It's Book Review Wednesday, and our book for the days is definitely an odd one…

Catch and Release

Detective Jackson Carter is only trying to do his job. When he meets an alien walking the streets of Vale, he's forced to make a quick decision. Carter arrests the otherworldly visitor after he discovers a strange object hidden inside one of his pockets. What is this being doing on Earth? Where did he come from? Carter soon learns that this might be his last arrest. There are people who will do anything to keep his suspect a secret. With time running out, Carter must decide what to believe and who to trust. The Aldirnföld Cycle begins here.

My Review: 3.5 Stars

I can't fault this story for the writing. Grammar, punctuation, writing style--it was all fine. Certainly nothing next-level to make me sit up and take notice, but no visible mistakes or amateur writing. Kudos to the author for that! However, I didn't get the point of the story. In my opinion, this could have been shortened to a single novel chapter and used as the intro to a longer story. Had there been more story about what happens after he meets the alien, it would have been a great LONGER book. As it was, it was too short and felt incomplete. Also, I felt the flashback in the middle didn't really add to the story. It touched on the element of racism in Vale, but perhaps only Vale residents would feel the "sting" of that criticism. The relationship between the Chief and Detective Carter could have been summed it more succinctly, and it might have helped the story flow a bit better. That being said, I am kind of curious to know what comes next. There was a good hook to make me want to read the next part, though hopefully I get more "story" than I got from this one.

Here's a Taste:

“Nice hat,” I said. An old thing, but clean and well-maintained. The material was smooth under my fingertips, and the hat still held its original fitted shape. “Did you steal this?” Why am I even asking him that? “Not quite,” he said, reaching into one of the coat’s inner pockets. “The previous owner, poor old gentleman, suffered a fatal heart attack upon finding me in his driveway late at night. I was sifting through his garbage, not trying to attract notice, and he dropped at the mere sight of me. Once he was dead, I didn’t see much difference between looting his corpse and his trashcan. A victimless crime, no? I couldn’t let it go to waste.” The longer he kept talking, and the more he varied the length of his words and sentences, the more bizarre of a light show I was treated to within the depths of his pitch-colored eyes. I pictured the scene as he described it, imagining the sick look of trembling terror on an old man’s face as he fell helpless to the ground to die in the shadow of a grinning, lantern-eyed demon. The hat didn’t feel so good in my hands anymore. He pulled out a little cup, sealed with a top and labeled “Specimen 26.” The bottom of the cup held a small amount of what appeared to be semen. When he tried to hand that one to me, I held up my free hand and told him to put it away. “I don’t need to see that up close.” Was it enough to take him in? Did it even make a difference whether I had evidence of a crime or not? I took an oath. That was the cop-voice in my head, reminding me of my job as though I'd somehow forget it. I have to do something. “You’re under arrest,” I said. “You have the right to remai—” “Detective,” he said, cutting me off in the same quiet voice he’d been using the whole time, “I will go with you. However, I ask that you spare me your police rituals. Think for a moment, and you will realize what I have already determined to be true: your Miranda rights will not apply to one of my kind. By going with you, I am essentially giving myself up to the whims of your authorities. I am alone here, whether you believe this or not, and far from my people and my world.”

About the Author:

Damian Roache is a work in progress. He’s part writer, part landscaper, and a whole lot of strange. His interests are all over the place, but if it has magic, monsters, or myths then sign him up. Fantasy, science-fiction, and horror are the staples of his worlds—because he rarely comes up with a story that could be contained by our bland reality. When he’s not writing, or mowing your lawn, he lurks in Abington, MA with a book in one hand and coffee in the other. Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VGOCSG8 Read Damian's thoughts on his website: http://damianroache.com Connect with him via Facebook: www.facebook.com/damianroacheauthor Or Tweet at him: https://twitter.com/RoacheWriter