Video Review: Bazaar

For full screen, click [ ]

Get book here.

My Review

4.5 Congratulations to the author for the tense, action-packed, fast-paced, but rich and detailed, cinematic scenes and well-balanced dialogue true to the character's personality and nature. This techno/political/terrorism thriller is perfect for readers of Terry Haynes. From the first sentence to the last, we are presented with violence and sometimes crudeness, but with daily life humor as well, because the dialogue shows the characters' interactions well. Doesn't offer dull moments or fill-ins. Instead, it's a manhunt, cat & mouse chase with duo POV between the security corporations and cops, trying to catch the crypto hitman who is younger than they expect. It took me back to the first time I read Death Note, and I couldn't put it down. This novel flows well.

The creation of the online Bazaar turns technology and social platforms into a powerful weapon, when the little people with just a few bitcoins can decide the destiny of high-ranking people and the fate of their lives by betting on targets to be put down by 3D printed weapons. The author writes well. Each paragraph brings forward different emotions, and it's very thought-provoking. Lots of pop culture references are well brought forward instead of just trying to play the relatable card, from entertaining to serious political and contemporary society. The author is well-informed.

While there are different victims during the novel, the main target is an ex-diplomat. We have Raptor, a start-up security company, that is trying to protect him, and the Bazaar is trying to put him down in a chess game. The climax of this novel happens at about 94% of the book, leading to a somewhat abrupt end (the chess game is resolved, so what this volume initiated gets a closure), but I am excited to see what this author will bring forward.