KU for a limited time and the paperback, put together very impressively I must say, is available for a very reasonable price. Treat yourself today.
Until tomorrow I remain your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a review copy of this novel at my request from the author. My opinion is my own.
April 30, 2023
Before we start can we just take a moment to appreciate the serenity captured in the cover art please. Oh to be frolicking through such a field in the beautiful sunshine with no worries in life. Looking at it gives me such joy.
But as the old cliche goes we cannot judge a book by its cover so I will stop prevaricating and get to my review.
The Circle of Eden tells the story of successful architect Anthony Stanford who when his eighteen- year old son, Sebastian, disappears at a music festival, and implicated in a murder becomes forced to act and in doing so unravels the lies upon which he had built his life.
This was a fast paced and fascinating thriller which sees a father’s search for his son against a backdrop of extreme environmental activists and M15. It was both an enjoyable read with a number of cleverly crafted plot twists (not all of which I saw coming I must admit) and a thought provoking look at the fight to preserve and protect the environment gone wrong!
Told from multiple perspectives this is a book which defies genres, it is a fast paced thriller, a spy novel, a crime drama, a coming of age story and a man’s journey of discovery and redemption all rolled into one and even that doesn’t accurately describe all the nuances created by the author.
Admittedly as you may defer from my review thus far this story is complex in its construction and at the end I have got a few threads I’ve not fully tied up and I have questions… so please if you’ve read this one shout out so I can discuss.
This is @hazeldeesmith’s debut novel and it is a quite the debut.
Thank you for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
#adprproduct
But as the old cliche goes we cannot judge a book by its cover so I will stop prevaricating and get to my review.
The Circle of Eden tells the story of successful architect Anthony Stanford who when his eighteen- year old son, Sebastian, disappears at a music festival, and implicated in a murder becomes forced to act and in doing so unravels the lies upon which he had built his life.
This was a fast paced and fascinating thriller which sees a father’s search for his son against a backdrop of extreme environmental activists and M15. It was both an enjoyable read with a number of cleverly crafted plot twists (not all of which I saw coming I must admit) and a thought provoking look at the fight to preserve and protect the environment gone wrong!
Told from multiple perspectives this is a book which defies genres, it is a fast paced thriller, a spy novel, a crime drama, a coming of age story and a man’s journey of discovery and redemption all rolled into one and even that doesn’t accurately describe all the nuances created by the author.
Admittedly as you may defer from my review thus far this story is complex in its construction and at the end I have got a few threads I’ve not fully tied up and I have questions… so please if you’ve read this one shout out so I can discuss.
This is @hazeldeesmith’s debut novel and it is a quite the debut.
Thank you for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
#adprproduct
May 26, 2020
AMAZING! a brilliantly written, captivating story ! I love how Ms Smith writes in the different characters perspectives... This is definitely a book that once you start it, you will find very difficult to put down. I love all the twists and turns.. Total kept my attention from beginning to end -- And I will say " The end was totally unexpected! Brilliant... brilliant writer - can't wait too see what she has in store for us next! Highly recommend!!! 5++++
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews