Heather’s Bookshelf: Shark and Octopus
Author: J.C. Sullivan
Released: 10/6/2020
Genre: Historical Mystery/Crime
“Around three in the morning he fell asleep. Two hours later Annie came downstairs and slipped onto the couch with him. And then, for a while, for a very nice while, the dissertation and everything else was totally forgotten.”
“Shark and Octopus” introduces you to Griffin Gilmore, a man hired to steal and replace an important relic, and his eclectic team of confidants. The crew finds themselves involved in a situation involving a stolen key, a mysterious man in white, and Mozart.
“Shark and Octopus” follows Griffin and his friends on their quest to find the man that interfered with their most recent job. Griffin is especially invested in finding the man in white as he directly threatened and stole from him and his work. The team works with local police and other experts around the world to try and find their guy. During the course of their investigation, they stumble upon a mystery leading back to World War II.
Griffin is a smart guy with a questionable past. He’s motivated and loyal to his friends. He’s also incredibly stubborn. His friends each have their own personalities and skillsets which contribute to a fun and eclectic group. They piece together what has happened in the past to help solve the mystery of their present.
Trigger Warning: References to war and racism
Overall, I found the book to be a fun and intriguing mystery. I really enjoyed the portions of the story that tied into history and music within the investigation. I also found the storyline about Saif being setup on dates by his overbearing parents pretty funny. However, other parts of the story were a little scattered and often times redundant. Instead of letting the reader figure out the mystery and piece things together with the characters in the story, I felt that it was a little too laid out directly. The ending was also predictable, but still very satisfying. I enjoyed the mystery, endearing characters, and historical references throughout the story.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An intriguing mystery filled with interesting historical references. Unfortunately, a little too straight forward for me.
Want to learn more about the author? Check out my interview with J.C. Sullivan:
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here:
(paid link by Amazon Associates)
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
