Review: Delirious by Daniel Palmer & GIVEAWAY

Delirious
by Daniel Palmer
Release Date: January 25, 2011
2011 Kensington Books
Softcover Edition; 371 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-7582-4664-6
Genre: Suspense/ Thriller
Source: ARC from Author

4.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
One day, Charlie Giles is an up-and-coming electronics superstar. The next, he's a prime homicide suspect as his former employers are picked off one by one. Charlie watches his life unravel as his company and inventions are wrenched from his control, and his family is decimated. With nowhere else to turn, he enlists his schizophrenic brother to uncover the dark family secrets that lie at the heart of the unfolding terror.


My Thoughts
Delirious was a psychological thriller that grabbed me by the first page and didn't really let go until the very last past.  It was fast-paced action with an abundance of twists and turns that pretty much kept me guessing until the end, with a twist of romance and nostalgia thrown in. 

Charlie was a fascinating character to connect with and learn more about.  At first, I wasn't really sure if I liked him very much as he was very hard-nosed and did not hesitate to fire someone when they messed up in their jobs, not really giving anyone a second chance to redeem themselves.  He was someone who tended to live to a particular schedule and if anyone messed up that schedule, they didn't belong in his life.  However, special privileges were granted to Charlie that were not granted to other people in the company, privileges such as bringing his dog to work and other little things that must have created some envy from fellow employees.  It was truly fascinating to watch Charlie's downhill turn as he turned into a prime suspect when top secrets in his company were leaked to another company.  As he kept finding notes written in his hand that he didn't remember writing, he began to think he was becoming paranoid or worse, he was succumbing to the family curse and becoming schizophrenic like his father and brother before him.  I didn't know what to believe most of the time and often wondered myself whether Charlie was delusional or not.  Flashbacks of the film 'A Beautiful Mind' kept playing over and over in my head while I was reading.

The relationship between Charlie and his brother Joe was equally fascinating.  I loved all of the little nuances that could only be or develop between brothers in this story, and I really enjoyed Charlie's awakening reality as he realizes just exactly what a treasure he has in his brother and how he didn't really know him at all, and how much of that was his fault.  There were moments in here that any sibling could relate to and I felt myself wanting to call my own sisters just to tell them that I missed them and that I appreciated them. 

You can't have a suspense novel without a little romance and Dr. Rachel enters Charlie's life because she is Joe's psychologist and is the one Charlie enlists for help when he thinks he is becoming delusional.  As Rachel is swept into Charlie's world, she also begins to question Charlie's frame of mind, wondering how far someone will go to deny what is in front of them.  There are plenty of sparks between Charlie and Rachel to add an interesting love triangle and add a few extra twists and turns to an already convoluted plot.

What I also liked about this novel is the use of technology and the descriptions; Mr. Palmer certainly knows his technology.  Anyone reading this novel will fully understand when I state that I will be very leery using an Internet Cafe in the future because of this novel.  The technology was a big part of the novel, but unlike some novels of this genre, it didn't overpower and take away from the plot or the great writing.

Verdict
Delirious is a great debut novel by a welcome new author to the genre.  With many twists and turns that will surprise the reader and take them down paths they did not expect, Delirious is sure to delight and please and thrill.  I am looking forward to reading future novels by this author.


GIVEAWAY: One lucky reader will win one signed copy of DELIRIOUS by Daniel Palmer.

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