Reader Reviews of
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Reviews posted through March 2001.
Click here for reviews on the next book from C.B. Jonnes, BIG ICE
March 22, 2001
"I love your books." -- Tammy Tewksbury from Everett,MA
March 21, 2001
"Great book." -- Sally Calvillo from Pflugerville,TX
March 20, 2001
"Continued Success!!" -- Cynthia Vanfossen from Parkersburg, WV
March 19, 2001
"I collect books, and this will crown my collection." -- Teresa Reitan from Cupertino, CA
March 18, 2001
"Great music on the site!" -- Patricia J. Smith from Thomaston, ME
March 18, 2001
"The book is excellent." -- Mimi Hapsis from Sanbornton, NH
March 17, 2001
"Much appreciation, for I am an avid book reader. Thank you and good luck on the future of your book publications!" -- Louisa Post from New Lexington, OH
March 16, 2001
"I love your books - Keep them coming!!!" -- Dolly Fehling from Loudonville, OH
March 13, 2001
"Keep it coming!" -- Marianne Gurgick from Lake Hiawatha NJ
March 11, 2001
"I read your book and thought it was great." -- Sheri Brown from Hartland, WI
March 10, 2001
"I am a reader of yours and enjoy your book." -- Kathy Marshall from Neshanic Station, NJ
March 7, 2001
"I am waiting for another of [your] books to be published. I have read and re-read the first one. It was so-o-o-o good. I was out of reading material last week, so I re-read it again. Please hurry with another one, before I wear this one out. I have a bookcase of favorites that I have read many times." -- Mary Evo Chiaradia from Oakland, CA
March 2, 2001
"Wake Up Dead was a very powerful novel, LOVED IT!!" -- Marge Price from Conshohocken, PA
February 28, 2001
""Paul, have you ever experienced déja vu?" Professor Mason Brooks has learned over time to envision and somewhat control the future through his dreams. When he finds himself repeatedly having to avoid his own imminent death, he decides to bring Paul Fontana, a salesman who seems to be the focus of each near miss, into his research to explore the connection and try to avoid the inevitable. Fontana listens in disbelief to Mason Brooks's explanation and proposal, but for the offered $2000 a week and the chance to be around the lovely Monica Westfield, he agrees to participate in the professor's dream research. He doesn't count on his obsession with Monica turning deadly. Jonnes introduces the possibilities of the subconscious and the power of dreams as he weaves a believable exploration into the unexplored powers of the mind. Jealousy, greed, intrigue and fear drive the characters of this thriller, and keep the pages turning." -- Charlene Austin Mystery Reviewer for BookDragon.com
February 18, 2001
"Finished your book! I thought it was very good! I enjoyed it!" -- Don Belleque from Franklin, TN
February 11, 2001
"A SENSUAL, PASSIONATE, HAUNTINGLY DANGEROUS PAGE TURNER. Christopher Bonn Jonnes makes the transition from business writing to mystery writing with his first novel, Wake Up Dead. An unlikely author, Jonnes is vice president and co-owner of an industrial manufacturing company. His own personal experiments with lucid dreaming inspired this novel.
Mason Brooks is a rogue professor who has made himself rich by experimenting with the concept of lucid dreaming and cashing in on what appears to be the ability to predict the future within a certain time frame. He has lured a beautiful young student, Monica Westfield, into his life and home with money and power. But he begins to see predictions of his own death tied in with a stranger named Paul Fontana, a handsome salesman with a taste for fast cars, loose women, and gambling who regularly manages to elude loan sharks. Brooks invites Fontana into his home to further his experiments and to try to find closure on the death dreams, but he doesn't bank on how quickly Fontana and Monica fall in love:
"In a masochistic way he was proud of his cleverness for having acted upon his suspicion of Paul and Monica. After all, there hadn't been much to go on. Paul's desires were clear, but would he act on them? Monica had done only two things to make him question her faithfulness. She was quick to defend Paul on the question of the gun, and the fact that she searched his room and found the gun began to eat at Mason."
Wake Up Dead is a psychological thriller of sorts, heavy on dream psychology. Jonnes does a great job of conjuring up characters that project Hitchcockian qualities: Monica is beautiful, intelligent, and is completely under the sway of the increasingly psychotic Professor Mason Brooks. Paul Fontana evolves from a two-bit hustler to a brave and self-sacrificing man worthy of Monica's love...if he can save her (and himself) from the clutches of the mad professor.
