read. Fast pace, great characters, very good story line! During the final days of the Second World War, Ben Kalninsh would search an abandoned coal mine tunnel for stolen guns the soldiers hid inside.
Unfortunately for him, by entering the tunnel he sets into motion events which will follow him into his adult life,
Ben travels to America with his veterinarian father, Edwards, and beautiful Latvian mother, Agnes, along with his two younger brothers, where they settle in the Nordicfriendly town of Forks, Minnesota.
Ben is, tall, shy and often the brunt of the cruelty of his peers, The initial poverty of his family doesn't help, During his teen years, Ben decides upon boxing as a way to achieve the wealth he's determined to acquire, By the age of, he's managed to go from amateur to Pro, making more money than even he dreamt of but his trainer claims he lacks the quality for championship determination and the killer instinct.
Ben knows better and intends to prove it, And he does just that during a fight with Europe's Swede champion,
Author Ned Stevens has a knack for dialect and his characters come alive, vividly enhancing this fastpaced novel of intrigue buried under even deeper intrigue festering and about to erupt.
Ben's excitement over beating the Swede is shortlived when FBI agents approach him with news of the murder of his father, His practical mother advises them not to tell Ben until after the fight, Special Agent Miriam Dokes and Agent Book are assigned to the case which includes the torture and murder of Edwards' Doctor turned farmer friend, Karlis Goulbis.
The agents question his shaken widow, in particular, about a page from a notebook with ' RIGA' written in red and attached to Karl's body.
Edwards and Agnes had lived near Riga during the war, the only connection to the deaths of the two men so far, The agents take the relatives of the two slain men into protective custody, giving them new identities, Ben realizes it must be Karlis they are after, killing his father when he walked in on their torturous attempt to get information from his friend.
When Ben decides not to leave, his mother gives him an envelope his father left for him, in the event of his death, It is sealed.
FBI agents, Tom Mansfield and John Holt speculate that Edwards and Karlis were killed for information and that there is a third man, yet unknown.
Allegedly, around the end of the war, in, a Russian bank was robbed of an impressive amount of gold gold they want back and aren't too fastidious as to how they get it.
FBI manager, Sawyer, has a hunch there's something much more valuable than gold stolen as well, Due to so many secret projects and so many years gone by, it's become the proverbial" needle in a haystack", In order to find it John needs to go back to where it all started in Riga, I'm a sucker for a historic thriller, and "A Suitcase Mystery" got me right from the getgo,
Picture Latvia. I've never been there, but I know it's way up there on the Baltic Coast, I imagine it must be very cold there, don't you Picture this tiny country during the final days of WWII, The Soviets have annexed it the Germans have overrun it, Then picture a young boy, inquisitive as children are apt to be, and set him down into an abandoned coalmine, Watch him enter a tunnel, Is he lost Is he playing What's he looking for What did he find
Fabulous beginning!
The boy's name is Ben Kalninsh, and what he finds follows him like a noose around his neck for the rest of his life.
Or the rest of this book, as this is only partof Steven Nedelton's Suitcase Mystery, The venue changes as we leave Latvia to its fate and find Ben all grown up in Minnesota, Before you know it, bodies pile up, and Ben has to leave his home once again in order to solve the suitcase mystery,
"A Suitcase Mystery" is the type of expansive, fastpaced thriller with great dialogue I would like to see more of, But then there is more of it, So, on I go to find the answer to the suitcase mystery in Nemesis: A Suitcase Mystery, Part II,
Please note: Both this book A Suitcase Mystery and its follow up A Suitcase Mystery: Nemesis were donated to The Magnolia Blossom after Mr.
Nedelton/Ned Stevens requested a review by the site, After the review appeared, Mr, Nedelton chose to go on the attack against me, the author of the review, who also happens to own the review site stating that among other things, I do not have the competence to review books.
However, his review is but one of MANY that I and my volunteer staff have completed using the rubric I designed based on several years of looking at the things agents and publishing houses use to determine whether or not to pick up an author/title.
As the books reviewed at The MBR are independently authored and/or published by very small publishing houses it is the aim of The MBR to help IAs realize the spots they may want to focus on with their next project.
There was never any illwill intended towards Mr, Nedelton as can easily be noted in the review which follows, It should be noted that after Mr, Nedelton decided to rant about me, my competence, and my review site I learned that the books I reviewed were actually a retitle/recovered/reissued version of another book entitled 'Tunnel: The Lost Diary' which may be found here at Goodreads.
That having been said, I stand behind my review of this book,
Thank you, L, Avery Brown
, Book Titleof
For the er: Did it grab your attention right awayWas it ho humWould you glance at it and then forget itWhat do you think the author might consider for future book titles You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.
Actually, when I read it the first time I thought 'is this going to be like The Boxcar Children mysteries' because the title is so very plain.
