Rob Lubitz
Author of The Night of the Burning Car
Works by Rob Lubitz
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Lubitz, Robin
- Other names
- Lubitz, Rob
- Birthdate
- 1948-09-23
- Education
- West Virginia University (MS)
- Occupations
- court administrator
Air Force Officer
Sentencing and Criminal Justice Expert - Short biography
- Rob Lubitz has served as a senior United States Department of Justice official, State Courts Administrator (Florida), Governor’s Crime Commission Director (North Carolina), Sentencing Commission Director (North Carolina), and Juvenile Justice Director (Arizona).
A criminal justice expert, he has been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, US News and World Report, and ABC World News Tonight.
He is a former Air Force Officer with a Top Secret security clearance.
He lives in Arizona with his wife, Joanne. - Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Pennsylvania, USA
Members
Reviews
This book was so good! I read it in two days. I was really expecting something way different when I started the book and ended up on a journey I did not see coming. There was great twists and turns and the messages were solid and strong throughout the book as well. The story was down to earth and believable. I enjoyed that it took place in the 1940s-1960s. It felt historically accurate, which was extremely sad in a lot of ways too. And even worse that some of that still goes on today. It show more also made me think that every action you take in life has an effect on someone else, whether it be good, bad, or life-saving.
The characters were so vivid and believable. I felt like I knew them. Also, the author continued to introduce new characters throughout the book and I was nervous that I was going to have to start writing names down, but that never happened. They introduced them in a way that made you remember who they were and it never got confusing.
The writing was extremely clear and concise. It's one of those books that you're just reading and don't get stuck by bad grammar or ill-placed words, etc.
SPOILER: One of the things I loved most about this book is that the "good" people ended up chasing the bad people. I kept expecting the sheriff and the judge from Kane County to go find Lacey and/or Billy as they were trying to move on from the situation. But in the end, they went after the Harkins family. And I was so happy that the Harkins family got what they deserved in the end. The fact the judge shot himself just showed that his character was very weak when it came down to it. I liked that there was a "happy" ending, despite finding all the bodies. I think I would've been angry if Billy was sent to prison. The part when the SBI agent meets with Billy and confirms he knows it's him, is probably one of my favorite parts in the book. I'm glad that was included.
I can't recommend this book enough! I will definitely check out the author's other novels! show less
The characters were so vivid and believable. I felt like I knew them. Also, the author continued to introduce new characters throughout the book and I was nervous that I was going to have to start writing names down, but that never happened. They introduced them in a way that made you remember who they were and it never got confusing.
The writing was extremely clear and concise. It's one of those books that you're just reading and don't get stuck by bad grammar or ill-placed words, etc.
SPOILER: One of the things I loved most about this book is that the "good" people ended up chasing the bad people. I kept expecting the sheriff and the judge from Kane County to go find Lacey and/or Billy as they were trying to move on from the situation. But in the end, they went after the Harkins family. And I was so happy that the Harkins family got what they deserved in the end. The fact the judge shot himself just showed that his character was very weak when it came down to it. I liked that there was a "happy" ending, despite finding all the bodies. I think I would've been angry if Billy was sent to prison. The part when the SBI agent meets with Billy and confirms he knows it's him, is probably one of my favorite parts in the book. I'm glad that was included.
