Book Review: Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers

Title: Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers

Author: Michael Scott Miller
Self-published

Genre: Realistic/Contemporary Fiction

Page Count: 268

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4 out of 5. I like it--the title is easy enough to read, and the scene matches the story.

Synopsis:

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way. Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common:  the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives. The volatile mix of the musicians' personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

My expectations: I really wasn't sure what to expect. I discovered the author through reading a guest post on another blog, and hadn't heard of the book before. The synopsis on the site intrigued me, though.

I am happy to say my expectations were exceeded.

About the book: I've never read a book on a band before, I have to say. But as far as fiction goes, I enjoyed this story. There was a diverse cast of characters and a good plot--watching the band evolve as the members bounced off one another and tried to overcome the obstacles on their way to fame certainly held my attention while I read.

• Writing: 

At times I felt like there could have been a little more description of what was happening, or of the character's emotions, but the writing style is to the point and brought the story along well.

• Plot:

It was interesting to see the band musicians come together as Bert Ingram searched and hunted for the right people, traveling around San Francisco alone or with help from others. There was an unexpected twist at the end, too--throughout, the story kept moving, with good pacing.

• Characters:

Bert Ingram is not the kind of character I'd normally bond with, but he did have a distinctive personality. He kept on working toward his goal even when things seemed like they were about--or had already--fallen apart; I had to cheer for him when he kept on.

Dave Hollaway was probably one of my favorite characters out of the band. He was one of the more easygoing members, reasonable, who kept his head and didn't let the circumstances faze him quite as much as some of the other characters.

The other five members of the band, Charlie, Abe, Ethan, Bongo Joe (whose actual name is Aaron) and Gene, made for an interesting group. Charlie's a former cardplayer, Abe has been singing in the subway, Ethan is a college student, Aaron a former college student who was asked to leave because he didn't practice, and Gene retired--not a combination that would normally come together.

• Setting/Elements:

One thing I liked was the structure of the book; the way the characters' histories were put in separate chapters, before the characters themselves finally met each other.

Other: Some language, references.

Do I recommend this book? If you have an interest in music-related stories, then yes. Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers is a great book based on a band and how they come together.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author for me to review. It did not in any way affect the contents of this review.

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This book is available for $0.99 for Kindle, Nook, or Kobo, and $7.95 in paperback. Purchase links:

Amazon Kindle or paperback: http://tinyurl.com/4zpmzhk
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/3md2zcc

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/3djcz45

-----The Golden Eagle