Review: Rock Me, Amadeus!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 11, 2009
Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 StarsFirst, I would like to mention that this is an extremely long novel. However, unlike many of the Indie novels that are very long, I did not find this one in need of much `cutting'. Sure, there were a few superfluous scenes that did not necessarily forward the plot. There were very few, though, and the author still managed to make them intriguing enough to hold interest.This epic tale opens with a spooky, confusing prologue. Next up is a scene from the viewpoint of Detective Derek, who is trying to solve the murder of a young girl. The rest of the novel is from the viewpoint of Elisse, an expert on Mozart, who has been inadvertently drawn into the investigation by the Detective. He contacts her regarding a letter found on the murder victim's body. What's so special about the letter? It's clearly new, yet signed by Wolfgang Mozart.The book strikes a flawless note with Elisse and her knowledge tempered by innate suspicion. Her investigation, while amateur at best, is the perfect vehicle for introducing William Masters, a man who believes he is Mozart.Elisse and Masters make a harmonic couple with chemistry aplenty. Edward, Masters' psychiatrist, is an interesting foil for a love triangle.Throughout several climactic scenes, the reader will find that no one is as they appear.There are multiple escapes along with requisite recaptures, both of which are done with edge-of-your-seat action. Never does the author stray into the realm of the fantastic to save his heroes and heroine. The action is compelling and logical.While some technological and scientific information regarding time travel is the backbone of this work, the author manages to keep the explanations to a bare minimum. This maintains the flow of relaxed reading for which this novel excels.There was one scene I questioned: Our intrepid heroes go to an ATM machine at an airport and not only manage to withdraw $4,000 in cash, but also transfer over $400,000 to another account overseas. To my knowledge, that is stretching the bound of ATM machine usage a bit far.I did find the "evil one" (using this term to avoid spoilers) to be a bit overdone with the `powers' bestowed on them. There was a statement made in an attempt to explain this, but nothing further was revealed.The ending was truly satisfying, while still leaving room for a sequel, that I can't help but hope is forthcoming.Character Development: 5 StarsElisse is a deep and interesting character. I truly enjoyed the telling of the story from her viewpoint. At times, it was a bit difficult to discern her motivations when it came to the romance with Mr. Masters; however, I eventually understood her feelings through her conversations with others and with William.William Masters is the star of this work. Amazingly, the author manages to keep him in character at all times, with no discernible mistakes. He is humorous, outrageous, interesting, and imminently loveable. His reactions to things of his new century are spot-on!This novel includes an eclectic cast of side characters. All of them are unique and well defined.Writing Style: 5 StarsMr. Carroll's prose will keep you engrossed in this novel. The flow of his sentences makes for easy, yet intelligent, reading. He provides detailed descriptions when needed, without wasting words on unimportant scenery.The dialogues are realistic and in character for every conversation. You can truly hear the voices of every person in the novel. You may very well be hearing them long after you finish reading.Editing/Formatting: 4 1/2 StarsThe formatting was of professional quality.I find it very hard to rate the editing of this work. The novel is exceptionally long, so I am taking into account the `percentage' of errors. There were quite a few issues, mostly with missing words, which were nonetheless easy to fill in from sentence context. One of the oddest issues was the word `coincident' replacing `coincidence' in every instance.However, with the length of this novel, I would have to say the percentage of errors was low enough to not spoil the reading experience.Rating: PG-13 for Light Violence and Sexual Innuendo