I can't recommend this book enough! I will definitely check out the author's other novels! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
*I received a copy of this as part of the Members Giveaway program in exchange for an unbiased review. Brief plot spoilers may follow.*
First things first, I loved this book. It’s not typically the genre of book that I’d gravitate to, but I love a story that panders to the conspiracy theorist inside me every once in awhile. This book knocked it out of the park. Instead of there being one main storyline with a climax, there are actually several smaller stories intertwined that all assist show more in moving the book as a whole forward. Each smaller story is dependent upon the other in some way, because missing details in one means you’ll miss a detail overall. I love how that was executed. The ‘climax’ of the story isn’t a typical one, at least not to me and I fully enjoyed that. Instead of wondering what happened to some of the characters, those who played a significant part in it had their angles wrapped up by the end of the book. It was rather ironic how Ryan and Alana had to end this book considering that in essence, it is what started the book, but that was another thing that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed that there were a lot of short chapters rather than a few long chapters. Even though the book is promoted as partially having a romantic note, it isn’t given an overwhelming amount of attention and I liked that too. The action in this story also isn’t in the typical manner you’d expect from CIA-based stories and that was something else I enjoyed. A lot of this was mental warfare, mind games. Actually, the entire book was about that, but the action stayed true to that and that was enjoyable to read. There was a lot at play here, but it all functioned well together without distracting the reader. You as the reader were able to see exactly how knocking over one domino actually knocks over several dominos on the other side of the room and it made things more intriguing when trying to piece together how everything would work out in the end. Small details, like mannerisms, even had their place in this story and if you’re paying attention at certain moments, you’ll get some foresight for later on in the book, where the mannerism will be revisited.
Overall, I loved Beyond Top Secret. I cannot say that enough. I waited for a day after finishing the book to see if I could find any major complaints before writing this review on purpose. lol I still don’t have one. Even though this is actually the 2nd book in a series, this book seems capable of being read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the 1st book, but details here and there helped me catch up on bits and pieces of what transpired in the first book. When I first started reading and saw there were 53 chapters, I had the thought that the book was going to run a bit too long and wondered how the story would still be interesting without a bunch of filler. But little do you know that there’s so much packed into these short chapters that before you realize it, you’ll be at the end of the book, wishing there was more to read. I loved how so many elements—drama, action, romance, politics, crime—were at play and did so without overshadowing the other. I couldn’t put it down once I’d started reading because I had to know what came next. I noticed few, if any, grammatical errors, I thought the plot was well executed, and the writing was descriptive enough without going overboard. I thought the characters were fleshed out in the ways that were the most important to the story; I didn’t feel the need to know every minute detail about them. I will say that Ryan’s emotions seemed a bit muted throughout the book, unless he just wasn’t an expressive person or dealt with things internally. I wasn’t sure if that was how Ryan was written on purpose or not, but if I did have anything bad to say, that’d be it but I was still very satisfied with what I got. This was a fantastic read and I’m glad I was selected to receive a copy. If you like books that have a bit of everything, a plot that thrives off of healthy amounts of both narration and dialogue rather than primarily one over the other, and you love a conspiracy theory that hits all levels of government, check out Beyond Top Secret. show less
First things first, I loved this book. It’s not typically the genre of book that I’d gravitate to, but I love a story that panders to the conspiracy theorist inside me every once in awhile. This book knocked it out of the park. Instead of there being one main storyline with a climax, there are actually several smaller stories intertwined that all assist show more in moving the book as a whole forward. Each smaller story is dependent upon the other in some way, because missing details in one means you’ll miss a detail overall. I love how that was executed. The ‘climax’ of the story isn’t a typical one, at least not to me and I fully enjoyed that. Instead of wondering what happened to some of the characters, those who played a significant part in it had their angles wrapped up by the end of the book. It was rather ironic how Ryan and Alana had to end this book considering that in essence, it is what started the book, but that was another thing that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed that there were a lot of short chapters rather than a few long chapters. Even though the book is promoted as partially having a romantic note, it isn’t given an overwhelming amount of attention and I liked that too. The action in this story also isn’t in the typical manner you’d expect from CIA-based stories and that was something else I enjoyed. A lot of this was mental warfare, mind games. Actually, the entire book was about that, but the action stayed true to that and that was enjoyable to read. There was a lot at play here, but it all functioned well together without distracting the reader. You as the reader were able to see exactly how knocking over one domino actually knocks over several dominos on the other side of the room and it made things more intriguing when trying to piece together how everything would work out in the end. Small details, like mannerisms, even had their place in this story and if you’re paying attention at certain moments, you’ll get some foresight for later on in the book, where the mannerism will be revisited.
