Review of “One Last Lie”
written by Jon Michaelsen

“One Last Lie” by author Rob Kaufman in a word is awesome, in a word is awesome, an incredible psychological thriller that will have the reader hanging on the edge during the explosive and thrilling final pages. Which is odd, since the reader knows a very important fact very early on that drives the novel – and yet, I found myself shocked and stunned by the actual event. To say that I was affected is an understatement.

Partners Philip and Jonathan seem to have a wonderful relationship together of ten years. They have earned all they wanted; a nice home, great jobs, and money in the bank. But, elluding them is the dream of having a child. But, soon this challenge becomes possible when Angela, Philip’s college friend – once a very large woman with deep depression – has appeared anew, lighter, happier, ready and willing to help the boys out. The three decide to have a child together through artificial insemination of Jonathan’s sperm. Got that? It gets better.

Life begins to unravel for Philip and Jonathan and Angela’s deceit comes to light as her pregnancy awakens hidden psychological and physical problems.

This psychological thriller is told man years later from an elder Jonathan in his hospital bed, awaiting death. Angela’s web of deceit had caused heartbreak, legal battles – and ultimately murder.

The first half of the tense and romantic novel seems tame at best, a love story between two men wanting desperately to have a child and the one driving this dream is the one who is sterile due to a previous bout with cancer, of which he is a survivor.

Kaufman is a master of romantic suspense. The novel is set in the beautiful, romantic Westport, Connecticut. The subject – gay couple wanting to father and raise a child – popular in today’s gay culture. The protagonists, Jonathan Beckett and dashing Philip Stone, are successful, love their careers, very wealthy and can afford the finer things in life – and to fulfill their dream of having a child.

In comes Angela, an old college friend – err, girlfriend – of Philip’s, squirreling her way into Philip and Jonathan’s lives, ironically offering what the boys are looking for – someone to carry Jonathan’s child via artificial insemination. Angela experiences a Jekyll-Hyde complex, able to turn on a dime with both her low-life moronic boyfriend, Tommy, and her brooding – and easily manipulated — best friend, June. Angela manipulates anyone around her that she feels able to advance her agenda, an agenda set into motion the moment Angela picked up and moved to Connecticut, without invitation, to assist the boys in having a child with her via artificial insemination.

Kaufman’s gift as a writer is detailed within the sharp dialog, vivid imagery, skillful flashbacks, and well-rounded multidimensional character portrayals, but his inherit talent lay in his remarkable ability to craft a spell-bounding story, laid out for the reader in a way to have you cheering for the good guys and demonizing the psychos.

There are critical clues dropped within the novel that are thrilling, yet disturbing yet the same as Kaufman’s hurls the readers toward a well-crafted, suspenseful climax that will leave some breathless and others – like me- angry. Yes, I said it; angry. The reason for my anger is simple: I didn’t want the ending to happen as it did yet I KNEW what the ending would be and still, the author managed to shock me.

Angela is neurotic, psychotic and delusional – all required traits in portraying the villainess she becomes. Several characters that came before her came to mind as I learned more and more about her character, such as “Alex Forrest” (portrayed stunningly by Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction”), or Annie Wilkes in Stephen King’s “Misery” (portrayed in film by the astounding Kathy Bates), even the sultry Rebecca de Mornay’s portrayal of Peyton Flanders in “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”.

The malicious plot Kaufman’s Angela devises years before putting the such an evil plan into motion upon signing the co-parenting legal contract with Jonathan’s and Philip’s attorney.

But, I digress…Kaufman has created a spectacular psychological thriller that is sure to stun – is that the right word? – Readers of the genre. [Book:One Last Lie|14624158] is chock full of tense drama, betrayal, lies, compassion and violence; all the marks of an excellent thriller.

My only complaint is likely due to the HTML uploading issues unique to Amazon’s conversion technology for uploading e-books. The reader can become confused with the sudden backward or forward in time breaks without the benefit of section dividers. However, these small inadequacies are easily overlooked.

