The Confessions of Jonathan Flite was not what I expected. It was intruding and suspenseful and a book that was hard to put down. Wow.


Synopsis
Jonathan Flite claims to have memories he can’t explain. Seven layers of them, to be exact, all belonging to a group of teenagers who disappeared from a place called Idle County in 2010—ten years before his birth. Seventeen years of anxiety, violent outbursts, and refusal to admit he is lying have landed him at Crescent Rehabilitation Center, a seaside juvenile center for rich kids, and nobody has ever dared to believe his memories might be real.

Until now. On a blustery November day just three months after a nuclear terrorist attack in Geneva, Switzerland, ex-CIA psychiatrist Thomas Lumen arrives at Crescent to interview Jonathan for a book about Idle County. Fueled by his personal connection to the disappearances three decades earlier, he asks Jonathan to share what he knows—anything and everything.

By reigniting this thirty-year-old mystery, however, Jonathan inadvertently becomes a target of the very same religious terrorists who attacked Geneva, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Idle County under wraps. Jonathan must then make a choice: to continue telling his story, or risk the safety of everyone he loves.

The strange fact is not how long it took for me to get to this and read it completely but that the deeper I got into the story. It went from a book I almost gave up on to one that I enjoyed the twists and turns of. Now that I have a strong grasp of the main plotline, I can brave the adventure into the next book in the series. The only reason I give this one three stars is because of the time it took for me to get used to the spinning of the narrative and the fact that we encounter so many people at so many different 'times' that it is hard to keep track.

Jonathan Flite was planned, or his mother thought he would be. However, he is born with the weight of memories which he cannot appropriately deal with. Things just get worse before they get any better. There are a lot of intersecting lives and the story sets a dizzying pace between decades and individual narratives. Once you get used to the style, however, it is worth pursuing. There is a global terrorist extremist group who seem to want Jonathan Flite dead before he reveals something. Parts of that 'something' revealed in the first instalment were quite intriguing and I look forward to knowing more as he grows and has more people around who believe him.

There was something about this that I really loved. I think it may have been the writing style, as Beier really has a way with words and getting into the characters' heads. Jonathan Flite was so intriguing and I found myself on the edge of my seat, wanting to keep reading to find everything out.

I had very mixed feelings about this book? The back and forth with the characters and their backgrounds was so unbelievable and made up it was giving me anxiety at one point. I couldn't get into it like I wanted to.

This is my honest opinion.

Rating 1.5

I liked the fast pace rhythm that didn't sacrifice details or descriptions and the imaginative plot line. Some other aspects were not as strong:
The ending felt abrupt and arbitrary to the ending. An ending that creates a bridge to the next volume. in recent literature i consider the ending of the first volume of Elena Ferrante's Napolitan novels an excellent ending that creates a bridge to the next volume and builds anticipation).
Sometimes it felt like the author comes with a solution to ensure a twist, but which breaks the logic of the narrative

Komplexe Geschichte: der Autor hat sich eine Menge einfallen lassen, um seine Leser zu fesseln und zu unterhalten. Teilweise erscheint es ein bisschen too much zu sein und man meint, er hätte mehrere Bücher gleichzeitig schreiben wollen. Dennoch sehr spannend.

This book made me crazy in a good way.

Jonathan is a boy who has memories of kids who disappeared 10 years ago. How is this possible? Is he making it up or crazy? Does he have supernatural ability? What actually happened to the kids?

So for the good and bad about this book:

The good
It had a lot of interesting characters and I was drawn in to each story. Some were really gripping.
The author did a great job of world building, - not in a sci fi way, but in a way that I could picture the stories, what the people looked like, where they lived, etc.
It had multiple plots running through it which really keeps you on your toes. I love when the story switches around.

The bad
The switches between stories was a bit jarring, and sometimes it took me a bit to figure out which person/time period we were talking about it. There wasn't a flow to it, you would just randomly be put into another part of the plot.
The ending - it just ended. I realize this is book 1. However, when there is a series, there are 2 types. The first type makes you fall in love with the characters, mostly wraps up the story and hopes you come back for the next book because you loved the first. The 2nd type just suddenly ends, and picks up in the next book. I usually try to avoid this type, which is what this book is. Mostly because I hate being left in suspense - I was that kid who opened my Xmas presents early and then re-wrapped them so nobody knew. :)

Overall, if you are looking for an engrossing book with a unique storyline this is for you. If you don't like being left in suspense, or being tossed around from plot to plot, buy this at your own risk... :)

The confessions of Jonathan Flite by Mathew J Beier.
Jonathan Flite claims to have memories he can’t explain. Seven layers of them, to be exact, all belonging to a group of teenagers who disappeared from a place called Idle County in 2010—ten years before his birth. Seventeen years of anxiety, violent outbursts, and refusal to admit he is lying have landed him at Crescent Rehabilitation Center, a seaside juvenile center for rich kids, and nobody has ever dared to believe his memories might be real.
Until now. On a blustery November day just three months after a nuclear terrorist attack in Geneva, Switzerland, ex-CIA psychiatrist Thomas Lumen arrives at Crescent to interview Jonathan for a book about Idle County. Fueled by his personal connection to the disappearances three decades earlier, he asks Jonathan to share what he knows—anything and everything.
By reigniting this thirty-year-old mystery, however, Jonathan inadvertently becomes a target of the very same religious terrorists who attacked Geneva, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Idle County under wraps. Jonathan must then make a choice: to continue telling his story, or risk the safety of everyone he loves.
A good read with likeable characters. This was not what I thought it would be. But I did like the story. 4*.

