The Turning Point

Online Book Club ​ Post by Olga Markova » 09 Sep 2024, 12:34 [Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Turning Point" by William John Blackwood.] 5 out of 5 stars The Turning Point by William John Blackwood is a suspenseful and thought-provoking action thriller enriched with mind-blowing intrigue and a sprinkle of romance. The story starts in Los Angeles, where Judy Ruono, a teenager with acting and modeling talent, is lined up for sale as a sex slave to a customer in the Middle East. The seller is a secretive charity foundation that, under the guise of charitable purposes, trades in sex slaves. Selling a fake modeling job to Judy is entrusted to the foundation’s young salesman, David Johns. But when David meets Judy, he takes to her and plots an escape for them. Will David rescue Judy from sex slavery? What lies ahead for them? Reading W.J. Blackwood’s The Turning Point, I marveled at the blend of entertaining and, at the same time, warning and thought-provoking messages in this astounding story. The fast-acting and suspenseful storyline kept me turning pages, as I could not wait to find out if David’s escape plot succeeded. I also liked how this novel exposed the devious modeling scam, warned against the risks of sex slavery, and exposed corruption in the police and international passport and border controls. On the downside, I disliked the graphic violence, torture, and murders. But I appreciate that these unsavory episodes are integral to the important warning Blackwood conveys through this story. A gentler portrayal of the life-threatening modeling scams might fail to hit home with star-struck teenagers and their parents. So, these negatives do not affect my rating. Other than the unpalatable episodes of cruelty I mentioned above, I thoroughly enjoyed this riveting, masterfully written, and professionally edited novel. So, I happily rate it 5 out of 5 stars. This remarkable novel will appeal to action-thriller fans, and I especially recommend it to coming-of-age and young adults dreaming of glittering modeling careers. It is also a useful read for their parents, teachers, and caregivers. However, graphic violence and deaths may trigger sensitive readers. The Turning Point View: on Bookshelves ​

“An often-entertaining adventure story about fighting back and settling scores.” – Kirkus Reviews.

In a world run by people who fuel division, the circumstances of one woman are about to change everything. Judy innocently takes up what seems to be an exciting acting opportunity but leads her to be drawn into a world of trafficking by power hungry players on the lookout for secrets to exploit. But they’ve picked the wrong person as Judy becomes a spearhead for change. An interesting political thriller that has an almost satirised establishment and shadowy organisations. What begins as a group of traffickers for the wealthy well-known as a way to gain power and leverage becomes whole government and public systems operated by those intending on causing and manipulating division - “cancel culture gone mad”. Judy is a wilful main character, hardly fazed by the circumstances she finds herself in, and always fighting back against those out to capture or punish her. This can be read as a political thriller with an anti-establishment theme or be looked at and evaluated for its social commentary. There’s moments of irony - coach loads of protesters arriving on the farm to shout about protection of the environment and animals while thinking nothing of the vehicles they travel in or the abrupt killing of one of those animals. It’s a thought-provoking tale of a troubled world stacked like a house of cards and the events that could bring it all crashing down. This is a good storyline which although it's set in the future, feels very relevant to today. It's quite a complex plot and the author is to be applauded for not confusing the reader with all the twists and turns. My only (slight) criticism is that in parts it is a bit wordy. I'd definitely recommend this book.

I found the book to be a slow starter and was near on halfway through the book before I became invested into the plot and the characters. Once I had though, it turned into a fast paced thriller that took us on a crazy journey into the near future. It's cleverly plotted and has some well rounded characters. I found it to be entertaining, engrossing and would definitely recommend.

Set in the near future, W.J Blackwood has created a believable and relatable tale with characters you can totally get behind who experience twists and turns in the plot of this unexpectedly enjoyable adventure. I enjoyed this book so much, I finished it off the next day as I was desperate to find out what happened next to the characters! I can see this easily being adapted for film or television as it would translate really well, although I equally thoroughly enjoyed it as a book. Looking forward to seeing what else this brilliant author comes up with in the future! What a read!