On a frigid and windy day in Chicago, while Sonya was in class, Nadev met her friends Denise and Walid at Sid’s Delicatessen for lunch. Sid’s is a popular Jewish establishment in the region. It was a special day at Sid’s because they donated twenty percent of the day’s money to the Israeli Peace Fund. Denise was alone at the table when there was a sudden loud explosion as the building exploded, killing Denise instantly. Nadev had excused himself to go to the restroom, where he was found unconscious with severe injuries. Walid had gone to speak to the cashier to ask precisely where the twenty percent of the day’s money would go. Walid had sustained minimal injuries. After being treated in an ambulance, Walid was told to stay and be interviewed, but he ran away. Leaving his son’s hospital room, two FBI agents approached Alon, asking him to consult on their investigation into the attack. What was that all about? He was determined to figure it out.
Shattered Lives by Charles R. Young is a suspenseful who-done-it that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Young did an exceptional job with character development, especially with Alon Levy. As part of the Israeli secret service, Mossad is the national intelligence agency of Israel, and Alon had the perfect personality for the job. Young was also proficient with keeping the suspense building as the story progressed. The author also incorporated some romance into the story, which I enjoyed. My favorite part was the budding romance between Alon and the female FBI agent, Rebecca. One scene was suggestively sexual but nothing graphic to offend the reader.
My only complaint with the book is the type of profanity used. There is a reasonable amount for the storyline; however, it is the decidedly foul words I felt uncomfortable reading. Some graphically violent scenes may disturb sensitive readers. Despite those issues, this book is an excellent read. It has all the elements to make it stand out as a mystery crime novel.
The editing was near perfect, and the suspense building with each new chapter made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next. Young keeps the reader guessing to the end and then drops a bombshell. Even after reading the last page, I was still stunned by the story’s outcome. For these reasons, I am delighted to give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I could not find any reason to warrant taking away any stars. This book is most appropriate for mature readers eighteen and older who enjoy mystery and crime novels and don’t object to books about terrorism and profanity.