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Summary:

First part of a supernatural series, dated in 2037, where seven Idle Country children disappeared in mysterious circumstances almost thirty years ago (2010). A teenager, now incarcerated in a mental rehabilitation home for the past ten years or so, relates first-hand memories of these children, though it is impossible to know how he came by them.

Main Characters:

Jonathan Flite: The protagonist, he is an unwanted child, the result of a decision by a selfish rich woman to defy society norms. He possesses inside information on the disappearances that he has no way of knowing, and is declared insane, and incarcerated.

Winifred Flite: Jonathan’s wealthy mother, spoilt, selfish, and psychologically abusive, she believes money can buy her whatever and whomever she wants.

Molly Butler: One of the children around whose memories the novel revolves, and whose half-sister Kara tries to find the truth about what happened to her.

Dr Thomas Lumen: The psychiatrist who takes up Jonathan’s case, but he is none-too-honest about his own connections with the history of the children.

Minor Characters:

Mason Witzel: He becomes Jonathan’s best friend in the Crescent Rehabilitation centre.

Mrs Grime: Ancient librarian who is still as sharp as a tack – she holds secrets as well as books within the library walls.

Victor Zobel: Founder of the New Naturalism religion, fabulously wealthy, yet a shadowy figure for all his public persona.

Plot:

Jonathan Flite was born into a privileged, wealthy US world, with nannies and every conceivable advantage. However, he was essentially a trophy baby, whose mother preferred that the nanny raised him.

He did not speak for years, nor played as such with other children, but then conversed in fluent French when he did speak at about the age of seven. He also began drawing images that made no sense, talking of times and people that bore no relation to his life. Over time, he was assessed as unstable, and put into a home.

Winifred googles her son’s statements, and discovers uncanny similarities to the disappearance of seven children in Idle county just over ten years previously. Confronting him, and through psychiatrists, Winifred believes her son has become insane, and incarcerates him, and effectively washes her hands of any responsibility. After then killing a nurse, he was incarcerated into a Rehab Centre (for life, effectively).

We now meet Dr Thomas Lumen, a divorced psychiatrist who becomes interested in Jonathan’s story, for more than just academic reasons.

We now move to the timeline of young, 13-year old Molly Butler, one of the seven who is to disappear. She has had her own share of troubles, with her mother dying and her father’s reactions, and this sparks her interest in the supernatural. Using a school project as a cover, she begins to investigate ghost sightings around her townland, with her friend (and burgeoning but innocent love interest Jacob Jenkins). Through her research, she meets quite a cast of characters, from the twinkly-eyed librarian Mrs Grime to a more intriguing Max Pope. She also comes across several town legends, which point to the townland having an unsuspected high level of unexplained phenomena.

These three storylines merge and intertwine over the course of the novel, with other characters such as Kara Butler and Dr Freede, charismatic religious leaders like Simon Villiard and their acolytes, and events such as a nuclear explosion in Geneva adding to the mystery and suspense, and the sense that there is more at stake here than is immediately obvious.

The tension builds, as the author expertly switches between the timelines, allowing just enough information through to give the reader a few more pieces of the puzzle to click together.

The final chapters build to an intense climax, as we get our first glimpse into the shadowy players that seem to be manipulating events behind the scenes, and setting the stage for the next in the series.

What I Liked:

The writing is excellent. Fast-paced, yet descriptive, the author builds different worlds which are believable and coherent (the future has a few new gadgets).
The narrative is told from different points of view in the timelines, and the author manages to keep a distinct voice for his characters.
There are a lot of unexplained items, which I’m sure will be developed over the series, but this builds the interest and suspense (e.g. why did the cult experience a resurgence?).
Character development was excellent. We see them as they grow, or deeply understand why they feel the frustration they do.
What I Didn’t Like:

Some of the “unexplained” items seemed like inventions to move things along. I hope the author has a strong contextual background narrative planned for them over the series.
Overall:

A thoroughly recommended read, good for adults as well as a YA audience. The story has strong elements of suspense, mystery, sleuthing, and even life-after-death themes.

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for giving me a free copy of this book, in return for an honest and objective review.

Confessions of Jonathan Flite by Matthew Beier

(The Jonathan Flite Series Book 1)

Blurb~

“Jonathan Flite claims to have memories he can’t explain. Seven layers of them, to be exact, all belonging to a group of teenagers who disappeared from a place called Idle County in 2010—ten years before his birth. Seventeen years of anxiety, violent outbursts, and refusal to admit he is lying have landed him at Crescent Rehabilitation Center, a seaside juvenile center for rich kids, and nobody has ever dared to believe his memories might be real.

