|
Review Excerpts All
About Murder - May 2002
Midwest
Book Reviews - October, 2002
Book
Browser - August 2002
Heartland
Reviews - January 2003
Reviewing
the Evidence - September 2002
Murder
Express - February 5, 2002
The
Best Reviews - May 18, 2002
MyShelf.com
- June 3, 2002
Amazon.com
- April 11, 2002
BarnesandNoble.com
- April 15, 2002
DorothyL
- April 15, 2002
NewIndependentPublishing,-
June 6, 2002 UW
Daily - April 10, 2002
Suite
101 - July 18, 2002
The
Writers Canvas - August, 2002
Wicked
Company Book Preview Club - July 8, 2002 Reviews and Interviews in Their Entirety Midwest
Book Reviews - October, 2002; 5 Stars on Amazon
Ray Gabriel is the author of "Sherlock-in-a-Box," a software program that solves mysteries. He is trying to gain enough funding to launch his own company with Sherlock. But his involvement and attempted rescue of a priest who falls to his death at the campus Cathedral propels Ray into the middle of a murder investigation including a suspicious psychology professor, Dr. Julius Dexter; his nubile secretary, Zelda; a cathedral engineer in the person of Miriam Towson, who is beautiful and has a past she refuses to divulge; and some odd Satanic activity surrounding the cathedral. Ray and his program are enlisted to solve the mystery of Father Peter's fall, but not before he is dragged into a war of wits with Dr. Dexter: "Regaining his composure and his ferret's smile, Wordsmith/Dexter said, 'I'm putting the final touches on a short story I've written. What do you say, Ray, to a friendly challenge? I'll put my mystery story against your computer program, and may the best man win.' 'Delightful!' Said Father Aquilino. 'Zelda and I can act as referees.'" Ray finds himself in the middle of the most illogical of human situations: a murder that is associated with possible Satanic cults; two women who are involved in their own nebulous relationships with Dr. Dexter; the actions and personalities of the priests themselves; and a contest Dr. Dexter devises to play with Ray himself. Ray pushes himself to make "Sherlock's" sleuthing more sophisticated, even as he places himself in more than one kind of danger. Prodigal Logic is an
excellent first mystery, written around the tenets of Sherlock Holmes'
mysteries. Petrucci uses the most illogical of human conditions
to fit a scientific protagonist.. Indeed, Petrucci does a wonderful
job of combining contradictions to make a plot with enough twists
and turns to confuse even the most skillful reader. A great read!
All
About Murder - May 2, 2002
Book
Browser - August 2002 Imagine a computer that isn't perfect, but thinks more like man. Ray Gabriel is close to creating breakthrough software that will use certain criteria to establish logical thinking patterns, the way humans might. However, before the software design is complete, Gabriel witnesses the death of a priest and the church insists on using the "Sherlock-in-a-box" program to help find out if the priest's death was a an accident, or murder. The church cathedral may house more than Catholics. Black Mass performed by Satanists is alleged. Though no one seems to be hiding anything, Gabriel struggles to find answers to plug in with the right questions so that his computer can lead him closer to the truth and nearly everyone he's come in contact with seems suspect. Like any good mystery,
Prodigal Logic mixes up the elements. The main and sub stories are
each engaging and well paced. Aside from religion and atheism, there
is clever reasoning and genuine mystery solving involved. With developed
characters and seemingly seamless plot, Prodigal Logic is entertaining
and amusing with enough action and suspense to make this cozy a
wonderful read.
Heartland
Reviews - January 2003
The author has found
the right balance between technical detail and plausible storylines
and with a character who is both brilliant and quirky. Like his
protagonist, the author lives in a house boat in the Seattle area.
His settings are easily seen by the mind’s eye and his characters
are varied and interesting. We rated this book a high four hearts.
