Coementa Livros - Resenha

 https://comentalivros.com/nacao-em-chamas-goncalo-jn-dias/

A fascinating story that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1740ERIVMXF7O/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07YCBYJ2B

"Author Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias continues to weave a fascinating dystopian tale with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a political dystopian fiction in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a fascinating story that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class dystopian thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of sci-fi, thrillers and suspense will want it.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Matthias, a young man living far from his family, is fighting for survival after taking his first few steps away from the family farm into a society that has risen from the ashes… Sara is a young lady, who appears to be fleeing east to escape the claws of an oppressive society…Gustavo, after fifteen years in power, has decided that the time has come to find a successor. However, a surprise from the past may change his plans…The fates of Matthias, Sara and Gustavo are about to collide.’"

.........

Another review of The Good Dictator II: The Expansion

Highly Entertaining. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and this one was just as good. It really gets you thinking, if society fell apart then you would hope there was someone around like Gustavo Correia to help put things back together. The characters are great, especially Sara Torrado and Matthias Leduc and the adventure they have both set out on. I love a story you can read for hours and completely forget about everything else going on around you, and this is certainly one of those.
President Gustavo Correia of the Serrano Empire has been working pretty hard over the last 15 years building a society vastly different from the previous one, before the extra-terrestrials invaded the earth. Unfortunately, there were still people fighting for the old ways like the Aurka Terrorist Group. Matthias Leduc was now old enough that he wanted to get away from the farm and get a job hopefully with the police, but more importantly he really wanted a girlfriend and so far, there weren’t any knocking down his front door. Sara Torrado was on a mission, and she’s not quite sure if she’s up for the task after her master leaves her on her own. Even though she’s had the training, Sara doesn’t really know who or what she might run into. There are some dangerous people around that don’t care about the rules. This book is full of adventure and intrigue, and I’d love to see a continuation of this fabulous story in the future. 5/5 Star Rating.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RGA6REMJ16XSD/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07YCBYJ2B

Review of The Good Dictator II: The Expansion

"Portuguese born Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias graduated in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. He lives today in the Basque Country, Spain and on his social media listing addresses himself and an author, ornithologist and a cork tree expert! THE GOOD DICTATOR Trilogy is his literary debut – and this second installment in that series – The Expansion – proves that the promises apparent in Volume 1 continue to honor his talent. The translation from the Portuguese is by Rachel Thomas."

All the review here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1HEPH4P2O4RLI/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07YCBYJ2B

Review for Manual for a Murder by Píaras Cíonnaoíth

"An intense and intriguing crime fiction...

“Manual for a Murder” by Gonçalo JN Dias is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with vividly drawn characters driven by heady and dangerous desires.. The author weaves a well-crafted crime fiction with intriguing twists and turns that will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. Skillfully constructed, it’s a gripping tale that fans of mystery, thriller and suspense will enjoy.

The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

This was a fascinating and captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly fascinating and intense journey. Five stars."

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36272180-manual-de-um-homic-dio

Review by Helga on Manual for a Murder

Manual for Murder is a well written, gripping and fast-paced story with well-developed characters. 

How far would we be willing to go and how much would we be willing to sacrifice to get what we desire. Does Love justify murder?

The story is told by two narrators, Marina, who is bored with her everyday life and begins an affair with a married coworker, and Oscar, a detective, who is put against a cunning murderer.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2572834323?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1

Another 4 star review on MFM

"Considering that this was translated from Portuguese and some of the wording was off just slightly, (barely enough to make an impact on your reading, but enough to notice) this was a fantastic novel.

At first, you think it's just the telling of a love story. Of two people finding each other, after having known each other for years, and getting together. That in itself was lovely.

Then all of a sudden, things turn dark. And, you almost can't believe what's about to happen and if it will actually happen. No spoilers here, of course!

This book was pretty quick paced, held your interest, and kept you flipping those pages til it was finished. Not to mention, it had great character development. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this author has to offer."

