Because It Makes My Heart Beat Faster

by Peter Michael Rosenberg

Disturbed one night by a strange noise, Jonathan Fairchild assumes it's simply his wife, who walked out on him three weeks ago, returning home. But when he's hurled against the wall with a gun held to his head, it seems he has become the random victim of a psychopath.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published May 6, 1996

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was originally published back in the mid-'90s but has been released for Kindle and because it was 99c I downloaded it. The premise really appealed to me - man wakes up in the night to find a gunman in his house..............just my kind of thing (I was thinking it may be like a Simon Kernick/Grant McKenzie thriller) but I feel really let down. Most of the story is flashback - and there doesn't seem to be any connection (unless I'm missing something) between these and the present.........I kept thinking that eventually the two would tie together but they didn't, and then it just ended....

The language used in the book was a little off-putting. The book is (mainly) set in London yet there are words used by the author that are American (vacation/high school) and were jarring - it really stood out and distracted me from the reading experience, and there was also alot of foreign words in italics - WHY? I can tell a foreign word when I see one, I don't need it to be written in a different way!

This author has a new book coming out soon but I'm really not sure whether to give it a go or not. This book had so much promise but just failed to live up to the first few chapters.

[Jason Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is the case with the previous novels I've read by Peter Michael Rosenberg, I was immediately drawn into the action of the main characters- Jonathan, Liz, and the unnamed Intruder. Jonathan and Liz seem like any real-life couple with their faults, and at times it's like watching two bulls butting heads, wondering who will win the fight.

The journey of the couple takes them to Greece, and I swear I could smell the olives in the Mediterranean air, and the warmth of the sun in those perfectly cloudless skies, taste the food they eat and the wine they drink. That's the beauty of Peter's writing, he makes you feel part of the story.

The final chapter, as has been mentioned in previous reviews, is maybe a bit of a cliffhanger, but does raise its own questions. I have my own theories about what might have happened, but I won't mention them and spoil the book.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the cliffhanger-type ending, but otherwise another great novel, highly recommended.

[Iris Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a struggle to finish this book. It sounded suspenseful, but it wasn't for the most part. I thought that Jonathan was very dense and one-dimensional, and I didn't have much empathy for him through his situation. The ending left too many questions. Also, the book was very wordy, especially in the beginning...you shouldn't be bored throughout a thriller!

[Angelina Cabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intelligent book that is more "literature" than genre novel but is still a thrilling and compelling read. Kind of like early Ian McEwan.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought, good start but then ???

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get past the first chapter! angonizing slow and verbose.