Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite   5 Stars

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I have always longed for characters one can stick with like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and James Patterson’s Alex Cross and in Code Name: Crescent, A Matt Preston Novel by Paul Shadinger, I have found another interesting character to journey with, a man with an unusual love for poker nights, a shady military past, and a rare wit. In this mystery, Matt Preston’s poker buddy enlists his help to solve a difficult problem. Matt will need to use his connections and tread a very dangerous path in search of a missing girl. This sleuth/mystery tale is seasoned with steamy romance and secrets coming to light. When the past catches up with him, will there be a chance for survival?

As I stated before, I love stories with compelling characters, and Matt Preston is one hell of a character, developed at different levels, three-dimensional, and memorable. I loved the way his background comes out in the narrative, and the way the author uses his point of view in the story. The protagonist is the narrator and the author demonstrates an unusual mastery of the first person narrative. The setting is in 2000 and it comes out beautifully with the media hype at the time and ideas like the imminent end of the world pervading social media. The conflict is introduced quickly and the tension builds up fast, quickly reaching staggering proportions. Paul Shadinger’s writing is confident and he has a great gift for narrative and plot. I have never read anything from this author, but Code Name: Crescent, A Matt Preston Novel has made me an avid fan.

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