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dunnadam's review
3.0
I have enjoyed all of the books in this series so far but I was a little distracted with this one. I borrowed it on vacation and it got returned to the library before I finished it, so I had to wait a month or so to get it again and had a gap in the middle.
I found the politics too confusing, the book was a little too hard boiled. I really don't need spies and CSIS in my reading, but that's just me.
Another issue is when you get to like the characters you don't want anything bad to happen to them. Like on Schitt's Creek, you just want David and his boyfriend to stay together and sing songs to each other, you like them too much. You don't want to see them fight or have real problems. Kind of the same thing here with Dan Sharp. Though that doesn't make for a good plot.
So I'm conflicted on this title, and speaking of title, no idea why it's called the God Game.
I found the politics too confusing, the book was a little too hard boiled. I really don't need spies and CSIS in my reading, but that's just me.
Another issue is when you get to like the characters you don't want anything bad to happen to them. Like on Schitt's Creek, you just want David and his boyfriend to stay together and sing songs to each other, you like them too much. You don't want to see them fight or have real problems. Kind of the same thing here with Dan Sharp. Though that doesn't make for a good plot.
So I'm conflicted on this title, and speaking of title, no idea why it's called the God Game.
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The God Game is Jeffrey Round's 5th mystery featuring Canadian P.I. Dan Sharp. This series is a little more gritty and modern than the bulk of the series I read and review, but the Dan Sharp books are consistent winners and great reads, so I make an exception.
I have enjoyed the characters' development over the course of the series and the author has a deft hand with foreshadowing and planning. In the forward, Jeffrey Round says that as he wrote the book, he feared it would be too over the top and unbelievable but that as time went on, the political landscape in the USA and Canada made it more of a realistically cautionary tale than pure fiction.
Although the book is brutal and gritty in places, the violence is never gratuitous and always serves to move the plot along and provide a counterpoint to the more personal and emotional side of the narrative.
It's a fairly substantial (335 page) book and is very well written. It could definitely be read as a standalone, all the necessary background info is provided without feeling forced or unnatural. Published by Dundurn and released on Feb, 2018 in ebook and paperback formats.
Four stars, I think this one is my favorite in the series thus far.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The God Game is Jeffrey Round's 5th mystery featuring Canadian P.I. Dan Sharp. This series is a little more gritty and modern than the bulk of the series I read and review, but the Dan Sharp books are consistent winners and great reads, so I make an exception.
I have enjoyed the characters' development over the course of the series and the author has a deft hand with foreshadowing and planning. In the forward, Jeffrey Round says that as he wrote the book, he feared it would be too over the top and unbelievable but that as time went on, the political landscape in the USA and Canada made it more of a realistically cautionary tale than pure fiction.
Although the book is brutal and gritty in places, the violence is never gratuitous and always serves to move the plot along and provide a counterpoint to the more personal and emotional side of the narrative.
It's a fairly substantial (335 page) book and is very well written. It could definitely be read as a standalone, all the necessary background info is provided without feeling forced or unnatural. Published by Dundurn and released on Feb, 2018 in ebook and paperback formats.
Four stars, I think this one is my favorite in the series thus far.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
teanahk's review
3.0
The first quarter (half?) of this book was pretty good. There was some promising political intrigue, wedding planning, missing person, piles of cash, gambling, and a murder staged as a suicide.
At one point we were introduced to the Toronto rap community, which was presented in a shallow, stereotypical way that was just unpleasant to read.
Then our protagonist made a string of unbelievably bad decisions, like farcically ludicrous life choices. Before finally solving the case basically by accident.
Three starts is a stretch, but I’m rounding up for the snarky comments about Canadian politics.
At one point we were introduced to the Toronto rap community, which was presented in a shallow, stereotypical way that was just unpleasant to read.
Then our protagonist made a string of unbelievably bad decisions, like farcically ludicrous life choices. Before finally solving the case basically by accident.
Three starts is a stretch, but I’m rounding up for the snarky comments about Canadian politics.
suze_1624's review
4.0
3.5/4*
Political machinations - and whilst I don’t know much about Canadian politics, the theme of corruption and puppeteers could belong anywhere.
Once again looking for a misper, Dan gets dragged into seedier goings on and continues to rush into danger quite recklessly.