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2YE1RCOL0RVQA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Review on MFM by Darlene - booklover

Another review on Manual for a Muder. Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2TM9KMZMED4QR/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07F3VXTHL

"Marina is falling in love with a colleague at work and out of love with her husband. Andre is married with a young son, but he says he loves Marina but can't leave his son.

Marina decides that she doesn't want to be the 'other' woman on the side and the affair is ended. Sometime later, Andre's wife is killed.

Oscar is the homicide detective leading the murder investigation. He finds there are several suspects. One is a colleague with whom the woman argued shortly before her death. She also had a lover that she was no longer seeing. Marina and her husband are both suspect, but it's Andre who is the prime suspect.

There are three parts to this story ... the first is told by Marina, followed by Oscar having his say as he investigates. The last is also told in Marina's voice.

It's not a highly suspenseful story, as the truth is revealed in the first part of the book. The journey that Oscar takes to find the truth is engaging.

This is a well written crime fiction with the translation exceptionally done."

A Bad review for Manual for a Murder

So, I find a bad review on the book, here's the link and the review:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36272180-manual-de-um-homic-dio

Darlene:

"Marina has an affair with a married coworker. After their affair ends, her former lover's wife is killed. Oscar is a police detective investigating the death. When Oscar finds out about the affair, Marina is added to the suspect list.

This story is divided into three parts. The first and last are from Marina's point of view and the second is from Oscar's point of view. The two different viewpoints add a little more intensity to the story than if only one was presented. 

I read a translated version of this book. There were some parts that read a little awkward, and that slowed the flow of the story for me. This is a short book though, so it was still a fast read. 

Dark, clever, and tragic. A good read for mystery fans"

Review on Manual for a Murder by Pamela Scott

Another review that I find on Amazon:

"This is a well-written and engaging novel. The story is narrated by different characters and the chapters alternate between different viewpoints. This works really well. I like it when author uses this kind of structure. I found the writing, the characters and the story engaging. The synopsis is sparse but a perfect fit for the book. The characters are well developed and engaging. Manual for a Murder has the twists, turns and surprise ending you expect from a good murder mystery."

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2YNW2ZXVFJ0HY/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07F3VXTHL

Review from Kathi Defranc - Manual for a Murder

Another review for Manual for a Murder, on Goodreads:

A very interesting murder mystery, well written so that the characters capture your attention as they are introduced. I enjoyed this story,as we look at an incident from the view of a cop trying to solve it, the person who committed it and the husband of the deceased.
We get a different sense of a murder, and the road to the end is full of turns so you can't realize what happened until you happily enjoy the end result.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40662434-manual-for-a-murder

Review by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews

Here's a new review:

Intense read

It's a very well written story, and another great one from the author. The characters in Manual for a Murder, are remarkable and well developed. This author definitely knows how to tell a story, making for the twists and story plot unpredictable. A character who believes her life was mundane, changes, and things, life, takes over. I like the way the story was weaved, bringing it to an unforeseen conclusion. Wonderfully done.

http://writeramyshannon.wixsite.com/bookshelfreviews/single-post/2018/07/15/Manual-for-a-Murder-by-Gon%C3%A7alo-J-Nunes-Dias

Review by Todd, from Australia - Manual for a Murder

This is a fabulous story that had me hooked from the beginning. Gonçalo JN Dias has done a fabulous job in weaving this story together, with a very clever and intense plot. I know how much I’m enjoying a book when I need to stop reading it for work and life’s other interruptions, then I’m excited when I start reading it again, and this is definitely one of those stories. I also like that I didn’t pick the ending.
Marina Fonseca thought her life was ok, nothing special, but just ok. That was until a work college Andre de Carvalho started to show some interest in her. After so many years with her husband Julio, things had grown a bit stagnant, and a change is just what she needed. Of course, Marina had a big decision to make, as there was no turning back once she crossed the line and got together with Andre. What Marina didn’t count on was how hard she was going to fall in love with him and his son. The only hurdle for Marina is that Andre is still married, and it doesn’t look like he’s prepared to leave his wife for her. The big question is, what Marina is prepared to do now. From start to finish this is an exceptional book, and I would certainly recommend it. 5/5 Star Rating.

