Reviewer: The Illuminati Protocol strangely transfixes with “intriguing storyline”

I found myself wavering around while reading “The Illuminati Protocol” by Robert Ristino. At first I was immediately grabbed into the story and the fact that Lyle (total freak) was going to stalk and kidnap a young girl to deliver to a sex trafficker. Terrible, yes, but yet an intriguing storyline that I’ve never read about before. I was horrified and indignant at the same time, and strangely transfixed. I loved and hated the characters, but they were all well developed and we could picture them perfectly (for better or worse).  There were times I felt the story wasn’t as focused as I’d like, with some conversations and scenes maybe weren’t necessary and perhaps could have been eliminated to tighten the narrative some. But at the same time, the storylines were amazing, and there was pretty much nonstop action and some definitely crazy developments toward the end. It felt fresh and unpredictable, always a nice experience, especially in a genre that is fraught with copycats. All in all I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written thriller/suspense with memorable characters that will open your eyes to a real problem in the world and see what really happens out there. Recommend for fans of James Patterson, Dan Brown, etc… (4 stars) Darla Ortiz— Goodreads; Barnes & Noble; Indie Book Reviewers