Wonders Never Cease by Tim Downs

Kemp McAvoy is living the hard life of a UCLA night nurse while his aspirations are to be an anesthesiologist. These aspirations were put to rest, however, when his residency at Johns Hopkins was rejected because of drug abuse. Now, he lives with his girlfriend and her "loony" daughter from a previous marriage. Kemp is tired of being strapped for money. He wants to be free. The opportunity presents itself when he is assigned to monitor an aging movie star who was the victim of a car accident. She has been put into a medically-induced coma to prevent her brain from swelling, but an "angel" by the name of Kemp McAvoy is about to lower her drug dosage slightly and appear to her with a message she is proclaim to all the world. With the help of her agent and a struggling publisher, they will write the ultimate bestselling book about her experiences in the coma. But little do they know that they are tangling themselves up in their own web-all because they practiced to deceive.

Tim Downs is back. That was my first thought when I finished his latest release. He has returned to his land of originality after being exiled to typical island for too long. Through superb characters and a highly original plot, Tim has written himself a second five star novel.
Kemp is one of the most imperfect leads I have ever met. This is probably because he has an underused personality. He rivals Nick Polchak for one of the best leads ever developed. I cannot think of a single character in this plot who does not have a personality. One of the best things about the character department is that there is no real villain. If anyone is a villain, it's Kemp. Tim Downs already proved that his character developing skills are exquisite, but he did not stop just because he has now become popular. He is truly a master of characters.

The plot is most similar to Deceived by James Scott Bell, yet it is unlike any other plot. It is a highly underused plot style I call Deception. It begins with an elaborate money-making scheme and becomes more and more complicated as more people get involved, making this book more of a comedy than any of Tim's other books. The dealing and the scheming don't end until the book ends. While this book does not have a smashingly original end like that of Chop Shop, the entire book is a constant; it is wholly original rather than partly. Not only is there nothing wrong with this book; there are also many things right about it.

In short, Tim Downs is a man to be reckoned with because his writing career is far from over. No, he is only getting started with the great impression he will make on Christian fiction.

5 stars

Ends of the Earth by Tim Downs

The FBI has called upon forensic entomologist Nick Polchak once again because of the unexplained happenings on a North Carolina tobacco farm. Number one, the farmer died without explanation. Number two, a strange fungus is growing on all the crops in the surrounding area.

When Nick arrives, he meets the last person on earth he expected to meet-Kathryn Guiliford. Only her last name isn't Guiliford anymore. The farmer who died was her husband. All she has left his her autistic daughter and Nick.

But Alena, the Witch of Endor from Less Than Dead isn't going to let Nick go easily. She shows up on the farm with her dogs to reclaim her prize. Then she meets Kathryn.

What Tim Downs has done with Ends of the Earth is something he hasn't done at all in the entire Bug Man series-resurrect a previous female lead. Not only one, but two, for the sake of polling his fans on which female Nick should marry in the end.

But that is only why he resurrected Kathryn, and everyone can see that. That's why Alena is currently winning the poll. Kathryn's personality has changed for this particular conflict-just to make it interesting.

But that's not the only problem. The villain is extremely obvious. From page one I knew who the villain was. But Tim Downs didn't even try to hide who the villain was. He just tells the reader outright.

"Save the world" situations have got to be one of the most worn out plot ideas ever. The world has been saved too many times. The only original way to end this type of plot now is to have the world not saved.

The biggest pluses to the book are how Nick and Alena remain to be imperfect yet entertaining characters through it all and how the villain's subplot ends.

The Bug Man series remains to be an anomaly in my mind. There is no pattern to the ratings of each book. Also, each one is about something entirely different. Murder, organ donation, disaster relief, and fungi to name a few. It's been an entertaining series, but I believe Ends of the Earth should be the end.

3 stars

By the way Tim needs his readers to vote for the end of the book! You can do so here. We endorse Alena!

Less Than Dead by Tim Downs

Bones have been discovered on the property of a Virginia senator's estate in Virginia. Since he is very close to winning the next presidential election, he wants an immediate explanation.

The FBI calls in Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to investigate the bones and figure out how old they are and where they came from. While visiting the town of Endor, Nick hears legends about the Alena, whom everyone calls the Witch of Endor because she walks in the woods every night in a flowing white dress with a three-legged dog. Everyone seems to have a different story about her, like how she can raise the dead and control her many dogs. But Nick wants to know for himself, so he lets himself onto her property several times and eventually finds her useful in the case.

Alena is by far the best female lead Tim Downs has introduced into the series so far. She is a highly original character that shows off Tim's hidden originality.

Nick Polchak has a renewed sense of originality about him in this novel. Where he was boring in First the Dead, he was funny in Less Than Dead.

There are multiple other good characters, ones that don't have to be as good as they are.

One of the best things about Tim's writing style is his flair for detail. He doesn't leave anything out, therefore he has no plot holes.

I wish I could say he has returned to the days of Chop Shop, but he has not quite yet.

While the serial killer in the plot is one of the most original serial killers ever created, there are several unnecessary parts, like the car chase at the end. The book could have easily gone without it.

Once again, I have faith in Tim Downs, that he will do that original thing at the right time.

4 stars

First the Dead by Tim Downs

Probably the best thing about the Bug Man novels is that they can all stand alone. They all take place in different parts of the country, the always have a different female lead and the only character they all have in common is Nick Polchak.

This time Nick has left North Carolina again to go help with the cleanup of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But when he sees multiple dead bodies floating along the flooded streets of the Big Easy, he can't help but investigate a little. It's in his blood. After further investigation, he discovers that the bodies died after the hurricane. So he disobeys his direct orders to save the living first and decides to investigate the dead first.

