Caleb O'Toole's legacy
What a rockin' ending to this trilogy
What a rockin' ending to this trilogy
Author: Kimberly Shursen
Publication: December 11, 2015
Pages: 324
ebook
ASIN: B019A1ZRC0
Language: English
Jacket design: Kimberly Shursen
Author photographer: her son Anthony Damrow
"This book was provided by Kimberly Shursen in exchange for my honest review alongside my proffered thank-you for asking."
5 Stars
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| Kimberly Shursen |
Starting her series with Lottery, if I would have ever met that SOB on the street, I'd probably would have helped Detective Maria Alvaraz from the San Francisco Police Department put him away. She on the other hand would go for the death penalty.
Remembering how he staged his own death and got away with those murders living under a fictitious name, just to come back and reek havoc once again in Son of Caleb; Lottery Book 2, I thought he might have been growing a conscience.
I welcome you to Caleb's Lot: Lottery Book 3: The Final Chapter
Kimberly Shursen tells you when you are brought into this world, you have and had no say in the matter in which you arrived. It's not on you man, - it's not on ya. Your hereditary line and all the tendrils that come along to your attachment is who you are my friend. And if you need a hand, there are, especially now-a-days, all kinds of help.
Her characters played you a tale into the madness of Caleb O'Toole and his legacy of continuing this unwanted disease for everyone around. Your heart will break at times and hell, at times you might even being rooting for the bad guy.
Opens up beautifully for me once I read Caleb has cancer. A few pages later, Sam and Teddy are being best friends protecting Ahna, and Zoe Saviano is living comfortably in Altermatt, Switzerland with her cool 2mil. She hadn't legally changed her last name, yet, Bastien sounded appropriate to go along with her story. So she could leave the past in the past. Life has treated her pretty nicely other than her distant wonder 'how life should've/could've been' with her dream guy.
All in all, you try to kick back and enjoy what you have around you. And she did exactly that for the past 20 years. Beautiful scenery all around, gorgeous place to stay, good food to eat listening to your talented son so good on the piano, he could be the next Liberace. She has it all.
Then here we go mom, gotta cut the apron strings and see what kind of job you did here. Your son a YouTube sensation and all, agent Barry comes a knockin' .
Here Kimberly takes you into the heart of the trilogy where the sane run unknowingly with the insane. Family trust and love abundant throughout yet danger within arms reach. Eerie if you come to think about it. Caleb O'Toole has a beautiful relationship with his children, Sammy, Ahna and their half-sister Cassie over the years and I haven't heard much about Jack. Much about Jack later. Hell by now, you've read of a murder.
This YouTube sensation hits the States and the crowd goes wild. Caleb and his kids meet Rayne Bastien for their first time. Caleb with his wealth and suave manages his way into Rayne's life. Well, well, well - Sam and Teddy get a bad vibe. And the pages turn ~
As in an analogy, in this novel Kimberly expertly weaves a family reunion together in the most surprising way no has ever dreamed of in all of any imagination. At a family outing, you might see some new faces and some that seem familiar and those that look like, 'Yeah, I can see my uncle Jack in ya.' With many a family reunion there is always a bit of chaos siblings and relations do and at this particular family reunion your hoping everyone comes out alive. This Lottery series rocked.
Through Chicago's nightlife to snow blizzards in Colorado to San Francisco to good 'ole hot and humid Florida all the way from Switzerland, Kimberly Shursen describes the scenes nicely and Rayne is having a great time jamming at these concerts Barry is putting on. Even falling in love. Oh boy, look out mom.
During that snow blizzard Rayne gets hurt and is now in a coma. Caleb's there with money or ... what ever, all tabs paid. Sam's thinking why you paying so much attention on Rayne Bastien? Sam is his father through and through and believe me you, God be with anyone who might get in his way. He and Teddy are on agenda's that have been proven in the past they work time and time again, so, he will win his father's love back.
Zoe flies in. Tries to be invisible to Caleb. Then the inevitable, and their interactions are superb Ms. Shursen. Great expressions and dialog when they first meet. Or when they meet again I should say. Throughout the rest of the read their characters were just as you would expect from running into old flames. I loved how their love story continued, then not, then,
This trilogy is filled with unexpected turns practically in every chapter. All these chapters run very coherently book by book and constitute a great story with an ending that never ends? The plot blooms right along with the characters. Great plausible scenes filled with eager antici...pation. This is a great read. All three books folks.
I took away that there might have been an understanding from the innocent if there was an opportunity to help, they would have lovingly given it. Right from the start of this series you'll want to get to this third and final... or...?
There is plenty of madness committing these heinous acts of murder and deceiving everyone involved, all according to plan and sometimes you need to add a little lib to your mix. Right Sam? Sam finds out as plans come together, at times you'll hear more voices wanting to put their two-cents in and go with another plan. Well his plan continues.
Caleb's Lot is filled with falling in love, some never stopped loving, some getting mad and upset, making up ;) just to be let down again, murder, mourning for a loved one, anxieties, tensions, satisfied revenge. Every character, including the minor characters are engaging to the other characters as well as the reader. All the while, murders are taking place and that cancer ridden Caleb can't do a damn thing to stop it and finally get everything under control. Hell.
So close. He was so close to putting a smile on what I felt was a 'pardon me for what I have done'. Personally, he couldn't have ever done it. Not without getting help and paying your dues my friend. Your cancer problem Caleb? Ambiguous I am. Yet, let's get you better so you can pay your debt to society.
The story climaxes as Sam and his buddies are about to end the insanity once and for all, the twist is, Sam thinks the insanity for everyone will stop. You could feel Caleb being drained to next to nothing as he watched the bloody scene unfold. Even though that SOB Caleb brought out his empathy and his heartbreak remorse in this book, glad to read Jack Weber did not voice himself loud enough for Caleb to do any real listening.
Then, how ironic that lucky SOB's story ends the way it does, knowing as you feel the softness envelope your eyes you see your legacy will be living on in ever so loving arms. Jack did say, "Karma bites." Ahh, Evilicious.
Ms. Shursen's tale shows the madness of this disease and it is frightening to say the least. Thinking what if - happened in your home? Through the crafted pen I mentioned earlier, Kimberly Shursen describes the madness behind Schizophrenia and the brutal scars it leaves.
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Here's where you can get your fingers on Caleb's Lot: Lottery Book 3: The Final Chapter:
- Amazon ~ Kindle $4.99 ~ Paperback $15.99 USD
- IndieBound ~ Support your local book stores
Caleb’s Lot: The Final Chapter in the series includes Lottery, Book I, and Son of Caleb, Book 2
About the author ~
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| Kimberly Shursen |
After graduating from a private college with a BA in education, Shursen began writing a musical. Five years later she presented the music, book, and lyrics to private investors. The play premiered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and later opened in Sweden.
Eden, Shursen's second full-blown musical was also produced by investors, catching rave reviews.
Knowing her passion had always been to be an author, Ms. Shursen left her position as a marketing director to pursue a full-time career in writing. She has yet to regret the decision.
Shursen's debut novel, political thriller ITSY BITSY SPIDER, was voted one of the top two thrillers of 2013. Legal thriller HUSH was published in January of 2014 and a top pick for Underground Book Reviews.
Kimberly Shursen's psychological thriller series follows the lives of a family caught in the web of a malevolent mental illness that spans over four decades and two generations. LOTTERY, SON OF CALEB, CALEB'S LOT, are available ~ Amazon
Visit Kimberly Shursen
"The absolutely best part of being a writer is meeting interesting people I would never have met if they had not taken a chance on a new writer and picked up my book. I will always and forever be grateful." ~ Kimberly Shursen
