Book Review: R.A.C.E. by Mobashar Qureshi

Title: R.A.C.E.
Author: Mobashar Qureshi
Publisher: CreateSpace
ASIN: B004HO5XL6
Release Date: 01/01/2011
















RACE (Radical Association of Criminal Ethnicities) is a dangerous and violent group on the verge of creating an illegal drug.


Parking Officer Jon Rupret wants desperately to move up from handing out parking tickets. An impulsive act from his past throws him into Operation Anti-RACE—a unit set up to stop RACE. He is partnered with veteran detective, Phillip Beadsworth, a mild mannered Brit who doesn't much like Rupret and knows more than he reveals.


Along the way Rupret encounters Mahmud Hanif, a qualified engineer, who drives a taxi to pay his bills; DJ Krash, the second best disc-jockey in the world; Cal Murray, the owner of the House of Jam, the hottest club in Toronto; and of course, his mother, a grade school teacher in Guelph, who thinks Rupret is a financial advisor working on Bay street.


RACE is a compelling mystery and a humorous look at Toronto through Jon Rupret’s eyes.


I had to kind of mull this book over in my mind for a while before writing this review because overall, this wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't a great one, a novel to end all novels.


The author has an easy style of writing to him that really suited Rupret's narrative. I found the main character to be a fairly easygoing person that I could connect with at the beginning. I saw him as a sort of bumbling Seth Rogen kind of character that was occasionally endearing. I have to admit, his initial antics at the beginning couldn't help but make me smile & draw me in.


Unfortunately that pace just wasn't ultimately kept up here. The general story idea is a good one & the author does his best to keep us interested, but I just felt like it took a while to get where it was trying to go. I really wish that certain things (such as details about the leader of the operation, Zee) were more spaced out in the book. I was a bit surprised about the twist at the ending, but I couldn't help but feel like it was just a teensy bit overly complicated. It came across as something that would work better if it was more spaced out or had a little more development earlier in the story.



I'm aware that this was the author's first novel & that comes through in this book, so I'm optimistic that further novels will be a little less green than this one was.

Final diagnosis: It's not a bad book but it just felt a little unfinished at times. Since it's only $2.99 on the kindle, I'd recommend it as a purchase for a breezy weekend or holiday/vacation read.



(Reader copy provided by author)

Book Review: The Numbers Man by Pat Muir

Title: The Numbers Man
Author: Pat Muir
Publisher: PMBook
Release Date: 09/01/2010
ISBN: 0967606012









Normally I wouldn't start a blog off like this, but I do have to give a bit of sad news. Despite the cover art stating that it is available for the Kindle, this book isn't currently available on it. Nor am I aware as to where you can go to purchase a copy- & you will want to purchase a copy because this is one of the cuter books I've read this year. After all, it has the following exchange:

"Do you stay in touch with your ex?"

"I try to be friendly by sending her a box of chocolates on her birthday and she reciprocates by sending me a fruitcake on mine. I suspect symbolism in that gift."

I'm currently asking the publisher if there's going to be further printings or if it will be made available in any other format- this really is worth reading. Anyway, on with the review!

The Numbers Man follows Pat, a sixty-three year old ex-geophysicist turned apartment complex owner that just wants to settle down with the right woman & decides to try internet dating. He figures that statistically speaking, the more women he dates the more likely it'll be that he finds Miss Right. Unfortunately for him, he's only able to remember the women he's dated by numbers- something that's understandable when the amount of your internet dates have risen up into the 40s & 50s. While he tries to find that one great woman Pat is also trying to drum up sales for his latest book, The Single Man's Guide to a Quick Meal. When he clashes with a TV chef over one of the suggestions in his book (date a woman who knows how to cook), his agent & her TV staff smell the chance to not only boost his sales but also her ratings. But as Pat's dating life gets more complicated & he keeps getting hit on by the wife of one of his employees, Pat's going to figure out how to get himself out of this mess before someone gets hurt.

There really was a lot to like about this book. While Pat does come off a little old school, Muir manages to make the character likable & endearing. Readers will also enjoy the back & forths between Joyce & Pat, one of the more entertaining points of the book. Also incredibly interesting is when the reader begins to discover that the book is more than just fiction- it also seems to be partially based on the author's own experiences in life, something Muir delights in poking fun at several times during the book.

The only drawback to the book (other than not knowing where to find a copy) is that towards the end everything does seem to try to wrap up a little more quickly than I would have liked. While I'm not going to divulge details, I would have liked for a little more detail to the last 10 pages or so.

All in all, this was a cute book to read & I managed to finish reading it in the span of a day. Readers looking for a hugely meaty read won't find that in this particular book, but why should every book be some weighty 500 page tome? When I find out where future copies of this book will be sold, I highly recommend that you give this book a try. (As soon as I discover those details, I promise to update everyone!)

In the meantime, the author does appear to have a previous book entitled "Stories to Entertain You... If you get Bored on Your Wedding Night". I can't vouch for how good it is, but I will mention that the author mentions it several times within the book as something that his character has also written.

(Reader copy provided by PMBook)