It’s weird how I ended up reading this totally obscure novel. Not sure if it was recommended to me by Amazon or Goodreads, but I’m supposing it has soIt’s weird how I ended up reading this totally obscure novel. Not sure if it was recommended to me by Amazon or Goodreads, but I’m supposing it has something to do with the fact that I love chess.
Anyway… of course I’m going to order an indie novel touted as a thriller involving chess - one in which a former CIA agent is checked into a supposed upscale assisted living facility by his family, only to find out that it exists for far more sinister purposes - thus:
”A violent game of human chess plays out. A roller coaster of intrigue and revelations leads to one truth: there can be no stalemate or surrender in this contest. It will only end in checkmate.”
Not sure why the book wasn’t named “checkmate” given the above description, but at any rate, “check” is a more suitable analogy for the story’s perpetual limbo.
People can check one another left and right and the game doesn’t end; furthermore, a threefold draw can be called if both players check one another the exact same way in six consecutive moves (three moves apiece).
So basically, the title either fits perfectly with the book if you enjoyed it, but is a bit ironic if you didn’t.
I understand that the author wrote this book for fun and that his main income derives from practicing medicine, so I’m willing to be a bit more lenient. Gotta admire the determination and dedication.
However, it really wasn’t all that suspenseful to me. I really loved the premise about an old man who appears to be senile and confused but is really a clever badass, going up against a company who appears to have good intentions but indeed does not. I really think it could have been extremely exciting with a lot of twists, but I came away rather disappointed.
It mostly just consisted of the former spy making observations about the facility and the staff and residents catching on that perhaps he may not be as harmless or as most as he appears. It uses a lot of chess analogies in reference to winning against an opponent (whether it’s the CIA or the “nursing home”) but none of them really stood out as clever to me.
A lot of build up for a rather tame showdown, with most of the sinister motives revealed long before the end. I just didn’t feel much heightened suspense at any time, nor were there any true twists/surprises, and no real explanation for motive. Check failed to deliver what it promised, therefore, I cannot recommend this book.
(I feel this way about a lot of self-published novels… without the backing of a major publishing house, the end result of a book will very rarely match what the author had in mind.)...more
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