Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea Review

 It was an interesting premise, I love the cover of this book. As someone who spent time there with family, I always figured that's what we'd look like to one of the eagles as we drove on the road below.

A few notes on hangings as an NYS EMT, I had a really hard time getting into the book because of the imagery, it just wasn't right.
I felt that our FBI/BCI Walt Jenkins would not have been referred to as a detective,(see chapter 1). My understanding is he would be Agent instead. The town of Shandaken is inside the Catskill Parks, wouldn't the State Police or the Park Rangers be there instead or in addition to? Wouldn't Walt already have met the Shandaken Police before this? It didn't sound that way to me.

I had some issues with Walt. I felt like he should seen a few shrinks with the FBI retirement (you think?) instead of just drinking his way into a rum distillery and going back once a year to NYC with a hair shirt on. Avery's story seemed REALLY similar to other Ponzi Scheme perpetrators and just happened to tie into the conclusion in a stunning twist?!

Mostly, the book seemed to be flat. I did not feel immersed in any part of the story or any of the characters. There was a passive tone to the book and a sense that the author was almost bored with it, it was very strange.
Because I wanted to see if it was my thought processes ,I went and read Suicide House by the same author and found it to be fantastic. It pulled you in at the beginning and took you on a lush and descriptive ride through the story. Twenty Years Later did not.
I think that it wasn't for me, I wish I could say otherwise, I did think he did a few nifty things, one of my favorites was who the real author of the widows' series, didn't see that coming. I don't want to give all my favorites away, because that's not far. The reviews in other places seem to like it. I'd recommend Suicide House or one of his others instead.

I received this free copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion and review from Kensington Publishing. #twentyyearslateranovel