I did get lost a few times, espec with Mrs Wilkens - not sure which one was even now.
Political machinations - and whilst I don’t know much about Canadian politics, the theme of corruption and puppeteers could belong anywhere.
Once again looking for a misper, Dan gets dragged into seedier goings on and continues to rush into danger quite recklessly.
I did get lost a few times, espec with Mrs Wilkens - not sure which one was even now.
Spoiler
Whilst we start with Dan and Nick getting ever closer to the aisle, there is a big issue and I did think Dan was going to scupper himself again - luckily Nick does manage to say the right wordsjasonswrench's review
4.0
This was my first exposure to a Dan Sharp mystery, so I could tell that I was jumping into the middle of a story, but it was easy to follow.
Overall, I liked this book. The characters are decently complex and there are a good number of twists and turns throughout the book. Admittedly, I figured out part of the major plot twist early on in the book. Not completely, but a good chunk of it.
The basic plot involves the alleged suicide of a Canadian politician and the missing husband of another political insider. The crux of the story is figuring out if the two have something in common. And if they do, how do these two seemingly separate plot lines intersect? Interspersed are a myriad of colorful characters that help move the plot along.
The pacing of the book was really good for this type of mystery novel. If you like Richard Stevenson’s Donald Strachey novels (but are tired of reading about Albany, NY), then I would recommend giving this book a read.
Overall, I liked this book. The characters are decently complex and there are a good number of twists and turns throughout the book. Admittedly, I figured out part of the major plot twist early on in the book. Not completely, but a good chunk of it.
The basic plot involves the alleged suicide of a Canadian politician and the missing husband of another political insider. The crux of the story is figuring out if the two have something in common. And if they do, how do these two seemingly separate plot lines intersect? Interspersed are a myriad of colorful characters that help move the plot along.
The pacing of the book was really good for this type of mystery novel. If you like Richard Stevenson’s Donald Strachey novels (but are tired of reading about Albany, NY), then I would recommend giving this book a read.
m_das's review
3.0
Oops did not realize this was book 5. I'm interested enough to check out the first one--I do enjoy a mystery series I can get through quickly--but the political intrigue in this was too convoluted for me, so if that's the tenor of all the mysteries, this series probably isn't for me.
lillian_francis's review
4.0
Great story. Need to think how much to give away in review.
NB. This is a mystery with a gay lead. He is in a relationship but said relationship is very much on the backburner and not a massive part of the story. Just thought I should differentiate between a mystery/romance.
NB. This is a mystery with a gay lead. He is in a relationship but said relationship is very much on the backburner and not a massive part of the story. Just thought I should differentiate between a mystery/romance.
paperdreamsblog's review
4.0
I received The God Game by Jeffrey Round from Dundurn Press in a winter press package. This is not a typical read for me but I was intrigued by the fact that it was based in Toronto and around the era of when Rob Ford was the mayor (when Toronto was in the news alot for his scandals) and coincidentally that was also around the time I visited Toronto for the very first time so I did feel a connection through that. I was also a little leery because The God Game is the 5th book in the Dan Sharp mysteries and I clearly hadn't read any of the other ones but as I found out that didn't matter too much and you could probably pick up any of the 5 and read them as standalones.
*
I like Dan. I liked his story. He is a gay private investigator with a fiance who is a cop and he(Dan) has a heterosexual son going to school in B.C. and he does have a friendly relationship with the Syrian mother. Dan is curious and smart and obviously doesn't follow the rules. He always puts himself in danger quite frequently or finds himself in dangerous circumstances but there probably wouldn't be a story if he didn't.
*
So there is one other story that contributes to the plot other than it revolving around Dan solving a mystery; there's also Dan's relationship with Nick, his fiance. I enjoyed how Dan's relationship drama floated in and around the main focus of the story. I was very intrigued by their personal lives because they were interesting and because being gay in 2014 in Toronto had a different vibe as compared to 2018. I mean I guess I don't know a whole lot about the gay community in Toronto right now but I feel like it is more inclusive than it was even just a few years ago, at least that is the vibe I was getting from the book, that being gay was still something that was a bit hush hush especially in the political world. I liked Nick's character and thought the added drama complemented the story well.
