jbronderbookreviews

I am happy to be part of The Schwarzschild Radius Tour. This is an amazing book.

Excerpt from Goodreads

Rachel, an 18-year-old Columbia University student, descends into the netherworld of runaways and predators to find her sister, Olivia, who has suddenly disappeared.

After getting a job in a strip joint where Olivia worked, then doing private shows in the homes of rich clients, Rachel discovers that Olivia has been abducted by a killer who auctions the deaths of young girls in an eBay of agony.

When she finds Olivia, Rachel becomes the killer’s next target.

About Gustavo Florentin

Gustavo Florentin was born in Queens, New York and received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York. He spent a decade in the defense industry working on the F-14 fighter jet and classified electronics projects. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many thought America wouldn’t need weapons anymore, so while others waited for the peace dividend, he moved on to the financial sector in New York where he is currently a network engineer. His passions include violin, travel to exotic places and exploring worldwide conspiracies. He lives in New Jersey where he is working on his third novel. (From Amazon)

Interview with Gustavo Florentin

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

GF: Yes, forget the advice about “Write what you know.” With the internet, you can sound like an expert in any field in two hours. I say, “Write what you want.” Write what fills you with passion, because you will need that motivation to see you through the writing process to the end. And it’s a long road. Also, you must write all the time. You must think like a writer, which means you’re always on the look out for good dialogue or a good topic to write about as you go through your day. Always relate your experiences, especially bad ones, back to writing. This is the mark of a real writer. And, of course, never give up. That goes without saying.

Q: Can you tell us about your works in progress?

GF: Yes, I’m writing a conspiracy political thriller. It’s a far cry from The Schwarzschild Radius, and the good news is that my protagonist is ex-Special Forces which makes a lot of things easier, like prevailing over the bad guys. I needed a main character with special forces experience and lo and behold, Detective McKenna of the Schwarzschild Radius fit the bill to a T. It saved me the trouble of creating a new protagonist.

Q:How did you do research for your book?

GF: I researched alot of it on the web but I also read books on important features in the story, such as the abandoned subway tunnels in New York and the people who live in them. Google Earth also helped to set the locations of the scenes.

Q: Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

GF: Without a doubt, Rachel was initially the hardest character to write. She’s an eighteen year old girl and I’m a middle-age man. I had to rely on my observation. But once I got the hang of it and I knew her character, I could do it second nature. I lived with her for years in my mind, so she couldn’t stay a stranger all that time.

Q: Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

GF:. I never get writer’s block. I always keep a list of a dozen or so projects under development, so I always have something I can work on whether it’s a short story or a screenplay or novel.

Q: What genre do you write and why?

GF: I write thrillers. I like the discipline it takes to put a character in danger and get him out of it without cliches, or a cavalry. That’s the pleasure and at the same time,the challenge.

Q: What is the last great book you’ve read?

GF: The last great book I read was THe Snow Leopard by Peter Mathiessen. It’s the kind of book I’d like to write one day, once I’m an established writer. It was at once a travel book and an exploration of spirituality, geography, history. Enthralling.

My Review

We start this story with a young lady, the Webmaster, and three men that crave torture and murder. The young lady is there to be tortured depending on the highest bidder. Various things will be done to her until the Webmaster decides to killer her for the highest bid.

Rachel is looking for her sister Olivia. Olivia has disappeared and no one has a lead so Rachel takes it upon herself to find her sister. But she doesn’t know what her sister got herself into. At first she is shocked but then decides to go down the rabbit hole to find Olivia no matter whatever she finds. When the police realize where Rachel has gone, and tortured girl’s bodies start appearing it become a race to figure out where Rachel and Olivia have gone before they end up like some many girls.

This book hooked me from the start. It’s very gruesome and violet but written in a way that you can see it happening in the world today. I was impressed with Rachel following her sister through everything just to find her. This story is so involved from the things that people will do to others.

This is a great, must read story. It’s not an easy read but one that I think more people should read; it is definitely an eye opener. I had a hard time putting it down.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

For more information on The Schwarzschild Radius or Gustavo Florentin be sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Gustavo Florentin’s website.