Deadly Eyes by Mike Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

I was intrigued by a story having two endings, so I thought I would give this book a try.

James Cuffy (or Cuff to his friends and acquaintances) is a normal man, living on a beautiful island. But even he has skeletons in his closet! I liked his character very much. He is somewhat naive and confused, when he is thrown into a mystery. Who is stalking him, and why? I loved his attempts at amateur sleuthing.

Rosie is a very strong character, both physically and figuratively. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side! She is an Amazon, but even she is at a loss as to why Cuff is being targeted.

I love a good suspense/mystery, so I was looking forward to reading this book. The author has done a remarkable job in bringing the island and the people alive in this story. The descriptions were vivid enough that I could almost "feel" the wind, and "hear" the sea. The story has many twists and turns that keep the mystery and suspense almost palpable. However, I guessed correctly as to who the "Deadly Eyes" stalker was, way before the actual person was revealed. What struck me was that James Cuffy (who's skeletons were rattling rather loudly in his cupboard), was completely clueless! As were the police! I actually felt sorry for James Cuffy, as he was being hunted on both sides, but also a bit disappointed in him too!
As this book has two endings, I decided to read both, to get an alternative comparison. The first ending was relatively normal, but I still had issues with the police and their "man hunt" investigation. The second ending was much darker and a lot longer. I think that I prefer the first ending, as the second ending still didn't satisfy the injustice I felt with regards to the police and their investigative procedures! It was sloppy and incompetent in my opinion! If I had police investigating me (although they wouldn't find anything!), I would want them to look harder and see past the easy evidence!

Michael Meyer has written a fast paced read that had me on the edge of my seat! I would have loved to have given this book a higher score, but feel that the author could have utilised the second ending a little bit differently. I am not sure what he was trying to do, but I found it to be slightly unbelievable and far fetched. If true, it would be downright terrifying!

I recommend this book if you love thrillers, mystery or suspense novels. - Lynn Worton

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