There is too much going on in this book for it to be successful. If there was one plot point out of the many ones to focus on it would be good.

I just felt confused the entire time

This is a bit weird and a lot to take in. A lot of times I started reading but then stopped and decided to read another book. I had to fully concentrate just so I wouldn't stray from the story. Just now, I read the publishers note and well, it kind of made sense. I suppose I should reread this again sometime but with that note in mind.

I thought this book was going to be about one thing mentioned in the very beginning but wasn't mentioned again. The story went all over the place and it fell short.

Okay first thing first. I enjoyed the writing. It had good promise and it fell short. It felt like it had a personality disorder because it couldn't seem to decide what to be. I plodded on hoping and wishing it would sort out but it didn't.. Check it out anyway. Happy reading!

A hero, A President, a scandal, a kidnapping!

I chose this book because the story compared itself to the Lindbergh kidnapping, known as the "Crime of the Century" back in 1932. I am fascinated by that case. This book begins with a scandal. Then we're introduced to Jason Verne, an astronaut who has made the first trip to Mars. He's not really a hero, but more of an arrogant jerk primarily focused on fame and money. He finagles his way into the life of someone equally famous - televangelist Timothy Grayson - and marries his daughter, Jenny. As time passes and secrets are revealed, Verne and his family are thrust into the spotlight in more ways that one - navigating a reluctant Presidential campaign and a scheme of revenge.

The book feels like the author was trying to write an epic Jeffrey Archer saga, but it fell short.

I could not decipher the genre of this story. It will be published in 2020, but it seems to start in 1990 and take us through 2012 and later. However, it sounds like it was written in the 1970s, in a parallel universe where travel to Mars would take only a few months, undertaken by a single astronaut who breaks so many rules en route, and yet somehow passed all of NASA's psychological screening even though he is only in it for money and fame. There are interactive TVs (no, not smart TVs, but TVs where you can use your remote to interact with a live broadcast). Is this sci-fi now? Verne finds martian artifacts on Mars, and there is some discussion about this that goes nowhere. This seems to be a world in which no computers, cell phones or any modern day amenities exist. People have to travel to places and meet face-to-face to find out information. There is reference to a flash drive once and a cell phone once (I think). In the book, Verne has a stint on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2012 - but the real show last aired in 2011. It felt like a few words & sentences were added to an old book to try and make it relatable in 2020.

The characters were all awful, except for one particularly sympathetic man. The rest were bumbling idiots with superficial personalities who did illogical things all the time. At a few points I was wondering if the book was supposed to be a farce, but it is categorized under "Mysteries and Thrillers". Certainly the scene where Jason, Timothy and Jenny meet read like a scene from the Netflix series, "Space Force".

If you're looking for a story with a twist - oooh, boy, this one has a doozy at the end. It made me ask myself again: "what exactly is the genre I'm reading?".

If you're looking for a mystery, this is not one. You always know who is doing what at every moment, and why they're doing it - there is no mystery. If you're looking for a thriller, this is not one. Everyone is either an idiot or boring, but no characters are exciting or capable and there is nothing in the story to make you gasp and read past your bedtime. The whole Lindbergh angle felt forced.

I wish the author had really written in some mystery, instead of taking the reader by the hand and leading them from point A to B to C etc. There is no fun in that. And I wish the characters were relatable, fully fleshed out and had brains they used! If the author thinks his readers are so unintelligent that they would believe any of the story could be real enough to elicit any feelings, that is insulting. Especially when the author himself compares this book to a real historical mystery.

Thanks to the publisher, CamCat Books and Netgalley for this ARC.