Four men, blessed with immense wealth, will face the challenge of escaping their predictable lives. Theyâve transitioned their game playing to a captivating âwho did itâ mystery.
Unknowing foes come and go from the game. Some will not survive. But the ones who do will add their own set of rules. Whose lives change in the name of boredom, revenge, and justice?
Training a new detective while fighting his own demons, Ray Rix straddles both sides of the law. Can he end the killings? Does he even care?
Who in the group fights through their Challenging Karma to begin anew? Which choice does Ray make?
Four men, blessed with immense wealth, will face the challenge of escaping their predictable lives. Theyâve transitioned their game playing to a captivating âwho did itâ mystery.
Unknowing foes come and go from the game. Some will not survive. But the ones who do will add their own set of rules. Whose lives change in the name of boredom, revenge, and justice?
Training a new detective while fighting his own demons, Ray Rix straddles both sides of the law. Can he end the killings? Does he even care?
Who in the group fights through their Challenging Karma to begin anew? Which choice does Ray make?
âJJ, I didnât come to visit, only to witness you travelling solo through the galaxy. I wonder where those pearly whites Iâm accustomed to have hidden?â Anna points toward her own smile, forcing a mirrored grin.
Again, a full diaphragm sigh starts as JJ says, âAnna, I want to share a scary story. But I canât unless I have an idea how youâll react.â
âSo sad for such a beautiful woman. You can tell me anything your precious little heart desires. Besides, youâll always be a hero to me.â Anna adjusts to the chair edge for comfort while soft hands trap JJâs.
Although JJ is older, she and Anna are sisters who should have been born within minutes of one another. Twins arriving three years apart, they share everything. The Shore siblings, ironically, lost both parents offshore when the sailboat they were in sank. A Pacific Ocean rogue wave sent them to the bottom before the occupants knew what happened.
The main distinguishing trait between the sisters, JJ loves a magnificent piece of marinated flesh or a burger that requires a handful of napkins. While growing up, Anna refused to sit at the same table as anyone eating meat. Since the deaths of their parents, Anna has accepted the circle of life and ignores the cheek full moans from her sister.
They come as a package of two; each having built brick walls, reinforced with steel plates. Strangers trying to connect with one must dismantle both sistersâ barriers. Today, their individual constructions will get tested.
âAlright, but I havenât been this scared since Dadâs coma.â Eyes drip, while a slight heaving bounces the flow of tears. A slide gives JJ a view of storm clouds as they rally for attack.
âAgain, with the dramatics. Itâs okay, JJ. Calm, deep breaths, then start with the little things? Besides, he died years ago. And you remember his favorite quote, right?â
Sniffles continue with uneven breaths. Tissues act as thirsty dogs playing in water while soaking up fluids. âI know; twenty seconds of courage is all it takes to change the world.â
A glance at an imaginary watch draws smiles as Anna says, âTell me anything. Iâm here to help you get through whatever bothers you.â
Deep, pulsed breaths consume the twenty seconds. Then JJ whispers, âHmmâI need your help to get revenge for a secret Iâve been keeping.â
Clouds rumble with periodic cracks in the aftermath of JJâs admission. The skies are ready to let loose what they hold back, as the secret-baring sister comes clean.
Challenging karma is a story about four bored and lonely men who carry out a hideous game, the people they wound, and the consequences of their actions. Itâs a detective story that involves putting the pieces together with pieces from the street to make sense of hints shared in cryptic letters.Â
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This is a powerful story that makes sense of the gritty madness of crime, devastation, and what it really means to be a detective. Instead of using his intellect to catch a criminal, Detective Rix and his team are both impacted and baffled. They want results but often face dead ends.Â
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I appreciated that the perpetrators in this book were not shown to be particularly powerful or intriguing. So many stories explore the psyche of the perpetrators, showing them as troubled or complex beings who are driven by mad but unconscious dynamics, showing the perpetrators as in need of understanding rather than the victims of their crimes. In this book, the perpetrators are shallow and unpleasant men who are not worth too much time or consideration. They are lazy and unpleasant people who donât have wit or charisma. While they overpower and abuse others, they end up being overpowered themselves.Â
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This is a book about luck rather than wit, about people who suffer from crime, the shallowness of the people who commit crime, and the rage and helplessness that crime creates in communities. Itâs also about the panic the media can create and the need to ensure that terrible events are handled with sensitivity.Â
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This is a gritty and troubling book that is so worth reading. It doesnât really give insight into the perpetrators of serial crime, and in this sense, it looks at opportunity and power rather than the flaws of the women who raised them, like much of the psychological knowledge shared about killers.Â
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I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a riveting read that is hard to put down.Â