The Painted Catch
By Ronder Scott
Genre: Thriller
Publication Date: May 2014
Publisher Tenth Street Press
Synopsis
What happens when you are in an elite military squadron and follow an order that was given in error?
That’s what has happened to Shane Braff and Jennifer Koppell when they entered Tayyip Nafisi’s home. He wasn't a terrorist and neither was his family. But it all happened so fast and the result was that his son lost his life that day and his wife soon followed.
Not able to cope with the grief, The Painted Catch is a psychological thriller that shows how Tayyip Nafisi turned from dedicated government employee; a man who used his genius to help the United States government, to a man who will stop at nothing to get revenge on the people that stole everything from him. When Shane and Jennifer discover they are both in The Land of Paintings, they will do whatever it takes to ensure that their children survive. For Shane, it means the ultimate sacrifice of his life. For Jennifer, it means coming to terms with the past and doing what she must to protect their daughters in the future. Unfortunately, it also means paranoia because Tayyip Nafisi was never caught.
He’s out there and she doesn’t know where he’ll be lurking. Waiting. She knows he’ll be watching though. It’s his nature.
My Review
This was a very interesting and complex book. The plot is developed due to
a very tragic series of events suffered by a U.S. citizen while he and his
family were in their native country. Tayyip
Nafisi is a naturalized U.S. citizen who is mistaken for a wanted terrorist and
visited by American troops in his home in Afghanistan. And, well, let’s just say that things did not
work out well for he and his family.
After suffering imprisonment and the destruction of his family, he
swears vengeance on all parties involved in destroying his life. He creates an
elaborate play of illusions to realize his twisted scheme of retribution.
The creation of the technology utilized in this book is an
astonishing concept, and I found myself also rooting for the protagonists. I
think that Ms. Scott developed the characters well and I followed them from act
to act and was moved by their collective losses. The antagonist, though
afflicted with his own sorrow, was still very easy to despise!
The only thing that I think could use a little deeper explanation is how the antagonist, Tayyip Nafisi, created the monstrous alternate worlds, and how he crafted his grand plan to utilize these micro universes. I enjoyed this book, but really think it could use a bit more polish to be developed into an absolute powerhouse!
Author Info
Ronder Scott was born in Northern Louisiana, where she enjoyed reading books. In Minden, the town she calls home, reading became her passion. She started exploring other avenues where her voice could be heard. Over the years, she has penned a number of screenplays, which she is fond of turning into novels for her readers’ enjoyment. That is why, when you read her work, it is very visual with descriptive annotations that are sure to take you on a literary ride. Weaving characters into authentic, realistic writing is her craft. Her conceptual writing comes from the atrocities of humankind, though she is very brave in choosing which topics to bring to light.
Other than writing, she is a recluse - bound to reading old manuscripts or mediating, bringing forth new ideas for writing. She is currently married and living in Houston, Texas, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree from Texas Southern University. She maintains her stance that writing new material comes from being inspired by the things around us.
