Seth J. Margolis

This was just plain fun---listening to the audio version supplied wonderful accents to the characters in my mind. The whole story is completely tied up in a bow by the end, all characters interrelated and included. Amusing in its timeliness and unfortunate in its accuracy in giving a description of the way the real world seems to be working these days.

Just call him the "puppetmaster". Julian Mellow is not your typical investment millionaire. He has an agenda and part of that agenda includes a "puppet" aka The President. Julian has found just the man he can mold and shape into the perfect candidate. Although, it will not be without risk or some blood being spilled. Zach Springer didn't realize just how big a story he was following until he started putting all of the pieces together. The one clue that ties everything together is...Julian show more Mellow.

Mr. Margolis writes a believable story. Which just so happens to be playing out in today's world. As Mr. Margolis says "A rich billionaire turns President". Ok, so maybe Julian himself is not President but he pretty much could be considered as his candidate is an extension of him. I like how the story drew me in and did not try to fool me with lots of twists but just good storytelling. The battle of the wits between Julian and Zach was intriguing. The story kept building as I kept reading and getting further deeper into the story. I look forward to read more books from this author. Presidents' Day has gotten my stamp of approval. show less

Lee Nicholson believes she has found something that will make her academic career. As an English literature grad student at Columbia, Lee believes she has found a new sonnet written by Shakespeare. After an appearance on the evening news where Lee reads a stanza of the sonnet, everything goes downhill. Lee is now a suspect in a murder; a murder over a clue in the sonnet. Lee quickly figures out that Shakespeare hid a series of clues in the wordplay of the sonnet, clues about something big show more enough to kill for. Now, Lee is on the run from the law chasing the clue to Henford estate in England chasing the secrets of Queen Elizabeth I.
This is a historical secrets thriller, perfect for those who enjoyed Angels and Demons but thought it needed more of a Tudor twist. As a lover of all things Tudor, the historical aspect and mystery surrounding Elizabeth I was what got me interested and kept me hooked. The chapters alternate between diary entries written by Elizabeth’s physician beginning in 1555 and present day with Lee. The diary entries were the most interesting aspect to me; however, as Lee began to extract clues from the sonnet I was pulled in along with her and was trying to figure out the hidden meanings alongside her. Now, some suspension of disbelief was necessary on my part in order to believe that one historian suspected of murder could leave the US with a fake identity and travel freely around the world; that really isn’t the important part though. The intensity and suspense grows with each clue that is uncovered, and Lee is put in danger from more than one source. While I did guess some things along the way, I never would have guessed what the sonnet was actually hiding and the bigger prize that Lee finds at the end. Overall, a fast paced, multi-faceted historical thriller for any Tudor fan.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Full disclosure: I grew up with a younger brother who was both adopted and of a different race.

This is a powerful story that gets down to some of the real emotional truths in adoption in a way that only fiction can. If there is a weak point, it is that Selma's lawyer does not bring out the way proper legal procedures in an adoption protect all parties.