Wake Up Dead is a page-turner that simmers with sensual passion and pulses with unspeakably haunting danger. There is nothing more terrifying than contemplating the breakdown of the human mind and civility when the scientific experiments begin. Christopher Bonn Jonnes rocks.." -- FIVE STARS from Midwest Book Reviews' INTERNET BOOK WATCH on both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
February 10, 2001
"I want you to know how much I enjoyed your... novel and am wondering if [you've] published any more? [You have] a unique approach, so I enjoyed it thoroughly." -- Unknown from Payton, AZ
January 28, 2001
"Loved your book!!!" -- Chauncey Penn from Secane, PA
January 22, 2001
"Hello! I loved your book Wake Up Dead." -- Valerie Bozeman from Powell, TN
January 19, 2001
"Love your writings. Something I'll always treasure. Keep up the good work." -- Todd Williams from Fairfield, OH
January 17, 2001
"Great book." -- Rick Robinson from Prattville, AL
January 12, 2001
"I already have the book and I think it's very very wonderfull, so thanks. I bought your book at Barnes and Noble online." -- Nehru Enerio from Spring, TX
January 7, 2001
"I love the new book." -- Wendolyn E. Jones from El Paso, TX
January 2, 2001
"I haven't read your book yet, but my wife has, and says it's an awesome book. I do look forward to reading it soon." -- Mike White from Pensacola, FL
December 31, 2000
"I loved your book and want to read more of your stuff." -- Daniel J. Schroeder from Ocean Springs, MS
December 27, 2000
"Love His writing.. and that title.. I wake up dead every morning. hahaha." -- Laurel Johnsen from Rathdrum, ID
December 21, 2000
"Hi, I gotta just say I love it!" -- Gina Luciano from Lancaster, PA
December 17, 2000
"Hello and thank you for having a web site. You joke, but you will be just as good as SK. Your writing is great." -- Deborah Dial from Laurinburg NC
December 14, 2000
"Mr. Jonnes, I just had to write and tell you that you have got to have one of the best books ever....you crack me up. You make me laugh. Keep up the good work." -- Paula Mercier from Unknown
December 9, 2000
"Hi, I am writing because I'm thrilled to have found your e-mail address. I think you are someone to admire and look up to." -- Angelina L'Amour from Shenandoah, IA
December 3, 2000
"Hi. A friend gave me a copy of your book Wake Up Dead. I LOVED IT!! Stephen King (a former Favorite) has nothing on you! When you become a really really famous author, which you are sure to do, I can say 'HA!! I'm not a bandwagon fan! See? I read his stuff when he still had time for the little people!' I loved it sooo much! Thanks! Your # 1 Fan." -- Jamie Merrill from somewhere in TX
November 30, 2000
"Wow, this is awesome! Thank you, thank you!" -- John Bean from Altamonte Springs, FL
November 29, 2000
"The storyline had me hooked from the beginning. Unlike some stories, where you have to "get into" the book first. This wasn't the case. It's about dreams, and how, with the right equipment, you can manipulate them into what you want, and alter the future. That's what Professor Mason Brooks did. He developed these machines to interpret his dreams for him during the night, so in the morning, he could decipher them while also experiencing deja vu during the day. Someone else came into Mason's dreams frequently. A man named Paul Fontana. He was young and handsome, but they had not met each other ever, so what was the connection between them? Mason wants to find out. Could Mason's beautiful, younger wife, Monica have anything to do with this? You'll have to read it to find out! The way things turn out between Mason, Monica and Paul is pretty typical, I thought. But the entire story, about dreams and such, was very interesting." -- Lisa from LisasBookReview.com
November 26, 2000
"I thank you very much for a great novel." -- Carmen Kroll from Grand Rapids, MI
November 22, 2000
"I loved your book." -- Rosemary Ward from Harmony, ME
November 17, 2000
"Thank you. Keep writing!! We love your stuff!!" -- Scott Fuller from Golden, CO
November 17, 2000
"I just finished your book, and it was great! I really loved it. I was wondering if you would be interested in doing an interview with me? I am posting the review of Wake Up Dead for the weekend of the 24th, and thought an interview would go nicely with it. Let me know." -- Lisa from Lisasbookreview.com
November 16, 2000
"I have already read your book and really enjoyed it. I also did recommend your book to friends. Looking forward to your next book." -- Sara Nevil from Sellersburg, IN