*
The novel is centered around a political drama but I think Jeffrey Round did an excellent job of keeping it more entertaining than boring us with political details. This is a work of fiction but he still used the actual mayor of 2014 (Rob Ford) as the mayor in his novel but other political characters that appear are fictional (to my knowledge). What I did find interesting was that at the beginning of this book Jeffrey Round wrote an author's note that said he wasn't sure if anyone would believe something like this could happen in Canada as we have managed to avoid disasters in the news and comparatively to other countries...well, we're pretty tame. This I do agree with but I also think that a lot of scandals do happen, they just don't make it on the news for whatever reason.
*
I found the reading pace nice and easy since I wasn't bogged down with a ton of political details other than the occasional Conservative, Liberal or NDP tagline. The story was compelling as far as a mystery goes but I wouldn't say it was very suspenseful but I'm not sure if that was the angle he was going for anyways. I liked the ending and I like how Jeffrey Round wrote it, very fitting for the type of story and dilemma that was happening.
*
One of my favourite scenes was when Dan went to the Ripley's Aquarium (beside the CN Tower) to meet another character and they were on the moving sidewalk looking at all the sea creatures (there are a lot of various sharks!). I was smiling while reading this part because I was physically there and have done that!! I thought it was neat that he added that scene in!
*
Yes I do recommend! But again if you like more suspenseful mysteries this may not be for you, but it is thought provoking and makes you wonder about the real world political scandals that occur and what's "fudged" and what not. And yes you read about Dan and Nick's relationship and it's cute but not super romance-y, I'd say it's very discreet. But I do encourage others to read this and I enjoyed the book enough that I will try to pick up the rest of Dan Sharp's mysteries or some of his other works!
*
I like Dan. I liked his story. He is a gay private investigator with a fiance who is a cop and he(Dan) has a heterosexual son going to school in B.C. and he does have a friendly relationship with the Syrian mother. Dan is curious and smart and obviously doesn't follow the rules. He always puts himself in danger quite frequently or finds himself in dangerous circumstances but there probably wouldn't be a story if he didn't.
*
So there is one other story that contributes to the plot other than it revolving around Dan solving a mystery; there's also Dan's relationship with Nick, his fiance. I enjoyed how Dan's relationship drama floated in and around the main focus of the story. I was very intrigued by their personal lives because they were interesting and because being gay in 2014 in Toronto had a different vibe as compared to 2018. I mean I guess I don't know a whole lot about the gay community in Toronto right now but I feel like it is more inclusive than it was even just a few years ago, at least that is the vibe I was getting from the book, that being gay was still something that was a bit hush hush especially in the political world. I liked Nick's character and thought the added drama complemented the story well.
*
The novel is centered around a political drama but I think Jeffrey Round did an excellent job of keeping it more entertaining than boring us with political details. This is a work of fiction but he still used the actual mayor of 2014 (Rob Ford) as the mayor in his novel but other political characters that appear are fictional (to my knowledge). What I did find interesting was that at the beginning of this book Jeffrey Round wrote an author's note that said he wasn't sure if anyone would believe something like this could happen in Canada as we have managed to avoid disasters in the news and comparatively to other countries...well, we're pretty tame. This I do agree with but I also think that a lot of scandals do happen, they just don't make it on the news for whatever reason.
*
I found the reading pace nice and easy since I wasn't bogged down with a ton of political details other than the occasional Conservative, Liberal or NDP tagline. The story was compelling as far as a mystery goes but I wouldn't say it was very suspenseful but I'm not sure if that was the angle he was going for anyways. I liked the ending and I like how Jeffrey Round wrote it, very fitting for the type of story and dilemma that was happening.
*
One of my favourite scenes was when Dan went to the Ripley's Aquarium (beside the CN Tower) to meet another character and they were on the moving sidewalk looking at all the sea creatures (there are a lot of various sharks!). I was smiling while reading this part because I was physically there and have done that!! I thought it was neat that he added that scene in!
*
Yes I do recommend! But again if you like more suspenseful mysteries this may not be for you, but it is thought provoking and makes you wonder about the real world political scandals that occur and what's "fudged" and what not. And yes you read about Dan and Nick's relationship and it's cute but not super romance-y, I'd say it's very discreet. But I do encourage others to read this and I enjoyed the book enough that I will try to pick up the rest of Dan Sharp's mysteries or some of his other works!
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