The Appearance of Truth

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: I read this book from beginning to end almost without stopping. The plot's twists and turns kept my interest and the narrative was incredibly descriptive. The author writes beautifully and has a genuine feel for the language and nuances of the South. Also, his understanding of the complexities of issues like trust and commitment in a relationship (both between lovers and between siblings) are spoken from the heart. The murder of Cozie's sister threatens to destroy not only Cozie's family, but also the marriage of Cozie and her husband, Kyle. I never guessed the plot's outcome until the final pages.

Rating:
Summary: Book Review
Review: The Appearance of Truth is a fabulous book! I can just visualize this as a movie!
I could not put this book down; it compelled me to finish it immediately.
The author, Scott Keller, writes a very descriptive, detailed, vivid, layered story.
This book is captivating because it explores the intricacies of love, jealously, justice, reality, truths, lies and death.
The relationship between the two sisters, Cozie and Molly is dysfunctional. Most sisters are competitive; however, there is a line between normal and over the edge. They are competitive with each other for love. Anger, jealousy and rage fuels a destructive irreparable fire. In conclusion, things are really never the way they appear to be. And this wonderful book explores and exposes the duplicitous nature of personalities and ego.

Rating:
Summary: Evocative and Compelling
Review: The Appearance of Truth is an evocative and compelling story about truth, integrity and commitment. Its beautifully written prose evokes the feeling of a small coastal town, and the dialogue captures the nuance of deeper meanings, of what is meant rather than what is said by a character.

The characters, especially Kyle and Cozie, are really quite complex and are richly developed by the author, Scott Keller. His writing shifts easily from one person to the next, and I found myself truly engaged not only in the plot, but the intentions and motivations of each person in the story.

As I read the book, which I finished over a weekend, I imagined how well suited the plot would be for a great film, one with interesting characters who are tested by the stresses of their circumstances. The author focuses on a variety of relationships, between sisters, between husband and wife, between the accused and the accussor, between the guilty and the innocent, -- all while giving a strong sense of these characters lives. Not to mention the allegory of the two hurricanes at the beginning and the end of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Storms in the Soul
Review: Twists and turns in the plot keep Scott Keller's novel, The Appearance of Truth, moving with violent momentum. Problematic women with dark secrets are juxtaposed against the quest for love and an unsolved murder in a sleepy coastal town.

Nothing is what it appears. There are more layers hiding the truth than there are waves crashing against the Southern shores in this gothic thriller. A strong sense of place, Beaufort, SC, and compelling characters, guide the reader straight into the vortex of the coming storm.

Crashing to its conclusion, this book lingers in the mind long after reading it.