Reviewing
the Evidence - September 1, 2002 The software that Ray is working on involves making a computer reason like a human and to help him Ray needs the input of renowned psychologist and sometime mystery fiction author Julius Dexter. Persistent hounding of Dexter's assistant, Zelda, a glamorous and confident woman too similar to Ray's ex-wife for comfort, gets Ray into a party at Dexter's house. By inadvertently insulting his host, Ray lays himself open to a challenge from Dexter. Dexter will write a short story and Ray will use his computer programme, known as Sherlock-in-a-Box to solve it. Ray doesn't have long to imbue Sherlock with the wisdom and skill of Conan Doyle's fictional detective. Another and more serious use for Sherlock is swiftly found. The Cathedral has been the scene of several satanic masses with cryptic drawings and quotes left behind. Miriam, the architect in charge of a restoration project, asks Ray to solve the clues and find out who is behind the masses and if there's a link to the dead priest. This is a well-written
first novel with a likeable hero with an unusual lifestyle. Making
the main character an atheist is a bold choice and not something
I've come across before. The 'who did what and to whom' is kept
under wraps until the very end and I didn't guess the outcome. This
is a page turning read for cozy lovers, puzzle solvers and Sherlock
Holmes fans. I look forward to the next Ray Gabriel novel.
Murder
Express PRODIGAL LOGIC is a charming first mystery, and Ray Gabriel is an attractive sleuth. He protests entirely too much about his love of logic, all the while becoming involved with a mysterious woman who reminds him of his ex-wife, helping investigate a bizarre death at the cathedral, looking for traces of cult activity in Seattle, and trying to insert the logic of Sherlock Holmes into his artificial intelligence program (known as Sherlock-In-A-Box.) There are two major sleuths in this story: Ray doing the legwork, and Sherlock who is supposed to put all the pieces together. Although Ray claims that "a fact is a fact" and says he believes only in rational thought, when Sherlock reaches logical conclusions that Ray can't accept he is not above tinkering with the program. The fact that he doesn't seem to see a contradiction in this is characteristic of his personality. It certainly makes him a more interesting guy to read about than he thinks he is. The supporting cast is good fun, too - Ray finds himself hanging around with an expert in church architecture, befriending a likable priest, and sharing Sherlock with a zealous old priest who wants to teach it to program appropriate penances. There is a flaky psychic, a weird poet, a really unusual support group, and assorted minor characters and hangers-on who, for the most part, act and talk like real people. Considering the complexity of the plot, which involves puzzles, church desecrations, and a very old crime, it's surprising how seldom Petrucci pushed my "Yeah-right" button. I was especially taken with the little moments, notably the interactions between characters. There is an art to writing clever dialogue that sounds like real people are uttering it, and Petrucci has that art. He is also extremely good at presenting a picture of a preoccupied character who is capable of forgetting all about his plans with his girlfriend when presented with an interesting problem, and who seems concerned about the feelings of the people around him even while he's being rather dense about his own. PRODIGAL LOGIC isn't perfect, and I admit I am still unclear on exactly how one of the murders was committed. Likewise, I will have to read the novel again to really understand the rationale behind some of Ray's sleuthing, but I know I'll enjoy it as much the second time around. For a novel that incorporates computer science, math, psychology, and religion, PRODIGAL LOGIC is surprisingly easy to follow, even though I have no deep knowledge about any of those subjects. This isn't a mystery for experts in esoteric matters, it's a mystery for ordinary readers who like their protagonists human and uncertain, their mysteries a little unusual, and who enjoy a "kick in the butt" at the end. I am definitely looking
forward to more books by this author.
All
About Murder - May 18, 2002 In the meantime, he's knee deep into the death of Father Peter, the mystery of a satanic cult's assault against a Catholic Cathedral, the tempting charms of Zelda Bartlett, Dexter's on again, off again love interest, as well as Miriam Towson, the structural designer working on the Cathedral, and a link to one of the men Ray suspects of being involved. Ray Gabriel has an incredible mystery facing him and his invention for solving mysteries. The betrayals, lies, and half-truths; a past twisted and played up; and sins heaped one upon another, are slowly fed into the mechanical brain of a computer program designed to solve the mystery. Can he do it? Can Ray's invention, programmed with so many seemingly unrelated facts, actually solve the mystery of who killed Father Peter? Read PRODIGAL LOGIC and find out. Paul Petrucci has written a cleverly, masterful murder mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end. Armed only with a list of suspects, a vast array of facts, and a computer program he's basing his reputation on, Ray Gabriel will astound you, amuse you, and guide you through a labyrinth of clues that, in the end, will have you shaking your head, wondering why you hadn't guessed sooner. The author doesn't hit you over the head with the answer, rather he leads you through shadows, twists and turns until the answer is revealed. PRODIGAL LOGIC is a creative and imaginative story, as well as containing a very cleverly written plot, and extremely believable and well rounded characters. There wasn't a flaw to be found. This book is a must
read for a lover of complicated mysteries, and diverse characters.
