Author: Patricia Gussin
ISBN:978-1-933515-19-9
Publishers: Oceanview Publishing

Click Here To PurchaseThe Test: A Novel

 Dr. Patricia Gussin has shown her readers how to excel as a novelist in The Test.

Dan Parnell is a self made billionaire approaching the end of his life and begins to have second thoughts about the neglect of his family. In his search to make amends and to ensure his family does not follow in his footsteps, he devises a test that each of them must pass within a specified period of time.

Their prize is their share of his estate. Should they fail, their share, and it is substantial, would go to the others. Conflict begins the day of the reading of the will when a grown daughter shows up, previously unknown to any of them. But she is a superstar celebrity and turns down any monetary inheritance. What could she want then?  Also enter on the scene a villainous boyfriend with a plan that seemingly works like a well oiled machine to abscond with the entire estate.

Conflict is further heightened by the political scheming of one of the brothers and his sister acting as his manager hobnobbing with the Washington lobbyists and congressmen. Of the eight primary characters and their spouses involved in the story, there is one pair involved in divorce with two grown children caught in the middle of the squabble; another sister is unmarried and deep into the drug scene. Imagine how deep one can get into drugs with a million dollars advance in their pocket. Another sister finds out that she has leukemia and is dying a slow death and needs a bone marrow transplant from her sister. However, this particular sister is at the twin towers when the two jets fly into them on 9-11. Another sister gets killed in a car wreck going to find out about the sister at the twin towers.

Remember the villain who wanted the entire estate? How does he fit into all this? When another sister dies from drug overdose, the plot really thickens. The villain finds resolution but not what he expects. He finds it on two fronts; his girlfriend and his father, both of which give him huge surprises.

Only a seasoned novelist could take as many twists and turns and make them flow smooth as water in a shallow brook. Then add the nail biting scenarios and unique situations of suspense and mystery to that mix and still maintain the plot and theme requires a God given talent. I don’t remember reading a book in which every character, with the exception of the children, had a conflict and a resolution to that conflict in the story. This book is an exception.

 Click Here To PurchaseThe Test: A Novel