November 16, 2000
"Your book was great." -- Linda Grenzebach from Lakeland, FL
November 15, 2000
"Love ya!" -- Debbie Fields from South Lyon, MI
November 14, 2000
"My wife and I are big fans and very much enjoy your book, Wake Up Dead. You're great! We would very much like to have an autographed bookmark or picture if possible. Good luck in the new year. Your fans. Joe & Pat Slert." -- Joe & Pat Slert from Laurel, MD
November 13, 2000
"Got the book. Nice." -- Scott Smith from Coaldale, PA
November 12, 2000
"Please keep up the wonderful work!!" -- Raj from Unknown
November 11, 2000
"I love your book! My mom is a big fan of yours as well!!" -- Kristen Richard from Pittsburgh, PA
November 10, 2000
"Loved the new book, and can't wait until the next one." -- Donna Jack from Channing, TX
November 9, 2000
"I love this new book. Keep up the great writing." -- Tina Dom from Baltimore, MD
November 8, 2000
"I loved your book, "WAKE UP DEAD." -- Mandy Taylor from Mt. Olive, NC
November 7, 2000
"Very good book!" -- Alissa Rosenberger from Danville, IL
November 5, 2000
"Big fan of yours! Thanks, Mr. Jonnes!!! KEEP WRITING!!!!! YOUR FAN." -- Bernie Will from Newburgh, IN
November 3, 2000
"I enjoyed Wake Up Dead very much in general and gave it a four star review (on Amazon.com). I hope you continue to write. You are very talented, and are going to get better. Please forgive my quibbles in the review. I only include them on books that I like, as constructive feedback for future improvement. Your work with Monica Westfield and your development of the science fiction premise were both outstanding. They were so good that they probably made the rest look not quite as good as it really is. Good luck with sales of the book! With best regards!" -- Don Mitchell from Boston, MA
November 3, 2000
"How Would Knowing the Future Change Your Life? In this science fiction thriller, you will examine life from the premise that you can know what will happen next . . . and influence the outcome in your favor. The moral of the story is that this foreknowledge will tempt us to take on God-like powers that will dehumanize us in the process. Obsession is not good for us, regardless of its form. Researcher Mason Brooks develops a way to discern the future from his dreams, and change the outcomes. This makes betting and investing easy. He uses this skill to amass a fortune and attract the beautiful, young Monica Westfield. But something is going wrong. Brooks dreams of his own death, and each time he does, he sees the same young man, Paul Fontana. Soon, Brooks arranges for Fontana to join the dream experiments to find out how to avoid dying. The three characters become involved with each other in a rapidly developing maelstrom of jealousy, greed, passion, and fear . . . connected by future inklings. Many readers will see parallels to Frankenstein, the novel. Brooks wants to eliminate his creation, the precognitive Paul Fontana, in the same way that Dr. Frankenstein wants to eliminate his monster. Paul and the monster just want love, and Brooks and Dr. Frankenstein don't want to provide it. Both creations come to reflect on their creators. The strength of this book is in the plot line about the implications of precognition of the future. Many fascinating questions are raised that will leave you thinking long after you have finished the book. I would have enjoyed the book even more if the plot had sustained these questions and conflicts longer. The weakness of the book lies in the plot details involving the two unappealing male characters. Although the plot has tremendous conflict, action, and development, the characters repelled me so much that I found it hard to relate to them. Fortunately, Paul Fontana pursues a path toward redemption, which made the ultimate resolution reasonably rewarding. On the other hand, the Monica Westfield character is very interesting and well developed in the book. If the other two characters had matched her appeal and complexity, Wake Up Dead would have been an incredibly outstanding novel. After you have finished enjoying this speculative action story, I suggest that you ask yourself how you would change your life if you knew you would die on a certain day from lucid dreaming. Would you be like Mason Brooks and try to avoid that event, or would you simply make the best use of the remaining time? Or would you discount the dream? Sleep on important decisions before you act!" -- FOUR STARS from Don Mitchell, the #2 ranked "Top Reviewer" on Amazon.com
November 3, 2000