For once, a Bug Man title actually makes sense. That's probably the best thing about it.

The character if Nick Polchak is getting more predictable with every book. His offhand comments and analyzing in the first two books were funny, but now they are expected. At least he's a consistent character.

The mystery isn't all that original or all that typical. It's somewhere in between. At least the villain had an interesting purpose.

One of the saddest parts about this book is that there is no mention of Chop Shop or anything that went on in the previous book. Nobody talks about it.

Tim Downs was sure to gain a wider audience by writing about a sensitive subject like Hurricane Katrina and by avoiding any kind of originality.

It's really hard to know what to say about a book like First the Dead. It just falls in line with a lot of the other books on the market.

3 stars

Chop Shop by Tim Downs

Nick Polchak, the Bug Man is back with his second adventure. After being suspended from teaching at NC State again, he goes on the entomology trail again and gets caught up in another investigation with a local forensic coroner.
This time the investigation has pointed them toward PharmaGen, a genetic company with an interesting mission: to do extensive DNA research to find out exactly what certain people are genetically allergic to or what they genetically lack and fix it-with "borrowed organs". These organs have come from people who "don't deserve to have them". PharmaGen is just doing a service to mankind by killing them.
But don't jump to any conclusions because during the investigation, Nick and his friends don't do the right thing every time either. They do many slightly illegal things throughout the book.
While, we're on this subject, I must say that this is one of the best cast of characters I have ever read in a genetic book. Nick remains the same; he does not achieve perfection in this installment.
There is one foil introduced to Nick's character-an exterminator. What better a foil for someone who is paid to examine bugs than someone who is paid to get rid of them.
While most people wonder why Kathryn was left behind in this book, it really makes a lot of sense. Nick's job took him to another state, not to the exact same place as Shoofly Pie. That would just be downright cheesy.
This is the best genetic book ever written because of its highly original end. After you read it, you have to go back and read it again because you're not sure if Tim really wrote it or not. It's just that original. I can't believe he did it, but I'm glad he did.
This is the kind of originality that belongs on the Christian market. The kind that makes you think. Perfect ends don't make the reader think; imperfect ones do. And there's not a single perfect thing at the end of this book. The public will hate this type of end because of its pure originality, but I'm glad someone finally stood up for originality.
In the end, I'm still not sure which side was right. Tim Downs handles the issue of organ donation very well. I don't really know where I stand on the issue.
But there is one sad thing about this book. After this book, Tim Downs was dropped by Howard Fiction. Afterward, Thomas Nelson picked him up. That's when he wrote Plaguemaker.
I only hope that Tim Downs finds his way back to this type of originality.
5 stars

Shoofly Pie by Tim Downs

After reading the excellent prologue and first chapter I knew I was going to like this book.
Nick Polchak is a Bug Man. He arrives at crime scenes and listens to the flies on the wall. They tell him what happened. Literally.
In short, he is a forensic entomologist, trained to examine decomposed bodies and figure out the cause of crime.
Kathryn Guilford's brother has been found long dead in the woods. She joins forces with Nick to find the killer, but there's a problem. Ever since a traumatic experience as a child, she's been deathly afraid of bugs. Any kind of bug.
Although the mystery is pretty simple, the characters sustain the plot. Nick isn't your average perfect male lead. He's an eccentric geek who spends too much time around bugs and Latin. His wardrobe and his people skills are suffering greatly.
Nick is the kind of character we like. Imperfect and realistic.
The villain isn't a mindless serial killer like you see in most murder mysteries. He's a normal man who has flaws like the rest of us. This is the type of villain we like.
So what's keeping this book from being Elite? I'll tell you.
There is a pretty cheesy chase scene at the end. "suspense" and all.
There are major hints of a romantic subplot. You can't miss it.
All in all, this book is great for a debut novel and deserves attention.
However, this book is directly continued, and you never know what a series is going to do as it progresses.
3.5 stars

Plaguemaker by Tim Downs

The worst thing any author can ever do, worse them writing a zero star book, is not live up to potential. Especially five star potential.
Nathan Donovan works for the FBI. But when he gets a tip from an eighty-year-old Oriental man named Li about a case he's working on, he agrees to meet with him.
Li has a personal score to settle. Sato Mitsushita ruined his life sixty years before. And now he's been tracking his every move ever since. Now that a case related to him has surfaced on the FBI's radar, he has taken the chance to settle his score.
Sato has an unhealthy obsession with two things: creating viruses and destroying America because of what they did to his sister in Japan.
Now Nathan and Li, joined by Nathan's ex-wife Macy, are racing against to clock to prevent Sato from striking.
The characters are very well developed and imperfect, even better for this type of book. Most terror suspense doesn't have such good characters. Li and Sato have deep pasts and purposes. This is rare for terror suspense as well.
The problem is a huge gaping plot hole at the end. It's so big you could walk through it. How do two people survive a Tomahawk missile blasting into several tons of ammonium nitrate?
I'll leave the rest up for you to figure out.
This book had the potential to be five stars, the best terror suspense book ever. But no.
Li has a monologue near the middle of the book about how he doesn't like Disney movies because they always turn out right. I wholeheartedly agree. But Tim Downs is a complete hypocrite for not following his own character's advice.
If he would have just not written that last chapter. After I read the last chapter, I wanted to bang my head against the wall or tear the book up or something.
Untapped potential is going to drive me crazy.
3 stars