Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Monday, December 10, 2012

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GRACE by Vincent Zandri/ PICT VBTour

 Guest Post:  Welcome Vincent Zandri

How to Keep it Fresh
By Vincent Zandri

Keeping my writing fresh isn’t all that hard. I could take the easy way out with my novels and more or less write the same story every time with new characters and a new slightly different plotline. But instead I go for the more high concept story that is usually already available to me in the form of reality.
For instance:
The Innocent is based on the true life story of a real cop killer who escaped from Green Haven Maximum Security Prison way back in the early 1980s.

The Remains is inspired by the real life autistic savant and painter, Francis Scaramuzzi, who also worked as a janitor at my high school.

The Concrete Pearl is based on a real asbestos scam that hit New York State about ten years ago and reeked some real havoc within the commercial construction industry.

Murder By Moonlight, which is to be released on December 18th by Thomas & Mercer, is entirely based on the true story of Christopher Porco, the “perfect” college kid who broke into his parent’s suburban home one late night and proceeded to bash their brains in with a fireman’s axe while they slept.

And I suppose The Disappearance of Grace is based on a highly conceptual storyline of a man who, having fought in the most recent wars, is now suffering from a Post Traumatic Stress to the extent that he undergoes bouts of temporary blindness. 

In the end, keeping my writing fresh is a creative process in which I borrow something from real life and then twist it, turn it, and shape into something that’s highly conceptual and just a little bit different from the usual thriller/suspense novel. I hope I’ve been doing a good job of it.
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

  Thank you so much for joining us Vincent!


 Synopsis--271 pages


Now you see her. Now you don’t...

Captain Nick Angel has finally made a separate peace with the war in Afghanistan. Since having been ordered to bomb a Tajik village which resulted in the death of a little boy of no more than two, he’s been suffering from temporary bouts of blindness. Knowing the he needs time to rest and recover from his post traumatic stress, the US Army decides to send him to Venice along with his fiancee, the artist, Grace Blunt. Together they try and recapture their former life together. But when Grace suddenly goes missing, Nick not only finds himself suddenly alone and sightless in the ancient city of water, but also the number one suspect in her disappearance.

A novel that projects Hitchcockian suspense onto a backdrop of love and war, The Disappearance of Grace is a rich, literary thriller of fear, loss, love, and revenge. From the war in the Afghan mountains to the canals of romantic Venice, this is a story that proves 20/20 eyesight might not always be so perfect and seeing is not always believing.



My Review: 

I am quietly reflecting the book I have just completed.  I'm not sure what I want to share with my Peeps and fellow readers.  I can tell you this story is gripping and so very hard to put down once you start it.   At least it was for me.   There are eighty two chapters, but most are short and fast.  The tale is told in first person narrative from the perspective of Captain Nick Angel.

He's survived the fight in Afghanistan with the exception of one night, when he ordered a strike against an Afghan village.   That night mars his survival and causes a temporary PTSD blindness that comes and goes, not always at the most opportune times.   He and his fiancee', Grace Blunt, are spending a month in Venice Italy to assist in his recovery.  But their time in Venice is filled with anything but rest and relaxation.   Grace Blunt becomes his eyes when they arrive, but she also notices a man in an overcoat who seems to be following them, or at the very least, he is everywhere they are.   His constant staring at the couple and Grace in particular is very unsettling and in a moment's time,  Grace vanishes into thin air.

This book is truly haunting and will stay with you long after you have closed the covers.  I love a good thriller/ suspense novel and The Disappearance of Grace fulfilled every need I had in a novel of that nature.  If you love suspense , if you love a thriller, and a well written and thought out book, You MUST read The Disappearance of Grace  .
It was an amazing read!


AUTHOR BIO:

Vincent Zandri is the No. 1 International Bestselling Amazon author of THE INNOCENT, GODCHILD, THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT FALLS, CONCRETE PEARL, MOONLIGHT RISES, SCREAM CATCHER, BLUE MOONLIGHT and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT. He is also the author of the Amazon bestselling digital shorts, PATHOLOGICAL, TRUE STORIES and MOONLIGHT MAFIA. Harlan Coben has described THE INNOCENT (formerly As Catch Can) as "...gritty, fast-paced, lyrical and haunting," while the New York Post called it "Sensational...Masterful...Brilliant!" Zandri's list of publishers include Delacorte, Dell, StoneHouse Ink, StoneGate Ink and Thomas & Mercer. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, Zandri's work is translated into many languages including the Dutch, Russian, and Japanese. An adventurer, foreign correspondent, and freelance photo-journalist for RT, Globalspec, IBTimes and more, he lives in Albany, New York. For more go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM







Every eBook received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours. 


4 comments:

Apron and Creme said...

Nice blog!:)

http://apronandcreme.blogspot.com/

CMash said...

Superb review and post. Great job! Thank you!

Gina @ Hott Books said...

Terrific recommendation!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I like all his titles are based on real life stories. I think this would lend a nice note of realism to all the books. Thanks for calling these to my attention, Beth.