"A novel filled with fascinating philosophical and ethical quandaries. Yet this is not a boring cerebral treatise, but a fast paced thriller with deep psychological ramifications. Highly recommended. The future exists in the present -- we witness it every night while we sleep. Déjà vu is the bringing of these subconscious memories into conscious awareness. Because we have seen the future, when it occurs, we experience a feeling of repetition. When researcher Mason Brooks invents a machine that allows the subconscious world of dreams to be brought into consciousness, he learns to manipulate the future for his own purposes. He satisfies his dreams of wealth, a beautiful woman, and power. However, his single-minded manipulations result in enslavement as he falls victim to the lure of predicting the future. His relationship with his girlfriend Monica deteriorates and he becomes obsessed with subverting the death he's dreamed repeatedly. Only one element ties the dreams of death together -- a man named Paul Fontana, a younger, attractive man, and a complete stranger. Mason lures Paul into his dream research with promises of wealth. However, Mason didn't realize the added danger posed by bringing Paul into his home. The younger man is immediately captivated by Monica and becomes determined to win her away from the professor. As tension builds, Christopher Bonn Jonnes creates fascinating philosophical and ethical quandaries. Yet this is not a boring cerebral treatise, but a fast paced thriller with deep psychological ramifications. WAKE UP DEAD is an unnerving page-turner guaranteed to keep the reader guessing until the last moment. Highly recommended. -- Senior Editor from WordWeaving.com
November 1, 2000
"KEEP ON WRITING!! U R GREAT!!! -- Julie Rosier from Evansville, IN
October 31, 2000
"Congratulations on the release of your book, "Wake up Dead." Awesome. I'm sure that it will do well." -- Robb Cornell from Hilliard, OH
October 28, 2000
"Great book!" -- Lorie Yates from West Babylon, NY
October 26, 2000
"My favorite author." -- Janice Cournoyer from Lorette, MB
October 24, 2000
"Keep writing, you are awesome!!!" -- Julie M. Kulick from Kimberly, WI
October 23, 2000
"I have read Wake Up Dead, and found it hard to get into, but once there, he caught me hook, line, and sinker. Hope you will think of it as good reading. It’s a fiction book, just good for reading when stuck in a traffic jam, doctor's office, plane ride or laying propped up in bed before going to sleep." -- Editor from "FYI" newsletter
October 22, 2000
"I have a copy of your book, Wake Up Dead, and it is wonderful! I just finished it, and I loved every page! Keep up the great work! Will you be doing a booksigning in the Salt Lake City area? I would love to get my book signed also. Best regards." -- Carson Lund from Vernal, UT
October 20, 2000
"Keep up the good work!!" -- Mike Carroll from Lake Grove, NY
October 18, 2000
"I really like suspense novels. I really liked "Wake up Dead." -- Cecily Cox from Toronto, ON
October 16, 2000
"I really enjoyed your novel. The review will post on November 1." -- Cindy Penn from Senior Editor for WordWeaving (http://www.wordweaving.com)
October 10, 2000
"I really liked the book, Chris. Great job. It was completely unpredictable and I think it would make a great movie. Sean Connery as the professor and Nick Cage as the young guy. I gave good opinions for you at Epinions and B&N. Good luck in any future writing. I hope you continue." -- Jan Williamson from Cushing, OK
October 8, 2000
"Have you ever thought about writing a comedy? You're funny. I bought your book just because I think you are interesting." -- Lisa Bird from Lenoir City, TN
October 5, 2000
"Dear sir: I pray that you will prosper in every way through your first (and I do not think the last) book writing. I just wanted to congratulate you on your accomplishment. It is not easy to get as far as you have. God Bless." -- Mary from Unknown
October 2, 2000
"A mystery of unusual perception! Cleverly taking on the art of lucid dreaming in a book that deftly sets the traditional genres of mystery and science fiction on their collective ear." -- Buzzy reviewer for eBookad.net
September 30, 2000
"You are a fabulous writer! Good luck with future projects!" -- Kathy Simons from Savannah, GA
September 29, 2000
"My mom really enjoys your book. I gave her a copy of Wake Up Dead for her birthday. I knew it would be the perfect gift-- Steve Hedges from Crown Point, IN
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