Hello Readers
Welcome to the Beautiful Carnage Blog Tour! To see the full tour schedule, click on the banner above. Read on for my review of the book!
Beautiful Carnage–a Neo Geisha novel
By Monica L Patton
Genre: Steamy Psychological Thriller
Orphaned and brain-washed from the age of six, Philomene Doucette is a beautiful assassin programmed to be a soulless killing machine by the CIA— and death has never looked so good.
In the, steamy, psychological thriller, Beautiful Carnage, Philomene is given her most important assignment yet: executing Haruto Mori, the leader of a deadly Japanese clan. To conceal her identity, Philomene is smuggled into Japan under the guise of being a sex worker and is presented as a gift for Haruto. Philomene’s mission to kill Haruto becomes an inner battle as she struggles between her conditioning, the affection she feels for Haruto and her increasing desire for Tadakai, her CIA handler.
When Haruto is unexpectedly murdered, Philomene uses her deadly training to find answers. She learns of a shocking government plot for mass murder at an upcoming Yakuza Summit—where Tadakai will be in attendance.
Philomene rescues Tadakai, and together they find a haven in a remote, abandoned farmhouse. As they forge a deeper connection, the two make a life-changing decision to leave this dangerous lifestyle behind to create a new life together…but their past misdeeds will not be absolved without exacting bloody sacrifices
Buy The Book : AMAZON
My Review
I love books about assassins and after reading the premise I was sold. What the premise doesn’t say however is how emotionally wrenching this book is.
The main character Philomene is a ‘trained’ assassin, actually let’s insert ‘brainwashed’ here as I think that would be a better fit. She has been conditioned from a very young age and does close-up assassinations. As part of her job, she often has to get close, physically and emotionally, with her marks and in order to deal with this has developed Multiple Personality Disorder.
Man, oh man, I really felt for her because I could often sense the little girl part of her struggling to deal with the horrors she goes through, often demeaning, yet twistedly arousing and totally heartbreaking.
This is a dark, suspenseful read and I found it to be immersive, captivating, and emotionally gripping. I really connected with Philomesne and empathised with her while at the same time admiring her strength, resilience, determination and all-round bad-assery in the midst of it all. Thumbs up for this Neo Geisha novel!
My Rating
Author Bio
Currently performing in the Broadway National Tour of The Book of Mormon, Monica has worked with such notables as Jesse Norman, Diahann Carroll and Freda Payne. She covered Eartha Kitt as the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s’ Cinderella and sang opposite Jon Secada as the Narrator in the National Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Her other credits include; Broadway: Finian’s Rainbow, Abby’s Song, and Ragtime. Off-Broadway: Little Ham. National Tours: Disney’s The Lion King, Annie 30th Anniversary; City Center Encores! productions: On The Town, Pipe Dream, Fanny, Anyone Can Whistle, Purlie, Finian’s Rainbow and Applause. The Distinguished Achievement in Production award was presented to Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices, by Walter Dean Myers. Monica was honored to have been a featured Narrator on the production. when she is not onstage, you can find her in a quick change booth–writing, playing video games with her daughter or perched on a stool, having a craft cocktail.
https://m.facebook.com/neogeishaforever/
Monica Patton @neogeishaforeve
monicapattonforever.com
chocomeiske.wordpress.com 