Username by Joyce Faulkner

Review by John Hansen

Blurb:

Identity theft, scams and a serial killer. Username is a must-read for every person who has a credit card or uses the Internet. Who’s using your name? You may not know until it’s too late. See yourself as a mark through the eyes of a master identity thief. The scams will shock you as you realize how vulnerable you are. Then there is the nice gentleman you met in a chat room…who is he?

Review

First, I think I should start by saying that I saw Joyce’s book on twitter and after being sucked in by the book cover and blurb, I requested a free copy to read and review. I REQUESTED personally it, which is pretty high praise in itself, especially because I’ve been so busy with reviews. A few pages in, I’m slightly disgusted at the protagonist, a serial killer, and his awful nature and twisted mind. Twenty more pass and I feel sick. I don’t like the protagonist at this point, at all. More pages go by and I’m groaning to myself. Did I really agree to read this book? Jennifer/Maureen and Lynda come in and I’m confused. I think that the author deliberately made these characters and their relationship confusing for a more suspenseful push, but it further irked me. Twenty percent in and I’m considering dropping this book. It just wasn’t what I expected. I disliked the protagonist, was confused by the plot because there wasn’t really one at that point and wasn’t really sure what was going on. I was on the fence. Should I give it up? But you know what? I powered through it, read a little more and started to get into the book. I mean really get into it. Username is a thrill-ride that – once you get on – you just can’t get off. It takes you into the twisted mind of a serial killer, to the pure, desperate mind of a divorcee and the touching yet violent one of her friend who is also a witty con. Though it is a little confusing throughout, after bypassing the slow start and really getting into the characters, you just can’t stop reading. I began to love this book. I loved the author’s voice, the incessant action, and how the author flashed back between the characters as they hunted each other and…
Oh, gosh, this is just one of those books where I need to post a spoiler! I won’t but if you read it, you’d understand. The characters – although I really was too horrified to like the protagonist – played perfectly off of each other, especially at the end with the cat and mouse game between _ and _ (can’t post spoilers!). The writing is unique and riveting, with fast, flowing prose that are perfect for a thriller like this. It took me a while to figure out Jennifer/Maureen but once I got into her character, I couldn’t stop. She became addictive. She was perfect in the plot; her actions and character were wonderful. The first 20% of this book was, frankly, dull, confusing and extremely hard to read, but once you get around it is smooth sailing. My advice: read this beginning because you need the background, but DON’T give up on this book because of the rough and sickening start. Read on!

Username is a pulse-pounding thrill-ride that is all the more riveting because you know what’s going to happen. Or so you think…