Review: A rollercoaster ride!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2014
Mendy Hopkins’ ‘Utopian Hell’ is provocative, gritty, and deeply entertaining—the author succeeds well in crafting an unforgettable tale around a “scourge” that even now remains without a clear cure: AIDS. But make no mistake: this book exquisitely written, and will keep you turning the pages for more. Here are the reasons why.As you know, people regarded AIDS in the 1980s as a “disease of gay persons,” what with the many high-profile deaths of gay celebrities. Nine years ago I saw Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ and that was when I realized the scope and depth of the social implications arising from the disease, striking at the “heartland” of an otherwise vibrant gay lifestyle. But this book, ‘Utopian Hell,’ gives the other side of the story: young women contracting the disease at such an inexplicable rate that it’s only a matter of time until someone clever figures it out.In this picture enters the sultry female detective Sandy Sommers, whose mission is to find out whether there is credence behind the allegation that some shadowy figure is infecting young women. Normally competent and laser-focused, Sandy somewhat struggles between maintain her lovelife with fiancé Brad and finding the truth—and as you read and as the story ascends toward its gripping conclusion, you can’t help but ask the same questions Sandy is asking: can she solve the case without putting her love and her life on the line?‘Utopian Hell’ is a deeply satisfying read, a romance that excites us on many levels. It slakes our thirst for mystery, and also for romance—author Mendy Hopkins kills these many birds with one stone, so to speak. A must-read, this book will stay with you days after reading it. Get a copy—highly recommended!