Ultimately, Kaufman has created a “must-read” novel for anyone searching for a kick-ass psychological thriller with a strong romantic theme. [Book:One Last Lie|14624158] will suck you in and won’t release you until the shocking ending, indeed the ‘one last lie’.

http://www.onelastlie.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/745558.Rob_Kaufman

A wonderful review from a reader at Goodreads:

Joel Gomez-dossi’s review
Jun 06, 2012

“Great start to a serial! I loved it. In many ways Jon Michaelsen’s writing reminds me of James Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice). Michaelsen uses much more description than Cain, but Michaelsen also drives the story forward without giving the reader a chance to think, only feel.”
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/335489214

First You Fall by Scott Sherman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally finished this book after it’s been on my self for awhile; not sure why I began reading the story last year and stopped (got distracted and one thing led to another, and you get the idea) – BUT, that being said, I really enjoyed this first novel from Scott Sherman.

Kevin – call boy/male prostitute is our reluctant sleuth. Kevin Connor, or Kevvy, according to the closeted (hot!) cop, who was also Kevvy’s former first-love. Kevin has AADD, and at times, creates a source of comedy. He’s always reminding himself to “focus, Kevin, focus!”

Problem is, Kevin really cared for a client of his who tossed himself off a balcony – or so it would seem, but Kevin doesn’t believe his friend would take his own life. Enter a bevy of characters, both large and small, who make this novel shine and a riot at times.

I liked the mystery – and yes, I figured out who the killer was before the ending, but that didn’t detract from my joy of the novel. The ending seemed a little rushed since many facts came together at once, but the pull and tug of Kevin’s on again-off again relationship with the hunky detective drove this novel and assures there’s more to come. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, er, novel, from Mr. Sherman.



View all my reviews

FIVE STARS!

Author, Ryan Field, has written a reivew of my latest release, False Evidence, for Amazon.com and Goodreads:

I had a chance to read “Murder Most Deadly 1: False Evidence,” by m/m fiction author, Jon Michaelsen, last week. It’s a m/m romance novella, with a mystery/suspense theme that revolves around the main character’s infatuation with an extremely attractive young man who lives in an adjacent building. The book is set in Atlanta, where some of my favorite books of all time have been set (“Peachtree Road” by Anne Rivers Siddens).

I hate to write reviews like this because I’m always worried I’ll give out a spoiler, and with a book like this, almost anything I say could ruin something for the reader. So I’ll try to keep it short and ambiguous, and focus more on how I felt while I as reading the book.

When I started reading, I obviously expected a murder mystery. But it’s a little tricky at first, because there’s an interesting set up that involves a little harmless voyeurism, a hot young guy, and a decent young guy who seems lonely. In fact, the lonely guy almost seems to have self-esteem issues. But only he feels this way. I felt that he underestimated himself in more ways than one. And I immediately started to cheer him on as the book progressed. I like this in any book, where I start to feel emotionally invested in the character. I wanted to see him change.

And he did change. In more ways than I expected. There are some erotic scenes that are handled very well. Nothing that I would consider over-the-top, but in the same respect they were arousing…both emotionally and physically. I’ve been let down before, but not this time. And this is why I wound up reading the book in one sitting when I should have been doing something else.

Another reason I wound up reading it in full that night was because there was a ring of reality I don’t see often enough. I have known characters like this in real life, where they get involved with someone thinking it’s all going to be innocent and it winds up becoming something they never expected. I honestly can’t say anything more than this because I would ruin the book for other people. But this shit happens to gay guys all the time. In fact, it almost happened to me once. And though I wish I could explain in more detail, it wouldn’t be fair.

In the end, just when I started to feel there was no hope left, something interesting happened that made me feel so much better. No details because that would ruin the ending. But I will say that I’m looking forward to the sequel to find out what happens. The main character is someone I won’t forget, nor will I forget his complicated situation. And that doesn’t happen often to me.