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Book Details:
Book Title: Boy on the Beach by R.D. Maddux
Category: Adult Fiction; 304 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Ezekiel 12 Publications
Release date: March 11, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are implied sex scenes but no graphic descriptions of lovemaking. There is one scene with some violence.)
MY REVIEW
I love the simple and intriguing cover and the title does its job of making me curious,. Why is he on the beach, what is he doing and who is he doing it with?
The mystery of what and why kept me reading. What is that black SUV doing? Is it his past come to claim vengeance? Is the child the target? What happened to the girl, Blaire? The one he crushed Amber for?
The story is so not what I was expecting and at first I was very disappointed. As I traveled from the past to the present and back again I was seeing his life unfold, how he came to be where he is now.
Andrew is hard to care about. It’s like he’s only getting what he gave. His ugliness overcomes anything good, if there is anything. His motives are selfish. You know, Karma can be a nasty one. Actions have consequences.
Boy on the Beach shows Andrew’s life, the good, the bad and the ugly. I love a flawed character. I want to know how he came to be the person he is and if it is possible for him to redeem himself. Sounds a bit like real life.
The mystery keeps me guessing, but I never felt a sense of darkness or urgency that I crave in my thrillers. If you are looking for a ‘Beach’ read, Boy on the Beach may be the ticket for its easy reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Boy on the Beach by R D Maddux.
4 Stars
Book Description
Andrew Foster, a real estate developer in San Diego, is a man suddenly haunted by his past. Memories, like specters from his former life of sex, drugs and rock and roll have come crashing into his current world of business in this sunny coastal city. The ominous, repeated appearance of a black SUV at the beach where he meets his sister each week, has triggered fears that it’s payback time for a bad choice he made years ago.
To add to his frustrations, his hopes of a big breakthrough in the San Diego real estate market haven’t come to pass. He’s starting to wonder if his visions of success will ever come true when an investor offers to finance his dream project. Soon things start to fall into place for Andrew in business, life, and even love. He starts dating the beautiful and business-savvy Nicole but even with her at his side he can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past. As the relationship with Nicole deepens, Andrew opens up to her about the many loves and adventures that have taken him from the crazy days of living in Big Sur and Joshua Tree to business success in San Diego. Her wise insights help him face the character flaws that have caused him to fail in his past relationships.
Rounding out his social life is his once-a-week task of assisting his sister with her nanny job watching a young boy named Chandler. They build sand castles on the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature together. But the now ominous weekly appearance of a strange car at the beach has awakened Andrew’s fears. Is the boy in danger? Or worse, has an enemy from Andrew’s past come seeking revenge and now Chandler’s caught in the middle?
A strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.
To follow the tour and read reviews, please visit R.D. Maddux’s page on iRead Book Tours.
R.D. Maddux has story telling in his blood. Since he was young he’s always loved a good tale. He’s been writing seriously since he was in high school and college. His novels range from Mystery and Intrigue to Sci-fi/fantasy. With Boy On The Beach he’s set the story in modern America, to be exact, on the West Coast of California. He’s a native of the golden state and has been a resident of San Diego since 1987. Before that he grew up in northern California and lived in the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area with sojourns in some of the beautiful parts of our state.Living in California for over 60 years he couldn’t help but watch the way things have changed in our culture and the impact this coast makes on the rest of America and the world. So even though Boy On The Beach is fiction, like most serious novels, it is not without a context and comment on issues we all face in our changing world. It takes place in real locations that are very familiar to him and its characters, which are fictional, no doubt have their counterparts in the real world. Boy On The Beach is a story of intrigue, suspense, revenge, love and redemption with flashbacks to the era when sex, drugs and rock and roll set our culture on it’s inevitable journey to our present day. This idea has been rattling around in his heart and mind for a decade and it’s finally coming to the page.Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Dear Sherry,
Thanks so much for taking time to read my novel and write your review. Just a “heads up” on the protagonist name. In your review you call him Dawson but the main character’s name is Andrew. You might want to correct that.
Again a big thank you.
-rd
It was my pleasure. Sorry about that. Don’t know where that name came from. 🙁 I love that cover. Did you have the final approval?
Thanks for your quick reply. Dawson was one of the sons’ name. Do I have final approval for the cover? If that’s what you ask yes. I got permission from the photographer. I actually donated a small fee.
Blessings,
rd
Yes, that was my question. You did a great job choosing the cover. Most of the time, it is the cover that helps me decide what books I read. I do confess, I am a cover girl.
Cool. Glad you liked it. My son-in-law is a photographer. He didn’t take the picture but he’s also a graphic artist and he designed the cover for me.
-rd
That’s cool. Keeping it in the family.
Thank you for this review, Sherry. I love the sound of this one:)).
My pleasure. All I had to do was look at the cover and know I was gonna give it a shot. 🙂
Hope you like. Thanks for considering it.
rd
Interesting that this wasn’t quite what you expected. I do like the cover and how you get past and present
It was a nice surprise and even though it flipped back and forth to past and present it was easy to follow and gave it more of the detail I like in a story.
I do find the title intriguing! so much potential!
Mysteries are my nemesis. If the writing are good I usually keep reading non stop LOL
BUT yes it has to be a sense urgency or danger and I have to be able to relate to the characters.
Hi Daniela,
Hope you’ll read it. Thanks for checking it out. All the best.
R.D.
I love mysteries too. The deeper and darker, the better. And I too love to gobble them up without being disturbed. lol
Enjoyed your review, Sherry, and so glad you liked this one. Been running into it recently and getting very curious. And you know I love all kinds of mysteries!
Hi Laura,
I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s a great read. Of course, as the author, I’m a little prejudice. LOL.
All the best.
rd.
I think you would like it, Laura. You know me, just looking at the cover and I had to know more.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
The book looks like an amazing read!
I really enjoyed it. I love when a book doesn’t turn out quite like I thought. Good luck.