Review: "The Tone Poet" by Mark Rickert

Synopsis:

When a family car accident leaves six-year-old Cameron Blake for dead, his body in engulfed by a light that sings extraordinary music. Once his heart beats again, the music fades and is gone. This is astral music, and it haunts Cameron for the rest of his life. As an adult, Cameron is a renowned composer, but he feels unsatisfied. He's spent his life trying to recapture those astral tones he heard at death's doorstep. Unable to grasp the elusive music, his latest commission has left him burned out and disillusioned. He meets Maestro Leonin Bloom who has the lofty aspirations to perform the musical expression of the creative universe and he needs Cameron's help. Cameron travels to Holloway where Bloom keeps his orchestra and a private concert hall. But something is unwittingly off in the small mountain town. A woman is missing, the nights are haunted by strange music, and Cameron is drawn into darkness rather than enlightenment.

*(summary courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review:

 

I knew this book was going to be something special based on the synopsis.  I was hooked from the first sentence, like an audience member hearing the first note in a song.  The story itself is likened to a riveting performance.

This is a multi-POV book and is really well done, I might add.  Sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired, (like a real connection to each character), but the author, Mark Rickert, executed it flawlessly. The characters were so amazingly written, that  I felt like I knew each character and encountered their experiences.

 

The writing was, unsurprisingly, nothing short of spectacular.  The imagery was very vivid, that I was left enthralled after the jaw-dropping first chapter.  Every moment and scene are like musical notes that lead you into the crescendo of the story, reminding the reader that there is no room for happily-ever-afters in this world.

Favorite Quotes:

 

"I mean, I'm not a religious guy, but if I were, I'd think we were fucking with things we shouldn't be fucking with." - Cameron

"We may both be Tone Poets, but we are not of the same keel. You heard Heaven; I heard Hell. That makes us different in my book." - Kalek

Expected publication: October 29th 2014 by Boutique of Quality Books

 

Rating: 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔

Recommend?    I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys mystery and

                             suspense with a dash of supernatural.

(ARC courtesy of Net Galley and BQB Publishing in exchange for an honest review)