Special early reviews of Gary Braver

Gray Matter from August 2003

In Gary Braver's Gray Matter, he told us a compelling thriller that deals with sacrifices we make in life. For Rachel Whitman, she had everything she could possibly ask for: a loving human, a great home, and an adorable seven year-old son named Dylan.  But her son had learning disabilities. She feared he would never grow up to experience a full and enriched life. Somehow she came to the conclusion that something she did in the past caused him to become this way--this tortured her mind.  And she somehow became obsessed with this secret procedure to turn slow children into pure geniuses. Should Rachel and her husband risk a lot of money for this experimental procedure for his happiness? Unaware of the consequences of this brain enhancement operation,  she can't know about the costs of the surgery would be something more than financial.

This was another tough medical thriller that dealt with the brain. This one asked what would you do, if you could change your child's life? I really cared for the Whitmans, especially for Dylan, who was the innocent one of them all. I hated for them to go for the decision to have surgery, when there might be an ultimate risk with consequences. Gripping with each turning page, it might me sigh with a heavy heart, until I finished the book.

Ready to take a daring risk? Go out and get hooked today!



Elixir from June 2002

In Gary Braver's Elixir, he took us on a journey to  Papua New Guinea and back home to the USA. When biologist Chris Bacon headed to the forests of Papua New Guinea for medicinal plants, he had no idea on what he would find and take home from him. A rare flower that's rumored by a tribal shaman to prevent human aging. Hooked on his fountain-of-youth fantasies, he planned to tamper with the plant to make an elixir. Unknowingly as he messed around with nature, it leashed dangerous forces to threaten his family and exposed the world to its unleashed and perilous consequences.

I loved how he explored the topic of finding a miracle cure or drug. As for any prescriptions, there's always side effects or symptoms from taking it. That's why there's always precautions. I liked Chris Bacon and how he went to Papua New Guinea to explore exotic plants. The fountain of youth have always been a myth since Ponce De Leon founded it. This was a good exploration of good and bad antidotes for diseases, then and now.

Ready to explore new territories? Try this book out for size today!



Flashback from August 2008

In Gary Braver's Flashback, he took us on another journey. In this one, it dealt with the mind and our memory bank. When Jack Karoyer returned back to his family's cottage of the 13th anniversary of his mother's mysterious drowning, he was attacked by a group of rare jellyfish with poisonous stings that put him in a coma for six months. After he woke up, he learned that the jellyfish had left him with an extraordinary memory that impressed the doctors. On the downside, it left him with some kind of flashbacks--some pleasant, some violent. As he wondered if he was losing his mind, he befriended Rene Ballard, a pharmacologist that's working on a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.  She wanted to test Jack for this antidote--some test patients recovered well as other experienced violent seizures. As he discovered what happened to him, it set them on a path of dangerous lies and sinister secrets that the elderly patients can't or don't want to emerge from.

This was a shocking twisted medical/science thriller dealing with Alzheimer's Disease and the cure for it. I enjoyed how we were sucked into the flashbacks of the senior citizen's past and how it revealed itself in due exposure with dire consequences.  The concept of jellyfish venom was quite intriguing to set things off for intense side effects.  Jack was a complex and intriguing character as well.  Rene was a curious person as well.  This made me cringe and held my breath in this fast-paced page turner.

Ready to relive the past? Give this one a try tonight!



Skin Deep from November 2008

In Gary Braver's Skin Deep, he explored another angle of medical science in this intriguing thriller.  Someone was killing alluring woman in Boston, who also had the keen eye for beauty, and had insinuated himself into their lives, except for leaving a knotted stocking around their necks. For Homicide Detective Steve Markarian, he was on the hunt for the killer, before another vulnerable woman might be sacrificed, like his estranged wife. With loneliness and addictions, he searched everywhere in the heart of Boston for the killer, including his police precinct, and into the deep recesses of his heart, to discover he might be the killer himself.

This medical thriller did go beyond the psychological aspect of the genre. This would make you cringe and wince and leave you gasping for more.  Steve Markarian was an interesting character as well, whether you want to love him or hate him, or both for that matter. This would also give you chills down your spine. I love the Boston backdrop as well. This is most definitely a page-turner, too.

Ready to get thrilled? Check out this one too!


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