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Speculation

by Edmund Jorgensen

genre: mystery

The highest complement I can pay any form of entertainment is that it is more captivating than SIMS.  Speculation is more captivating than SIMS.  I guess you have to know me in order to understand the magnitude of that statement, so the short version is that when I play SIMS, I keep track of their personality numbers, their physical traits, their aspirations, skills, and finances in multiple Excel sheets to discover which Townies have dyed their hair, which SIMS will progress rapidly through their chosen careers and who to breed should I ever desire to create the ultimate SIM.  Some people have drugs, I have SIMS.  Speculation is more captivating than SIMS.

Synopsis

What, besides even more money, is worth giving up ten million dollars?  That is the question that faces Andrew when his friend dies and leaves him a stipulation in the will.  He can either have 10 million dollars, or he can have a sealed envelope.  If he chooses the money, the envelope will be destroyed; if he chooses the envelope, the money will be divided up between several charities.  Andrew wants time to think, to go through the three boxes of random paperwork from his friend’s death, the only clues he’s given as to the contents of the envelope, but Andrew’s wife is a little less understanding.  After all, Andrew’s friend died of a brain tumor and he liked to play games, sometimes at Andrew’s expense.  Who is not to say this is an elaborate joke and the envelope contains nothing of value.  She wants him to take the money, but days turn into weeks and Andrew has yet to make a decision.

Review

Loved it, but it’s not going to be for everyone.  This is not the fast paced mystery of Janet Evanovich with guns and cars blowing up, it’s slower, character and dialogue driven.  If you liked The Booth at the End on Hulu, you’ll like Speculation.  I’ll admit, I had my doubts during the first half.  I like background information and getting to know the characters, sometimes more than the plot, but even I was starting to wonder if all of the background in the first half was needed.  All was forgiven the very next chapter when all I could think was “wow, didn’t see that coming.”

After that, the rest of the book is almost entirely dialogue driven.  I’m struggling to find a way to write more without giving away any of the facets of the novel that it’s best you discover yourself, so for now I’ll just have to leave you with, it’s amazing and both what I expected and not what I expected wrapped up into a neat little book.  I’ve tried to explain that to my satisfaction earlier in the review, got nowhere with it, so I leave you with this.

5 out of 5 stars.

amazonbutton2 copy-Eliabeth Hawthorne

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes:

Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Speculation? Well, there are two ways to enter…

  1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Speculation tour page.
  2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I’ve posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.

About the author: Edmund Jorgensen was born in Chicago. He studied classical languages and has maintained a love for all things Greek and Roman. He fell in love with his wife in Mexico; they now reside, happily but considerably more chilly, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Edmund is currently hard at work on his second book, a set of interconnected short stories. Connect with Edmund on his website, Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads.

Get Speculation on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

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