Review: Sam's the Man
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2012
The Private Lie is very well written. The dialogue is superbly done, easy to follow, and believable. I love Sam's dry wit. The plot is quite good without any annoying slow spots. The surroundings, people, situations, etc. are well described and easy to visualize without being overly wordy or drawn out.As for the characters, Sam is awesome. I really truly like him. He struggles with relationships. He's tough, smart, resourceful, and believable. He screws up, makes mistakes, and wriggles his way out. I did like Dan as well. In respect to Laura, I'm not quite sure why she's in the books. She is Sam's love interest, but for the most part, she's absent. There's not much interaction between the two of them and when there is, it's seems to be mostly quibbling, condescending comments, and criticism. I think the books would be just fine without her unless she became more involved somehow with she and Sam being more of a team. The remaining characters were well drawn and moved the story along.There was coarse language and violence. There was no sexual content (thank you, Mr. Dixon). I would allow older children to read this, perhaps 16 and up, but I do recommend parents read it first as some may disagree.The Private Lie is the second Sam Dyke installment. The first is called Altered Life. I suggest they be read in order if possible.I do recommend both of Keith Dixon's Sam Dyke novels. I'm looking forward to the next installment.