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Reviewed by Lex Allen for Readers' Favorite
The Masterminds is the second book in The Masterful series by Olivia Wildenstein. The story’s plot and four main characters - Joshua Cooper, Ivy and Aster Redd (twins), and Brook Jackson - revolve around a competitive art reality show with numerous intertwining plots to present an intriguing tale of crime, suspense, betrayal, love and fear. In sum, a true-to-life story that realistically displays the intricacies of human emotions and actions when confronted with several dynamic situations that tests the characters’ resolve, loyalty, and sense of self.
Not having read the first book in this series The Masterpiecers, I struggled to catch up as Wildenstein jumped headfirst into this second part of the story assuming, I presume, that the reader had read the first installment. It was as if the novel originated as one, but split in half and was published as two books. By the fourth chapter of The Masterminds, I had captured who was who and what was what enough so I could sit back and enjoy the masterful writing.
I love books that hold POV for a full chapter and switch POV in the next, each aptly identified. I love books that show the reader what’s happening with a preponderance of dialogue versus long paragraphs of narrative telling, and I love stories that contain verisimilitude so that suspending disbelief becomes an afterthought. The Masterminds is all that and more, including fantastic twists to the story line that will keep the reader guessing. Every character is true to life, each with their own outlook, desires, needs and drawbacks, and Olivia Wildenstein is masterful at weaving the web that holds all of this together — highly recommended.
