Book Review: Buzz

Buzz by Anders de la Motte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publication Date: January 2014
Source: Netgalley

It’s been four months since he was dragged into the Alternative Reality Game that nearly cost him his life, and HP is still on the run. He has everything he ever wished for—freedom, money, and no responsibilities, but he still isn’t happy. Plagued by insomnia and paranoia, HP misses the rush and attention of The Game. Sometimes he almost wishes the Game Master would find him.

In Dubai, HP meets Anna Argos, a sophisticated and beautiful Swedish IT millionaire. When she disappears, HP is questioned by the police. Fearing he has been found by The Game, HP returns to Sweden after being released from custody. Determined to uncover the truth about Anna’s disappearance, HP uses a fake identity to apply for a job at ArgosEye, the company Anna worked for. In the business of online information management, ArgosEye is involved in some questionable practices, under the control of Anna’s husband, the CEO Philip Argos.

Meanwhile, HP’s sister Rebecca has started dating Philip Argos. When she unknowingly reveals her brother’s real identity to Philip, the police try to bring HP in for questioning again. On the run again, HP refuses to give up and tries to uncover what is really happening at ArgosEye. Before he can find the truth, HP is stopped in his tracks. Thinking he’s about to be thrown in prison, HP is taken to the outskirts of the city and left in the woods, where an elderly man hands him a piece of paper. HP believes the game is over, but is it really just beginning?

This book is pretty gripping, and one exciting thing happens after another, keeping you turning pages. However, I can't say that it is a fun read. There is really nothing happy that happens in this book, it's all pretty depressing.

Besides that, I don't like any of the characters. They are just not very good people. I also found it a little hard to follow at times when the POV would shift, basically from paragraph to paragraph. No chapter break, or even some kind of sign, you just have to figure it out as you go.

All that said, I will read the next one, because the story is interesting, and I'd like to see where it all goes.