Genre: Satire/Fiction/Mystery
Description:
“In this satirical and somewhat insane lament about the fall of
traditional journalism into an abyss of news without facts, Special Investigative
Reporter Jock Stewart specializes in tracking down Junction City’s inept and
corrupt movers and shakers for his newspaper The Star-Gazer. Since Stewart is
not a team player, he doesn’t trust anyone, especially colleagues and news
sources. Stewart, who became a reporter back in the days when real newsmen were
supposed to smoke and drink themselves to death while fighting to get the scoop
before their competition sobered up, isn’t about to change. Stewart’s
girlfriend leaves him, the mayor’s racehorse is stolen, people are having sex
in all the wrong places (whatever that means), and townspeople have fallen into
the habit of sneaking around and lying to reporters and cops. Sure, everyone
lies to the cops, but reporters expect gospel truths or else. Stewart may get
himself killed doing what he was taught to do in journalism school, but that’s
all in a day’s work.”
Author:
“Malcolm R. Campbell is an author of magical realism and fantasy... He
previously worked as an insurance company's training materials designer, a
police management school's course materials developer, a mental health
department unit manager, a technical writer, a grant writer, a corporate
communications director, a railway museum's volunteer collections manager, and
a college journalism instructor.
His fantasy novels were inspired by Glacier Park Montana where he
worked as a bellman and from a tour of duty aboard an aircraft carrier during
the Vietnam War. He grew up in the Florida Panhandle, a wondrous place often
called ‘the other Florida’ and ