Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Long Way Home, The Homelanders Book Two by Andrew Klavan



The Long Way Home
 The Homelanders Book Two
Written by Andrew Klavan
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers
 ISBN:  978-1-59554-713-2

I am a proud reviewer for the newly titled BookSneeze.com.  Thomas Nelson Publishers has graciously provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.

Book Two begins where Book One (The Last Thing I Remember) ends.  Charlie West is a typical eighteen year old who loves God, his friends, his family,  karate, and is interested in a girl named Beth.  He has awakened to discover that not only has he lost an entire year of his life, he is a convicted killer (of his best friend), a prison escapee, and has escaped terrorists who want him dead.  In Book One, Charlie grapples with who he is and what has he done, or not done.  Book Two helps the reader with more pieces of the puzzle.  Both Charlie and the reader get answers, and more questions.

It begins with a struggle with a vicious assassin in a public library, and a subsequent escape from a group of thugs.  Charlie then escapes an exciting police chase and forms a plan to return to his hometown for answers.  He forms a plan to hide out in an abandoned house thought to be haunted.  It is here where his friends come to his aid.  They want to help him learn the truth, who really killed his friend Alex.  I enjoyed the dialogue between Charlie, Josh, Rick, Miler, and Beth.  They supply him with what he needs to survive as well as gift him with their loyalty and support.  Charlie also discovers that he and Beth were involved romantically and have a strong romantic connection.  Little by little, pieces of the puzzle are revealed in this book.  His friends help him to fill in the blanks in his memory.  They also do a little investigating for him and try to keep him safe.  I enjoyed the chapter with Josh's investigation, but I won't reveal anything more! :)

In his quest for the truth, Charlie encounters his mentor and karate instructor, Sensei Mike.  He had learned that Alex was supposed to have met up with Mike the evening he was murdered.  He wanted answers, and wasn't sure if he could trust his sensei.  After an action-packed scene, he has his answer, and much more.

By the end of the book Charlie has still not regained his memory, but he has a stronger sense of who he is and who his true friends are.  He also has more pieces of the puzzle.  But, like the ending of Book One, Book Two ends with a struggle, and Charlie once more on the run.  I look forward to reading Book Three, The Truth of the Matter, due for release in November 2010.

I bought the first book, The Last Thing I Remember, not realizing that it was categorized under Juvenile Fiction.  My teenage daughter surprised me by reading it in one afternoon.  She is not usually a reader, much less a fast reader.  She cannot wait to read Book Two.  Okay, Paige, your wait is over.









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