MyShelf.com
- June 3, 2002 Gabriel views the fall of Father Peter from the roof of a Seattle cathedral. Miriam Towson, an architect, believes the death suspicious and urges Gabriel to solve this mystery. He also becomes involved in the mystery of the satanic cults' assaults against the Cathedral. He becomes embroiled in an on-and-off again love affair with Zelda Bartlett, Dexter's secretary. Gabriel attempts to put all the facts, the half truths, lies into Sherlock to find the truth, but finds the computer is no substitute for the human brain. This is a clever murder mystery with the intriguing and imaginative concept of computer analysis. Gabriel is a complex man who is considerate of the feelings of people around him. The plot is well-constructed with constant tension. The reader is kept guessing with all the twists and turns of the story. The many characters are diverse and varied in types, and are well-rounded and developed in depth...lifelike and act like real people. This is an unusual and
intriguing mystery which will hold the interest of a discerning
reader.
Amazon.com
- April 11, 2002
BarnesandNoble.com
- April 15, 2002
DorothyL
- April 15, 2002 The amateur sleuth is a computer programmer, who is trying to "teach" a program to think like a human -- which involves combining logical thought with illogical belief. Much of the action takes place in and around a Catholic cathedral, where a bizarre murder has occurred. There are elements of psychology, computer science, math, and religious belief serving as underpinnings for the plot, and yet I, representing the dummy vote, followed it all quite well. I think the fact that I liked and believed in the narrator, as well as the weird people who surrounded him, was a major factor in keeping me grounded in the story. Ray Gabriel, who tells the story, veers from being brilliant about his work to amiably clueless about his personal life, and his assertions about how logic is king and reliigion is an anachronism are contradicted by his own actions. He could have been obnoxious, but he ended up being very appealing. This book is available through Booklocker.com, and since I know some people have their doubts about POD publishing and its relatives, I feel compelled to mention that the proofreading and editing of this book is up to professional standards. There was as much care put into the technical details as into the plot, and that is saying something. Yes, I did receive a complimentary review copy of this book, but I don't feel that biased my reaction. And it certainly isn't the reason I've already recommended it to several people. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author about this character. This is an original, well-crafted, and highly entertaining mystery. But be darned if I can
tell you what sub-genre I'd put it into!
NewIndependentPublishing,-
June 6, 2002
Wicked
Company Book Preview Club - July 8, 2002 Paul told me that Umberto Eco was one of the authors that inspired him the most. He said, "He gave me something to aspire to: a literary mystery novel that had both Gothic overtones and psychological suspense. Arturo Perez-Reverte is of the same mold, if more accessible; his books have wonderful characters and intricate plots. Stephen Greenleaf was one of my instructors at the University of Washington program. His books, along with those of the other two authors, offered the message that it's okay not to dummy down your plot, to trust your readers and not insult their intelligence." Paul likes the process of creating names, for both characters and book titles. He said, "For characters who are primarily known by their first name, the name has to stand alone while subtly saying something about them. My two female leads are Zelda and Miriam, and from the names I think you can determine which is the good girl and which is the naughty one. The two priests are Zebediah and Aquilino; again, they are very different. One's name is meant to denote someone with a fire and brimstone view of religion; the other has very defined physical features that are reflected in the name. For characters that are known by both a first and last names, it's also necessary that the sound flow trippingly off the tongue. My antagonist Julius Dexter's name is meant to connote imperiousness and sinister left-handed-ness. I like the name Ray Gabriel for my protagonist, because it flows and because it's composed of two angels."
Paul told me that he tends to hear his characters speak. "Instead of visualizing scenes, I hear the sound of the words more clearly than I picture the setting. I do that even when describing scenery, which makes that part of writing very difficult to me." He thinks perhaps he should have been a poet. He said, "When it works for me, it is like hearing good music - so one important goal is self-serving: to hear that music play in my head." Paul thinks it is also
important to for him to entertain his readers while giving information.
He said, "I want my books to be thought-provoking and touch
on important ideas, but they must be wrapped in a pleasing package
so that they'll be read. If they're not read, the messages don't
get delivered. I don't want to end up talking to myself." Back to Interview Excerpt Back to Top
|
(5/5
daggers)
|
|