Title: Facets of the Past: No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished
Author: Monique Gliozzi
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
ISBN: 0228848911
Pages: 184
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Hollywood Book Reviews
This is a mystery, suspense, thriller about a 38-year-old man, Hank Gild, who was previously working as a locksmith and landed a job at Schloss Starnberg, a castle, as a tour guide. Little did Hank know that he had not landed the job on merit, but through a carefully hatched plan by someone interested in making him an accomplice to a heist. In one of his security patrols, Hank’s curiosity leads him to a secret locked door, and while underground, he encounters a man clothed in monk clothes dubbed ‘Handyman.’ The stranger seems to know everything about him including the reasons for the disappearance of the former tour guide at the castle, Franz.
Karl Brunner, the mysterious man, offers Hank a proposition, that does not leave room for declining the offer, but Karl threatens him with dire consequences if he chooses to back out. Hank’s simple and idyllic life was slowly falling apart. A series of events follow such as the leaving of cryptic notes on the door of Hank’s cottage, a body found on the river, rumbling of buildings, and Hank’s constant feeling that he was being followed. For Hank, the wheels of fate had been set in motion and were about to gain momentum. He had to make the right choices for the sake of his life and his newly acquired friend, Helena.
Facets of the Past: No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished is undoubtedly a successful work. Very quickly, the book puts you on your toes. It starts to become a real page-turner all without the standard cheap elements designed to move forward a plot. It truly does feel like a fully realized world that you can get lost in and the characters are memorable. I loved how the author thrust us into the life of the antagonist and how in the plot, he was slowly becoming a victim of the unknown.
Author Monique brought out the themes of change, treachery, and regret quite well. The writing was coherent and easy to read. At first, it seemed that the reader could foretell the ending of the book but as the plot approached its climax, there were a lot of twists and turns that increased the suspense. The author included subtle paranormal elements in her writing and connected that to a realistic world. The ending was good, though I expected a different outcome, owing to the captivating plot that the book has.
Young and mature readers who like an all-encompassing mystery will enjoy reading this book. I look forward to reading more of the author’s books such as Vestige and Foresight.