Until now. On a blustery November day just three months after a nuclear terrorist attack in Geneva, Switzerland, ex-CIA psychiatrist Thomas Lumen arrives at Crescent to interview Jonathan for a book about Idle County. Fueled by his personal connection to the disappearances three decades earlier, he asks Jonathan to share what he knows—anything and everything.

By reigniting this thirty-year-old mystery, however, Jonathan inadvertently becomes a target of the very same religious terrorists who attacked Geneva, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Idle County under wraps. Jonathan must then make a choice: to continue telling his story, or risk the safety of everyone he loves.”

Quality of writing: This is well written and engaging. The author uses descriptive language to help the reader vividly imagine scenes and characters.

Pace: The story is well paced. Not too fast or slow. The steadiness of the pace keeps readers from getting bored and skimming.

Plot line: This book is a page turner. Intriguing, and descriptive, the narrative is thought out and unique.

Character Development: I felt the character development was strong. The author again, used detailed, and expressive terms that allowed the reader to get a sense of the characters’ personality and appearance.

Ease of Reading: This story was not difficult to read at all. The story line was easy to follow.

Review

I’m a bit crazy about this book! It was engrossing and made you wonder what would happen next. The story is told through differing timelines with complex characters. It was a fantastic read. I felt the story was structured and captivating. The author’s writing skills are impeccable. I am so excited to read the next in the series. I found myself absorbed in the story. It was very interesting and it felt as if life got in the way of my reading =0) I highly recommend this book. 5/5 stars.



I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Kobo, IG, FB, Pinterest, Litsy, and my own blog.

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide links to all sites as I am using my phone.

There is an unsolved mystery afoot at a small-time community. A group of teenagers at the beginning of the millennium go to the woods, never to be seen again. About three decades later, the misfit son of a rich, separated woman, Jonathan Flite, starts to have scary visions of what might have happened to these young people.
Of course he has to be crazy and eventually his mother, who does not believe in New Age mumbo-jumbo by accepting that such memories may be authentic, has Flite put away. His long-term incarceration is assured after he kills a nurse appointed to look after him.
A nuclear terrorist sets off a suicide bomb in Geneva. Surely the fact that a rich relative of one of the children gone missing is nothing more than a coincidence......
The action henceforth follows the last days of Molly, one of the children who went missing and that of Jonathan's timeline, set in the 2930's. Molly's growing interest in ghosts surely has nothing to do with the brain cancer that will kill her, and what could be the role a mysterious adult visitor to the local library have in her disappearance? Meanwhile, a psychiatrist most interested in Jonathan's memories believes the boy speaks the truth. So do agents of a mysterious agency that would like to see the boy silenced before The Truth Gets Out......
Confessions is planned as part of a series of seven volumes, of which only this and a second has so far been written. This novel can therefore, scarcely be described as a standalone. That means that not all the jigsaws to the puzzle are necessarily answered in this first volume, though a murderer is at least produced, although as yet little in the way of motive is given. That may be a little frustrating for those who do prefer novels that are complete in themselves. It may or may not be a plot hole for example, but whilst the author insists Jonathan is a boy of integrity, it is not really explained why he killed his first carer. But with more instalments planned before the next one already available, it remains to be seen whether or not this series can maintain the interest. The writer knows how to build a sense of suspense and mystery, but keeping up the momentum could yet be a tall order.

This reads more like someones memoirs than an actual story. This book is packed with made up facts about the characters backstory. I got very bored very quickly.

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author, Matthew J Beier, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Confessions of Jonathan Flite in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
When I started reading this book, I did not know what to expect or where it was going to go. As I read the first few pages though, I was hooked. I thought the storyline was well written with engaging characters that keep you intrigued until the very end. I cannot wait to read more in this series.
Definitely well worth a read

I was not prepared for what this book would be really. From the excerpt it was expecting a a story line and maybe a bit flashbacks. I was not expecting a full blown duel story line and flashbacks from there. I admit at times I was frustrated with the jumps. It is just one of my reading preferences, but I understand it is also essential to this story. It was a wonderful story, very engaging, but I felt that I was almost having to go back and reread parts of previous chapters from one era, to its correlation in the next. There are some twists and turns in this book that will rip you apart. Be prepared. I read this via Netgalley for my unbiased opinion. I did go after the books completion, and purchase the second book, because I NEED to know more about this remarkable boy, and the total story. It left me wanting even more than the book gave. 4/5 stars

A lovely read!

The book starts a bit slow but then quickly builds up speed. The story itself is gripping and full of twists and turns!

I hadn't realised this was part of a series,despite being clearly labelled #1.
This left me a bit "what????" at the ending.
However the whole way through,it had me turning pages,creeping out,guessing what came next.
It skipped around different time lines a lot,but each was clearly defined with strong characters that I always knew where I was.
I don't think I've EVER read a book that combines terrorism,murder,psychology,ghosts,cults and serial killers before... and if I had,would have expected it to be a mess.
This does,and it isn't.
I'll be looking for book 2,3,4,5,6 and 7 eagerly if they continue like this.

Jonathan Flite claims to have memories of children who disappeared 10 years before he was even born. This is an interesting, intriguing and compelling tale of past lives, ghost hunting and the unsolved mystery of the 7 missing children.