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The Birth of Anna
![The Birth of Anna by [Edwin J McBride]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cZqUhmuwL.jpg)
The Birth of Anna by Edwin J McBride is a riveting crime fiction story about the violent events involving expecting parents, Michael and Michelle Armstrong. The book also follows the investigations into the abduction and murder of several girls occurring in Braxton City, which leave its residents living in fear.
As events unfold, we follow the detective assigned to the case, Paul Anderson, and several other characters that are related to each other and to the two main storylines in the narrative. Though in the beginning the connections are not apparent, they become increasingly clear by the end of the story, and this revelation, to me, was very compelling. Having multiple characters’ viewpoints in the story was an interesting way to unveil the mystery at the heart of this story. The characters are interesting and well developed, but I felt that they sometimes delivered long expositions about their lives.
The author certainly knows how to end a chapter to make you want to read more, and the switch in point of views in each chapter ensures readers are engaged throughout the story and get a more holistic view of events. While I enjoyed the story, I felt that the beginning of the chapters sometimes had long sections of narrative where information is given rather than shown. In either case, I felt that the storyline was coherent and had a consistently high level of intrigue.
I really enjoyed the slow burn style that is used at the beginning of the story, but when the revelations start happening and connections are made the pace of the story really picks up and by that time I was completely enthralled with the book.
The Birth of Anna is a gripping crime fiction story that has elements of a psychological thriller mixed with a gritty detective mystery which delivers a provocative story that is immensely entertaining. This is an emotional rollercoaster that is perfect for readers who enjoy compelling drama and do not mind reading about dark by authentic aspects of life.
Pages: 240 | ASIN: B083N88XD5
Paper & Fire
![Paper & Fire by [Edwin J McBride]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5169PW7zMVL.jpg)
Paper and Fire comes from the mind of first-time author Edwin J McBride. It tells the tragic story of the Thomas family. The book begins as a tale of suspected adultery but becomes much more as a doting father is forced to leave his loving family. We watch the Thomas family pick themselves up as life throws every tribulation imaginable at them. Paper and Fire is a story about love and loss. Mourning and struggle. But even more so it is about the resilience of those we leave behind.
Paper and Fire’s main character is an author named Christian Thomas. McBride describes Thomas as an author who cares about story first. The most important thing to him is that his readers are made to feel. Thomas is an author who has little time for pretentious writing. Author Edwin McBride is the same. The writing here is descriptive and emotive without being flowery. McBride describes Thomas as “Not brilliant by critical standards yet his words had spoken to people and moved them as desired.” If I had to describe McBride’s writing I would say the same.
Paper and Fire is a labor of love. McBride has devoted himself to making his readers feel. He wants to challenge us. The book can feel relentless at times as tragedy after tragedy is thrown at the Thomas family and the people around them. This can make for uncomfortable reading. The book explores themes such as mental health, depression, sexual abuse, and suicide. Sometimes I had to put the book down for a little while to reflect on what happened and understand the emotional upheaval inside myself.
In the wrong hands this could have all become a bit too much. A depressing downer and a slog to read through. However, McBride’s characters are easy to root for. They never stop picking themselves up and carrying on, no matter how bad things get for them. This turns a book that could have been depressing into something much more uplifting. A book about hope and resilience.
Paper and Fire might not be a book for everyone as it can be a challenging at times. But nothing easy is worth having. The story is engaging and I found myself caring much more so for the characters than I have in any book for a long time.
Pages: 274 | ASIN: B083S21S8T
LITERARY TITAN 