What is your opinion?
outside influence
"Intriguing plot, lovable characters, great tour of Guatemala and its culture. Entertaining, thought provoking. Good wrap-up and ending"
Outside Influence
""Outside Influence" by Randall Collins is a well-crafted mystery, centering around the disappearance of an American businessman's son in Guatemala. He hires an amateur to investigate, Alex Conn, who teams up with a native named Lito. Their investigations sends them into some intriguing archaeological digs. (I especially enjoyed that, given that my own entry at Inkitt, SEARCHING FOR EDEN" also involves a great deal of archaeological investigation.) The author's knowledge of Guatemalan cultures suggests either he has spent some time there himself, or else he is an excellent researcher. This novel definitely held my interest, and I enjoyed the interaction between Alex and Lito. Characters were distinctly drawn. The story does seem to have been written some time ago as the cultural references all seem to be from the 1980's and 90's. My main objection to the novel was that it showed definite need of editing. There were many instances of typos, unnecessary or repeated words, tense shifts, using "that" where "who" should have been used and trite phrases ("...worse than searching for a needle in a haystack.") Frequent shifting of POV was also distracting. Still, the author tells a good story that was enjoyable to read, and that is the main thing I look for."
