Rebirth by Scott McKenzie (B+)

A high-octane action piece featuring secret societies, Vampires, and Tom Ryder, detective, who gets caught in the timeless struggle. Fast action and fast writing make it tough to put down.

Printed: 240 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, black and white interior ink
Copyright: © 2007 Scott McKenzie Standard Copyright License
Language: English
Country: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
Available online at: Lulu

First impression: I like the cover. This is important because it makes me want to look inside. What do I like about the cover? It's simple, black, the red letters of the title arouse my curiosity — Rebirth of what?

The book begins with a strong prologue that is action-packed and well written. It is well executed and poses a question—who or what escaped from the lab? I found myself hooked by the first two sentences, then by the prologue itself, which is a good indication of what follows. I would like a bit more detail as to what the lab is about. For example, is this person who escapes infected with something? That would add a nice bit that would increase the suspense. Still, the opening impresses me.

In chapter 6 we meet the protagonist, Detective Tom Ryder. Like all cops, he has a bad marriage and a boss that he doesn't quite get along with. True to form of their relationship, his boss assigns Tom the Mantek case. As a result, he comes into contact with Jane Simpson, the WHO operative introduced in chapter 5. The relationship between the two starts off somewhat cold and professional. I would like to see, personally, a bit more here. Of course, Rebirth is an action-oriented novel, but, still, I think that the very first meeting between Tom and Jane should create a spark of some kind. Of course, the chapter in which we meet Jane would stand some improvement as far as developing who Jane is. Still, the opening chapters are pretty good.

Another thing that is effective in this book is the brevity of the chapters. This is a good habit in thrillers and action novels where you want to make your story points clearly and not engage in too much fluff.

The author stumbles a bit in the distinction between the antagonists. The questions that poses itself after chapter 12 is—does the assassin who kidnapped Doctor Owens work for the Brotherhood? Clarity is the beginning of true suspense, and it would be intensified in this book had this been more clear. The action and the writing, however, are good enough to compensate for the glitch.