See the review on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2VYXVPTEUCFF8/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07F3VXTHL

Review by Grady on Manual for a Murder

Portuguese born Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias graduated in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. He lives today in the Basque Country, Spain and on his social media listing addresses himself and an author, ornithologist and a cork tree expert! THE GOOD DICTATOR was his debut novel, promising to be the first in a series Gonçalo is calling ‘The Birth of an Empire. The translation form the Portuguese is by Ethan Mortimore. Before the second volume of that series is published Gonçalo has written a fine new mystery that expands our appreciation of his talent as a writer of substance. This book has been translated form the Portuguese by Timothy Came.

In a unique bow to his readers Gonçalo opens with the nidus for his book – ‘Story taken from the Lisbon Chronicle newspaper: “Late yesterday afternoon, in Alto do Colaride, a burnt-out car containing a charred body was found. A local resident informed the authorities, who rushed to the scene and doused the small fire inside the vehicle. At the time of writing, neither the identity of the victim nor any potential suspect in the case had been identified.” And that provides the springboard for this intensely involving novel.

You can see al the review on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1P7N3E5TA3DWD/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07F3VXTHL

First English Review for Manual for a Murder

"I read this hoping to find a light murder mystery that would help me maintain my Portuguese: mission accomplished. Pretty enjoyable read too... I would continue reading more of his books if the author publishes another light murder mystery."

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4122212-mike

Review by Piaras

Whatever flaws we might identify or frustrations we might feel are trivial in comparison to a reader's pure joy in losing himself/herself in a narrative. When all the elements come together: an intriguing plot, thoughtful, profound themes, complex, troubling, characters, and language that make us shudder for its honesty, clarity, and confidence; we gratefully set all analysis aside and give ourselves up to the sheer magic of a great book. And for me, The Good Dictator I: The Birth of an Empire is such a book.

The story had every element a good story should have. An exciting plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well illustrated scenes that really make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that's something I really look for in a good book.

This captivating and commendable work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional skill when it comes to storytelling. There are twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on a gripping journey.

It’s one of those stories that come along once in awhile that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. And that’s exactly what I did. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader!

If you are unfamiliar with this author, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from Gonçalo JN Dias in the future. I would definitely recommend this book. Five stars from me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R185Z3VI49G1HE/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N0FTZ4O

Review by Alexia Janie Evans

"The Good Dictator I: The Birth of an Empire (Volume 1): by Goncalo JN Dias is my first read from this author. The story will grab your attention and keep a hold of it. There is so much to this book. If you read the exert you'll get a general idea of the story. The real gem is actually digging into this story with its many twists and turns. I seriously didn't want to put this down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R36NNXWJLCH6OK/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N0FTZ4O

Review by Charlie Ferguson

Straight away we are swept up into the world and ways of our main character Gustavo, its done in such a way that we can identify with him. I connected with him instantly, in no specific way for a while but somehow I just felt like Gustavo was my neighbour a man who I knew a lot about and felt emotions towards. This so called average man in fact is nowhere near average after all, he hates his in laws and has fallen out of love with his wife and he treats his job like its more of a nuisance than something paying the bills. But as you read in the Synopsis, the world goes to hell and back, an object parks on the moon and no one knows where it came from, when Gustavo makes  list in preparation for the hypothetical attack he nearly blows the bank and becomes obsessed with the list. He's thought to be crazy but he's not so crazy in the end when the attack happens and everyone is left looking to Gustavo for leadership in a time only he and his 2 friends were prepared for.

I loved Gustavo as a character, he seemed to have all the thought processes I would have in any situation he was in, well or so I believe. I pretty much can only speak of him because that's where my focus is but in relation to his wife, she got on my nerves and I was quite happy with her storyline. Gustavo's friends were great, his closest 2 who were prepared with him were great just for the fact they stood with him on this, they never thought he was crazy or anything, they were on the same wavelength and that alone is hard to find. Gustavo was greatly portrayed, I knew enough about him to feel emotions towards him and support him,  I felt like we were too on the same wavelengths half of the time at least. I'm definitely one person to believe that one day some sort of extinction event will occur in whichever form it may be and that I want to be prepared for it just like Gustavo did but maybe not to so many certain extents ey?

