Recommend Me is a weekly event hosted by Kate at The Neverending Shelf. It's a chance to highlight your favorite reads. It could be a book you just read or one you read years ago
Published: 1973
Genre: Adventure, Action, mystery
ISBN: 9780440917403
Age Level 12-17
I read Death Watch by Robb White several years ago and still recommend it to my students because it had such a huge impact on me. While this is not usually a genre I am immediately drawn to I do enjoy suspense novels, which White’s book most definitely is. I have to admit that I found this book impossible to put down and that it left me thinking long after I had read the last paragraph.
White spends very little time on his exposition. Within the first forty pages, he introduces the two main characters, the setting, and the problem, and the problem was so totally unexpected that once revealed I was hooked. Ben, the protagonist is guiding a big city hunter named Madec through the desert. Madec is after bighorn sheep. The problem occurs when Madec shoots at what he believes is a sheep. Unfortunately, the sheep turns out to be an old man. While this, in and of itself was unexpected, the truly surprising event occurs after the two main characters realize the man’s dead. Instead of going back to town and telling the police about the accident, Madec shoots the man again with Ben’s rifle, takes Ben’s clothes, gun, and water then drives away in his jeep. Horrible as this all sounds, it doesn’t stop there. Madec wants to insure Ben’s dies, so Madec using the sight of high powered .358 Magnum Maser, proceeds to watch Ben to make sure he doesn’t manage to survive. Pretty amazing for the first 40 pages!
I have to admit that this book kept me riveted to the page. White did a terrific job describing the California desert setting, which of course was extremely important to the plot. He also did an awesome job at characterization. Both Ben and Madec were completely well rounded and dynamic in their opposition of and to each other. Madec was easy to hate as the antagonist. However, I have to admit that I while I was horrified that a person could be so evil, I also found myself feeling a sense of awe at the man’s intelligence. But it was Ben’s smarts that I really revered. His survival depended on being able to outsmart Madec. While as an ardent reader I naturally assumed that Ben would win, White's ending was as unexpected as his beginning.
So, if you think you might like a fast paced book with lots of surprises and loads of suspense, then I can guarantee Death Watch will not disappoint.
White spends very little time on his exposition. Within the first forty pages, he introduces the two main characters, the setting, and the problem, and the problem was so totally unexpected that once revealed I was hooked. Ben, the protagonist is guiding a big city hunter named Madec through the desert. Madec is after bighorn sheep. The problem occurs when Madec shoots at what he believes is a sheep. Unfortunately, the sheep turns out to be an old man. While this, in and of itself was unexpected, the truly surprising event occurs after the two main characters realize the man’s dead. Instead of going back to town and telling the police about the accident, Madec shoots the man again with Ben’s rifle, takes Ben’s clothes, gun, and water then drives away in his jeep. Horrible as this all sounds, it doesn’t stop there. Madec wants to insure Ben’s dies, so Madec using the sight of high powered .358 Magnum Maser, proceeds to watch Ben to make sure he doesn’t manage to survive. Pretty amazing for the first 40 pages!
I have to admit that this book kept me riveted to the page. White did a terrific job describing the California desert setting, which of course was extremely important to the plot. He also did an awesome job at characterization. Both Ben and Madec were completely well rounded and dynamic in their opposition of and to each other. Madec was easy to hate as the antagonist. However, I have to admit that I while I was horrified that a person could be so evil, I also found myself feeling a sense of awe at the man’s intelligence. But it was Ben’s smarts that I really revered. His survival depended on being able to outsmart Madec. While as an ardent reader I naturally assumed that Ben would win, White's ending was as unexpected as his beginning.
So, if you think you might like a fast paced book with lots of surprises and loads of suspense, then I can guarantee Death Watch will not disappoint.
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1 comments:
i like this kind of genre..is it one of a kind like the bourne series by robert ludlum? nice recomendation =p
here's mine;
http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/recommend-me-2.html
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