I looked to see if there was more to the title i, e. , a subtitle but no such luck, The second book in the twopart series at least has something a bit more than 'A Suitcase Mystery' in that it has the word 'Nemesis' added to it.
Incidentally, when I think of the phrase 'A Suitcase Mystery' it draws to mind something that is compact sort of like something you could whip out of your suitcase while on vacation and read somewhat leisurely.
Bookat nearly,is NOT a quick read, Bookat about,is, likewise, not something that is anywhere near a speedy tale
, Book Coverof
For the er: Use this space to writer your impression of the A Suitcase Mystery's cover, Did it grab your attentionWas it ho humDid it look like it was haphazardly thrown togetherWhat do you think the author might consider for future book covers Did it help make the title more effective
BookAgain I get sort of a nostalgic vibe from the cover to Part I which is simply called 'A Suit Case Mystery' It doesn't entice me to want to read the book.
BookIt's a bit more interesting however there is no cohesion between the two stories aside from the fact that the words 'A Suitcase Mystery' What's more there aren't ANY suitcases ANYWHERE on either book cover odd.
. Book Blurbof
For the er: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb.
How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the storyWas the blurb lackingWas it entirely too long or too shortDo you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective
The blurb itself is very interesting and wholly engaging.
It was a tad bit long but then again I can understand why the author chose to present it as such because by pointing out how something that was done sort of my accident as a child getting hold of Soviet secrets wound up taking a deadly toll on Ben's life and the lives of his family and friends.
. First of
For the er: Thinking of the firstusually aboutpages words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue What stood out to you the most Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs Did thest sentence grab you Did you get to around theword mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going
Firstwords Okay I was confused.
As I read the first sentence of the first paragraph it clearly says 'He was a young boy, back in old Latvia, when it all happened.
' So, I thought the action was taking place in Latvia But somehow, a few paragraphs later and with no indication as to how they wound up there, I read.
. . 'After all, this was not the America where you got a lawyer and a quick divorce just cause your love chose a tough luck job.
' Wait, they're not in Latvia they're in the US And then there's the talk about a tunnel which is actually part of a coal mine my grandmother's family owned a coal mine in Tennessee/West Virginia I know a wee bit about them but as I said I thought it was in Latvia since that's what the indication is in the first seven paragraphs.
However, as I read theth paragraph I read the part about America, I went back and reread the entire section just to make sure I didn't miss something about moving from Latvia to America, I didn't.
Incidentally, the lengthy discussion about how horrible and deadly the 'tunnel' was went a bit overboard,
PIt's actually about a war what war It didn't say anywhere in thest chapter nowhere! There are references to an AWOL soldier, and 'the last days of the war', so I'm going to assume that it's the end of WWII but readers ought never have to assume something integral to the progression of the story and a chronological reference IS integral.
FYI, the issue of 'when' is answered, in a weird, wordy, roundabout way in the first sentence of Ch,
P' the coal mine crumbled, trapping all the miners in for good, . .
P' christened the Death Trap Hill, . . '
P' damned hell hole cursed it in the mornings, while their men were leaving their homes, They cursed it in the evenings
PThey cursed their blackened shirts, blotchy skin and muddy saliva spotted with frothy scarlet dropsmisery a man wasnt born for.
BTW that's the whole paragraph
PThey cursed their hard and raspy incessant cough, as though their lungs had been raked out, a warning that Black Betty had already breathed down their lungs, licked their insides and got them before alcohol burned out their guts and shriveled their brains.
. . '
P' when the Man in Black with a sickle arrived, . . '
PNO reference to the horror of the tunnel
P', . . the mine collapsed and became the death trap, . . '
P' That was the tunnel he knew he would always remember for its gloom, for its choking, dusty, moldy air, as if it were the entrance to Hell.
. . ' That's JUST from the firstwords, We get it coal mining dangerous amp deadly, All in all, I was not enticed to continue reading, There was no air of mystery, There wasn't even an inkling that there was ever going to be a thrilling mystery eventually to follow,
. Age Recommendation/Genre Classificationof
For the er:Age Recommendation If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group Is it entirely too mature Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc.
. . Genre Classification Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride sort of all over the place Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it' Please rank this fromthen add that to the AGE RECOMMENDATION then put the total in the 'bubble spots' below!
It's a book intended for older readers not that it might not appeal to high level reading young adults but it seems most geared for people who had some tie to either WWII or the Cold War, in general.
Much like folks in my age demographichaving lived through thes,s, ands and having experienced that dread of 'what will those Soviets do'points.
On the request for review it's listed as a suspense story, It does have moments of suspense, I've looked around online and found that it's also listed as an espionage/spy thriller elsewhere,points.
. Presentation/Formatof
For the er: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue Were multiple fonts used Were they distracting
All in all, it's a well put together story.
ASM does have a lot of twists and turns and demands a lot of attention from readers as too does thend part of the mystery/thriller/espionage/suspense story ASM Nemesis There are a few moments when the reader must stop and process what has just happened because the continuity gets a bit skewed.