See the rest of the Review

Review By Victoria Roberts Siczak

Masterful suspense!
An intriguing tale of suspense and mayhem, "The Good Dictator," is more than an alien invasion apocalypse. Author Goncalo J. Nunes Dias delivers an extraordinary tale of human perception and survival. A mysterious green object lands on the moon, however no one including the authorities believe the device may be cataclysmic. A ordinary man, Gustavo, and a few of his friends, decide to formulate a survival tactics, just in case. This is not an easy task, because everyone else thinks he is being somewhat neurotic. When the inevitable happens, and most of the world's population is annihilated, Gustavo must try to rebuild some sort of society in a world where civilization no longer exists. An intricate storyline, unique characters, and chilling aspects will have you turning pages until the end. 5 stars, sci-fi fans...recommended read!

https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/pdp/profile/AKLIY4BLF0P9W/ref=cm_cr_rdp_pdp_enth

Review by Grady

See the review on goodreads

Portuguese born Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias graduated in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. He lives today in the Basque Country, Spain and on his social media listing addresses himself and an author, ornithologist and a cork tree expert! THE GOOD DICTATOR is his debut novel – and it promises to be the first in a series Gonçalo is calling ‘The Birth of an Empire. The translation form the Portuguese is by Ethan Mortimore. 

Gonçalo has created a character that is likely to become as well known as the similar characters of other world journeys as Jonathan Swift’s Lemuel Gulliver in his 1726 GULLIVER’S TRAVELS – the destination of this fantasy is of course the moon. With an amazing immediacy of skill we are introduced to our ‘hero’ Gustavo in a manner that allows us to identify with him – ‘Gustavo looked at the rear view mirror. He was thirty-seven years old and he already noted the years on him; he was becoming bald. He already had a respectable widow's peak that insisted on increasing with the years. Truth be told, the loss of hair had concerned him quite a bit when he first noticed, (back when he counted twenty-eight springs) that his hairline was receding. He did not want to become like his father or his grandfather; but after plenty of reading about the matter he realized that he did not have that much to say on his fateful biological heritage. He had bright blue eyes and his wrinkles already began to stand out around them. His face was very round and his neck was slim. He once had had fleshy lips, but over the years, they had begun to become thinner and thinner. He was not the handsome boy he once was anymore, but he was still an attractive man. He was 1.80m tall, and had a dry, slim body – as a result of his weekly hundred kilometer-long bicycle ride. He worked at Vila Franca de Xira's City Hall, an old building which had been restored many times, and that was right in the center of the city, along with the noisy and stinking city market. He had been working there as a senior computer technician for ten years. He had started when he was twenty-seven years old, after getting his degree in computer engineering from the University of Lisbon. This had been his job ever since he had arrived at the City Hall.’

But this average sort of man we son learn is not the least bit average - he loathes his in laws, has fallen out of love with his wife, and treats his job as a secondary nuisance. As the summary suggests, ‘An unidentified object parked on the moon - and no one seems to know where it came from. Gustavo, a middle-aged computer programmer with a comfortable and grey life, decides to make a list of what he would need to survive a hypothetical attack. He becomes obsessed with the list, spends a fortune, robs a drugstore and his own family and actually the majority of people think Gustavo was being paranoid and delusional with preparation for the world to fall to pieces. Yet when the inevitable happens and aliens destroy most of the world’s population, Gustavo is ready. Especially as it puts everyone surviving back into the dark ages. Now hunting, fishing, and growing food have become the priorities. And Gustavo is the new Good Dictator. 

A thoroughly enjoyable book, this story also provides considerable food for though as we all are wondering about the state of existence on the planet at this increasingly absurd time in history. Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias – learn how to pronounce it and remember it as a writer who is likely to become a controversial seer!