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House of Carla

Carla, written by Michael Gryboski, is a book that we did not find on our own. We actually received an instagram message from Gryboski (he slid into the clubs dm’s...if you will). With the air of mystery to this newly discovered novel, we researched to see if we were interested. After reading through the summary from Amazon, we were quite intrigued (novel now on Goodreads). With that said, we agreed and added it to the summer schedule. This explanation of the process is only noted, because we unfortunately underestimated this novel and are desperately trying to see where we went wrong. In short, we are infatuated with Carla.

To give you some insight, Michael Gryboski is a novelist and reporter for The Christian Post. He describes himself as an aspiring hymnist and a pro-wrestling fan, giving us the insight that yes, you can be both. His novel, Carla, became published in April 2017 and is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and InknBeans Press. Lucky for us, he is working on another novel currently(hopefully Carla 2.0), and has many other books if you enjoyed Carla.

Now, for the specifics on the book. Carla joined a terrorist organization named Cicero (Pop, Six, Squish, CICERO...excuse the Chicago reference) to get quick cash to give her grandfather (Giddo) the medical attention he needs. But hey, the greatest sins in human history were done in the sake of love, and Carla’s actions were no different. All is not so simple though. Within the web of politics, the small town literally and figuratively explodes, while Carla with help from Josiah Sharp digs deeper and deeper into how far this organization will go. The abounding detail really elevated the work and put the reader right in the story. Additionally, the connectivity between the main character and reader plays into the understanding and justification of Carla’s actions. Not one time did either of us dislike Carla, or judge her actions even though she was a terrorist (it helps that it’s a book, but still). Ultimately, it demonstrates how far some are willing to go to save the ones they love. From dropping out of college to caring for them, along with working two jobs, and becoming a paid for hire assassin.

We also think it is important to mention that we admire how the author stuck to his morals, not needing to fill the pages with sex and foul language just to attract the average “spy” readers. Along the same lines, we are glad he finds a balance to instilling his religious beliefs into the character of Josiah without overdoing it and making the recurring bible quotes redundant. Furthermore, the ending left us wanting more and we would definitely read a sequel, even if it was just a courtroom drama. In our opinion, there is so much potential left untapped for Carla, and a series would be incredible and worth the read. We’d also like the next step for the author to be developing this into a screenplay. If they can make three Dan Brown movies, then surely they can make Carla. It’s perfect for the current political climate and has a slight House of Cards feel at times. So in an unrealistic time, please make that happen Michael Gryboski.

With all the pros, there are always some cons that are ultimately constructive in the end. One dislike was how long the chapters were. It slowed down the book by denying it solid resting points. If it were to be republished, we would recommend starting a new chapter each time the point of view changes. There were some grammatical and spelling errors. For the shortfallings in the quality of print and lack of professional editing, we blame the editor/publisher. Carla deserves better. Next, we thought that some parts were slightly technical, but anyone familiar with espionage and the spy genre shouldn’t have a problem at all. For the more pure among us (Geneva) who wasn’t aware how a piano wire could be used to kill someone… well this book might be a bit of an eye opener for you.

We know this post is lengthy, but we needed to deliver credit where credit is due. This novel was initially underestimated, which made its great story pop from the pages even more. Carla is a perfect summer read and worth the check out. To purchase, click the link below.

Thank you again to Michael Gryboski for opening our eyes to this fantastic novel. We wish you success in your future endeavors!

Better Read than Dead,

Geneva & Addie

In exchange for a fair and impartial review we were provided with a courtesy copy of Carla by the author, Michael Gryboski. Big thanks and we look forward to working with you in the future!


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