Review: DiSemblance

DiSemblance
Shanae Branham
Publisher:  CreateSpace (8.20.12)

Jason Tanner’s life has always been different from the ordinary citizen’s. It started when he was an infant and his parents were only teenagers. A computer science prodigy, Lloyd attended MIT but left a pariah in the eyes of the school’s dean—but a computer physics genius in the eyes of his primary investor. Then his theories and ideas created a holographic machine and their world shrunk as contact with the outside world became less and less frequent. A computer prodigy now himself, Jason is about to learn that the world never waits for you if you have the ability to change it: it will come for you.

Detective Bruce Durante has been handed the case of the Comfort Killer, a serial killer so named because he appears to abduct terminally ill patients before returning their corpses to their families in refrigerated coffins. When he picks up the trail, it leads straight to the home of Lloyd Tanner.

Jason has been living life through the world of Lloyd’s invention and wishing he could carry on a relationship with Boston, the beautiful girl next door. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, he is brought back to reality in a hurry. He is forced to destroy all of the planted evidence—and finds he is being targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. But the secrets of his father’s invention run deep and Jason, his brother Isaac,Boston, the Comfort Killer, and Detective Durante hurtle towards one another on a deadly collision course that leaves everyone’s life hanging in the balance.

  

 My Review

I sheepishly admit that DiSemblance was my first encounter with a techo-thriller.  I have to admit it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat!  Employing an intricate plot with an equally intricate storyline DiSemblance isn't lacking for depth or suspense.

We start by getting to know Jason Tanner and his life with a computer genuis of a father and his defiant younger brother Isaac.  A computer prodigy in his early years, his father created a hologram machine that allows its users to embed themselves into whatever their minds can conceive.  Pretty cool right?! But this machine comes at a price...they've sacrificed their personal lives to seclusion in fear that someone will steal the machine...or so we think. Along the way Jason meets Boston (such a cool name!) and young love ensues, but also puts her in danger as well.  Jump forward a few chapters and now Jason, Isaac and Boston are on the run from the police.  Jason's father was framed for murder and mistakenly deemed as some sympathetic serial killer, the twist in this situation is that his dad is dead, gunned down by the police.   But the kids are on the run because they had to blow up their childhood home in order to keep the hologram machine safe.  I know, it's so involved already and it's just started! Anyway, it's all about the hologram machine and the lengths people will go to to preserve a memory.

Although there was a lot going on-with more than a couple plot twists and a handful of characters-it wasn't at all hard to follow. It was suspenseful, intriguing and kinda sad.  I wished the author would have written "in character" telling the story from Jason's POV rather than "watching" it happen.  It seemed a bit flat and dry at times.  Other than that it was a good read. If you enjoy sci-fi, thrillers, or suspense you will enjoy reading this book.

Bookshelf Rating:

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I am a professional writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer’s Expo.

I love suspense thrillers and am a master at plot and character development. I enjoy stories with happy endings. I promise all my readers that when they put one of my books down or walk away from one of my movies, they will be enthused with excitement and joy. This does not mean there will not be some sad parts, because you have to feel the bitter in order to understand the sweet.