Not so much that it's terribly distracting but I got the impression that there was no storyboard or outline that was strictly followed in spot.
. Theme/Originalityof
For the er: Was this book something you'd never read Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre If it was a retelling did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved
It's a espionage/suspense/mystery/thriller about a fairly good guy who winds up in a whirlwind of chaos because of something he did when he was a child.
Soviets could have been changed for Nazis, The gold and the book of Soviet secrets could've been changed to jewels and microfiche, The setting could've been in Ohio instead of Minnesota, The heart of ASM isn't laced with enough originality to carve out a niche as a book other writers want to mimic, Honestly, I'm not even really sure why there's a second book, With some much needed whittling, both books could have been easily halved to create one, much more solid and engaging tale
.
Description/Enhancementof
For the er: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be Did you feel it was too sparse in description Did the author go OVER board with the description
There were some pure, neat, and tidy moments where Nedelton/Stevens didn't go overboard on the description.
And for those moments, I applaud him, However, there was so much more 'wasted verbiage' that it became tedious at times, Again, with a deep edit not that there were grammatical issues I'm referring to substantial elimination of wordiness wherein booksampare merged I think this is a book that would be enjoyable to a much larger audience.
. Intrigueof
For the er: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO goodWas it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep readingDid you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read
Not really.
Sorry. I've read SO many spy stories and have seen so many movies with the same basic format I wasn't all that enthused to keep reading.
But, as I was tasked to read the book from cover to cover I did so, I would like to point out that for those folks who simply adore this sort of tale, it might be the absolute cat's meow.
However, as for myself I was stuck somewhere between being slightly engaged and wondering if there were Twinkies in my
, Grammar/Mechanicsof
For the er: Was the book pretty darn flawlessDid you see more thator'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misued wordsDid you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors
Grammatically, there are just a issues I have with partand partof ASM.
. Overall Impression of
For the er: When all is said in done did you enjoy the book Would you recommend it to others
Probably not.
Aside from not being enthralled with those vital opening pages I wasn't impressed with the initial setup of the AWOL soldiers and how Ben comes into possession of the valise and the items that'll eventually cause his father to be murdered which puts the protagonist on a journey to figure out just what's going on with the help of the FBI which actually would've been pushed completely aside in lieu of the CIA wholly taking over the case as it dealt with Soviet intel yes, even though the murder of Ben's father happens in Minnestoa it's the result of the Soviet ties thus taking the case completely out of FBI territory.
But logistical technicalities aside as there were a few others, I simply didn't find the books to be a 'dogear the page so I can immediately jump back into the story' sort of tale
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT
THE BOOK THAT YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION
Okay there is one thing that simply ate at me while I read the book.
It was in the first paragraph of Chapter, "Benor Bendiks Kalninsh, to be more precise, arrived in America with his mother, father and two younger brothers in the forties, right after the second world headon and slaughter.
Long before “Blue Velvet” premiered, The two events unrelated except by madness and butchery, " 'Long before Blue Velvet premiered' is one of thesticklers, I'm pretty darn sure Nedelton/Stevens meant to say 'NATIONAL Velvet' starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney which is one of my FAVORITE films the movie was released inthe book by Enid Bagnold, inThere is a movie called 'BLUE Velvet' which was released inand starred Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini now it does fall into the 'film noire' genre but if this is the movie to which the author is referring the reference makes NO sense.
. . at all. Nope. Nadda. It's considered one of the best films made even though practically no one has heard of it, I've seen it and it's, . . different. And the reason I know of the film Blue Velvet is that I was raised in North Carolina where the movie was filmed and actually have relatives IN Lumberton, NC where it's supposed to take place.
Sure, it's an odd thing to harp on but being that it was SO early in the story it made me really question the research and there should always be research into an era specific novel done prior to writing the book.
The Bestowing of the Blossoms, . .
After all the points have been totaled, Steven Nedelton's two part espionage tale 'A Suitcase Mystery' and 'A Suitcase Mystery Nemesis' has earned a total ofpoints putting it squarely on the scale at.
blossoms. This is a book that is definitely tailored to a specific demographic those who like complex, involved espionage/thriller tales, While it does have a few issues that the author may want to address one day, should he opt to do an updated edition it is, nonetheless, a story worthy of a couple of sunny days on the porch or perhaps a few afternoons of sitting cozy on a couch.
We wish Mr. Nedelton the very best as he goes forward with his Indie writing career!
One last note: Mr, Nedelton did not read the review policy at The Magnolia Blossom wherein an author may request that The Magnolia Blossom NOT post the review to outside venues withindays after the review appears on the site.
His review appeared on Octoberand the first outside review appeared at Amazon, com nearlyweeks later giving him ample time to request that the review not be posted elsewhere, Thank you.
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Ned Stevens