Overall, I loved Beyond Top Secret. I cannot say that enough. I waited for a day after finishing the book to see if I could find any major complaints before writing this review on purpose. lol I still don’t have one. Even though this is actually the 2nd book in a series, this book seems capable of being read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the 1st book, but details here and there helped me catch up on bits and pieces of what transpired in the first book. When I first started reading and saw there were 53 chapters, I had the thought that the book was going to run a bit too long and wondered how the story would still be interesting without a bunch of filler. But little do you know that there’s so much packed into these short chapters that before you realize it, you’ll be at the end of the book, wishing there was more to read. I loved how so many elements—drama, action, romance, politics, crime—were at play and did so without overshadowing the other. I couldn’t put it down once I’d started reading because I had to know what came next. I noticed few, if any, grammatical errors, I thought the plot was well executed, and the writing was descriptive enough without going overboard. I thought the characters were fleshed out in the ways that were the most important to the story; I didn’t feel the need to know every minute detail about them. I will say that Ryan’s emotions seemed a bit muted throughout the book, unless he just wasn’t an expressive person or dealt with things internally. I wasn’t sure if that was how Ryan was written on purpose or not, but if I did have anything bad to say, that’d be it but I was still very satisfied with what I got. This was a fantastic read and I’m glad I was selected to receive a copy. If you like books that have a bit of everything, a plot that thrives off of healthy amounts of both narration and dialogue rather than primarily one over the other, and you love a conspiracy theory that hits all levels of government, check out Beyond Top Secret. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
This was a fast-paced, enjoyable thriller. As the reader, we know early on who the culprits are, and, goodness, what culprits they are! These are really, really bad dudes. Racist, sexist rapists and killers. Fresh out of the Jim Crow era in the South, and you can still say these have to be the worst of the fictional Kane County KKK on steroids. There's a plot twist about 3/4 through that I wasn't expecting. If I had one critique of the book, it would be that the bad guys and the good guys show more were a little too stereotypical and could have used a little more dimension because, as bad as the bad dudes were, the good guys are almost equally pure.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this page-turner. I liked the shortish chapters, which held my attention. There wasn't a lull anywhere in the plot. I respected the author's choice to not shy away too much from the period's language and hate, which could be uncomfortable to read at times, but it's meant to be. He does comment on this at the end of the story, saying that he wanted the portrayal of the time to be honest. I felt it was, although, my goodness, I'm glad it was before my time.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. show less
Other than that, I really enjoyed this page-turner. I liked the shortish chapters, which held my attention. There wasn't a lull anywhere in the plot. I respected the author's choice to not shy away too much from the period's language and hate, which could be uncomfortable to read at times, but it's meant to be. He does comment on this at the end of the story, saying that he wanted the portrayal of the time to be honest. I felt it was, although, my goodness, I'm glad it was before my time.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This novel primarily takes place in rural North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s. Trigger warning: There are a few characters that show a disturbing amount of plain old hatefulness mixed in with a heaping helping of racism and have an insular attitude towards those from outside their home area - stereotypical backwards, backwoods, southern county. The Klan even makes a brief appearance. However, those are the "bad guys" of the story and are not the primary focus but rather instigate the show more events that cause the story to happen. The story starts with some people being in the wrong place at the wrong time and goes from there. There are several story lines following the main characters (the "good guys") that weave back and forth over time. You will see how the initial events impact the lives of these characters, how they coped with what had happened, how those decisions affected their lives, and eventually how they moved forward. Once I got through the awfulness of the initial events (I almost laid the book aside and didn't finish it), the narrative pulled me a long and I found the book hard to put down - I wanted to know what happened next. Back stories of the main characters are revealed as the story moves along and gives depth and fullness to the story as well as both answering questions and asking others. The author did a superb job of bringing the events to life and putting you right there in the action. There are various secondary characters that lend depth and credence to the story and sound like people you would know. The action climaxes with a satisfactory ending. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Awards
Statistics
- Works
- 4
- Members
- 34
- Popularity
- #413,652
- Rating
- 4.4
- Reviews
- 19
- ISBNs
- 5
