Book Review and Giveaway: Speculation by Edmund Jorgensen

Synopsis: Andrew Wrangles has a decision to make. His best friend Sothum, a philosophical and financial genius, has just died and left him a choice in his will: ten million dollars or a sealed envelope.

Andrew's wife Cheryl doesn't see this as much of a choice. She wants Andrew to take the money, and what little patience she has for his speculating about what could be worth more than ten million dollars is wearing thin very quickly.

But as Andrew digs deeper into the secret life that Sothum lived, he finds more questions than answers. Does the envelope contain the fate of a vanished mutual friend? The answer to a terrible cosmic riddle? The confession to a crime? Is Sothum just playing a final private joke? Or has Andrew become a pawn in a game--a game that Sothum died playing against a bigger opponent than Andrew can imagine?

Review: While this book sounded great on preview, once I started reading it, I got a little worried, as the characters are VERY intellectual and discuss Philosophy at length, and keeping up (especially late at night) sorta taxed my brain. But then by about chapter 5, I realized the author was giving you enough info to keep up, and you didn't have to remember all those college classes (though that helps). BUT it DID make your brain work- think of it like SMART fiction!


The author does a good job of making unlikable characters likable and understandable. he swings you back and forth- wanting to find out the riddle, yet wanting Andrew to make the right decision. He does a good job at showing us how little we truly know about our friends at times. The basic premise of the riddle that must be solved is echoed in the book repeatedly- "once you have solved a puzzle it is broken and cannot be put back together, It will never fascinate or delight you again." 


How he brings God into this puzzle is interesting. You will find yourself racing, yet stopping repeatedly through the last section. Philosophy meets God 101.  I had to stop and reread the section that explained God's perfection, and how miracles are really when he cannot hold himself back, allowing us free will, but cannot overcome the urge to intervene! It's a great image of a happy God! 


This was a intellectual book that makes you think, but is a great little fiction book as well. Take your time reading this book and you'll enjoy this book! PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!

About the Author: Edmund Jorgensen was born in Chicago. He studied classical languages and has maintained a love for all things Greek and Roman. He fell in love with his wife in Mexico; they now reside, happily but considerably more chilly, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Edmund is currently hard at work on his second book, a set of interconnected short stories. Connect with Edmund on his website,  Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads.

BONUS GIVEAWAY: 

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes: Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Speculation? Well, there are two ways to enter...

1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Speculation tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! You can enter on the tour page (as I can't get the Rafflecopter form to load here).

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Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Novel Publicity, for blog review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or other, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it