Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I have another book review for you today and I thought I would take longer than expected but nope! Let’s get started!

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer and producer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and opinions on the book that is being reviewed. There might be spoilers that may want you to read the book when it releases!

Title: The Expansion
Author: Cristoph Martin

Synopsis: We meet Max Burns who ends up in a lot of trouble in this book. When the body of the senior official of the Panama Canal’s expansion is found dead, suspicion is pointed at Max alongside sabotage and murder along with political betrayal and intrigue in the Central America area of Panama. He can only turn to Carice Dean, a scientist with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, but little did he know that she holds a secret aobut herself that may either cost him his life or arrest.

Thoughts: At first I thought I wasn’t going to read this book from NetGalley’s collection since lately I haven’t had much luck until I was approved for this book. I was glad since the description made me interested when I got an email about authors from the U. K. offering books this summer and thought it would be interesting.

I thought it was going to be set in the 1920’s at first since that was around the time the Panama Canal was built but was wrong, this was a book set in the 2000s. It does make sense since we do have advances in technology than back when the original canal was built. I did like how the book shown all the characters that were going to be involved throughout the chapters as I read, which it started with Max losing his parents and being with his friend Gotfrito and how his best friend would play his role in the story later on with a reunion in Panama. Then we see Carice in how she starts her role by being at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Center with her roommate and colleague and we find out her secret later on in the book. There are times when books do shove the characters up front and don’t tell who they are or do and just briefly and just stay for the rest of the book which is a hard thing with character development but Martin does paint the characters very well as I kept reading. I did feel that Carice’s and Max’s relationship was a bit forced since Max was supposed to get married but the split happens when he was going on this project, I would let you read this book to see how that happened. I felt with Max meeting Carice was meet at a party and have one night and she’s gone for most of the story, I wished he could’ve met her slightly earlier like visiting the canal site or something and then it would start naturally as time goes on before she had to leave for a few years until they had to cross paths again.

The murder, on the other hand, I thought it would be happening as the story starts but I can see why it took until close to the ending chapters since it brings the important characters into the book and how events are happening and how it does lead into the murder. I think I prefer the story with a murder that way without starting the book with body on ground and they look at the most likely suspect and just have Max go through chapter on chapter to see why was it him until the end. I think putting key players in first and then the mystery works out better than mystery and then key players. I can see how this story was in his head and has stuck with Martin for a while, trust me the idea for my third book which I have been working on a little bit lately was the same way. It is like a bee buzzing around you until you have to hit it to stop bothering you. I bet with the next one it is the same way since Martin did say he is working on a sequel, which will be out next year. I can’t wait how that will be looking like since there were a few loose ends as I finished the book that need to be tied up. I have to wait!

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints Out of 5! This book deserves the five since I feel like the book did build up to the murder very well. It brought in the characters that are going to be important and then gives the set up towards the murder and the fingers to be pointed at the unsuspected when it takes place with sabotage and murder. It did make me suspect someone else, which most mysteries do, but at the same time it made it more interesting with how the story builds to the climax in the book. I can’t wait what Christoph Martin has in store for the next one next year! Hoping it will fill in some loose ends and see how the canal expansion finishes up.

Well, that is about it for this review! I would say look out for this book on Amazon in paperback and as an EBook coming soon!Until next time here at Nerdy Shique Universe!