Summary from goodreads: Is it possible to con your way out of hell? Fifty-two year old Daniel Cabrero thinks so and why wouldn’t he? That’s how he spent his entire life. But Jonah his spirit guide has reasons of his own for making sure Daniel pays for all the suffering and misery he’s caused others. Still sometimes people can change, even in hell. And maybe Daniel can keep his son from following the same path.
About the Author (from her website in her own words)
Hi
I’m Deanne Blackhurst, the author of Turning Hearts andSleight of Hand. I was born in Oakland, California and grew up all over the California Bay Area with a few two year stint in New Providence, New Jersey. I went to BYU and majored in drama, communications, creative writing and family sciences in that order.
I spent a year and a half in Paraguay before returning home and marrying my long time friend turned sweetheart Kent Blackhurst. We have three biological children, one adopted from Mexico and two from Haiti, a son-in-law and will be adding a daughter-in-law in a few months
Over the years I’ve always had a great love for writing. I’ve written for Newspapers, magazines, newsletters, web pages… just about anything you can think of. I’ve addressed topics as widely varied as raising credit scores and alpine horn enthusiasts. However, given the choice, I always enjoyed writing humors articles in the style of my hero Erma Brombeck. I currently write a weekly blog called The Book of Deanne that features short humorous insights into the life of a writer/mom.
In 2002 I began what would be an eight year journey to write my first novel. It was accepted by a publisher in 2008 and released a year and a half later. Turning Hearts is the story of a young female LDS missionary searching for a family she’s been dreaming of.
In the mean time I began work on a second novel with a somewhat unique premise. Daniel, a seasoned con man dies unexpectedly and finds himself in the afterlife. His spirit guide Jonah leads him to a beautiful cabin in the woods and Daniel believes that he has conned his way into heaven. But hell isn’t necessarily a burning landscape with devils and pitch forks and sometimes the worst punishment a man must suffer comes from the depth of his own conscience. Sleight of Hand was released as an eBook on July 15, 2010.
On the horizon is a romantic thriller, and contemporary fantasy.
I am also the author of Exploring the eBook Jungle, a blog about my experiences publishing and marketing an eBook.
When I’m not writing, I like to read (of course), eat chocolate, explore international cuisines, design on-line graphics, play with my grandson and shop for dangling earrings. I’m forever trying to drop a few pounds and get out to the gym more often. I love watching Psych and Castle on TV and the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have to admit that when I began this book, I really was not sure what I would think. It was a different sort of book than I normally read. I generally do not read books that deal with the afterlife. It was a little different to have the main character spend most of his life in the book as a dead man.
As I continued to read the book, I was greatly impressed by the author's ability to tell a compelling story and create such intriguing characters. I cannot say that Daniel was someone I actually liked. I know a lot of reviewers felt sorry for him and grew to like him, but I cannot say I ever did. The end was actually a bit of a disappointment for me in that respect. I will say that the author minced no words when describing his depraved past.
The thing that disturbed me most about the book was that it took a different view of the afterlife than I believe. I was able to set all that aside, but I do not like the idea of someone getting a second chance after death to make everything right--especially a character like Daniel. In my opinion, all the pain and suffering he felt after death did not atone for the atrocities he did while alive. I would have much preferred having the story follow the line of thinking in "A Christmas Carol" or "It's a Wonderful Life." I prefer the idea of changing your life while still alive rather than waiting for death. It would have been nice for Daniel to wake up at the end and realize everything was a dream and that he still had a chance to right some wrongs while alive.
I realize that I come from the perspective of an evangelical Christian, and that could turn some people off to my review, and that is fine. The stories I mentioned are favorites of mine that deal with people coming back from the dead as angels or ghosts. Those stories can still be enjoyed by me in spite of my personal beliefs. Understand that my issues with the book were making things right while still alive instead of waiting until after death.
My only other complaint was the ending. I felt that the author somewhat rushed the last chapter or two, and I would have preferred a little more explanation at that point. But that is just my preference.
Would I recommend this book? I really depends on many things. If you are one who enjoys a well-written story about divine justice and the afterlife, this may very well be the book for you. I cannot fault the author for writing a book that embodied a clever tale with a variety of characters and situations. However, if you are like me and prefer to see people handle the issues of their lives before they die, this book may not be the one for you.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are one hundred percent my own.
Sleight of Hand can be purchased at Smashwords.
DEAL ALERT: Until August 31, 2011, you can buy this book for just $1.99 by entering the code MX73D. Get it while you can!
I completely agree with how you feel, because I'm the same way. Because of my religious beliefs, there are some books I don't enjoy reading. I read this one book that described the preexistence more like a fantasy and everything was so distorted. I didn't like the way the author described God as a large burning light, because to me, He is more than that. Like you, I loved the Christmas Carol. I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly. I also enjoyed It's a Wonderful Life.
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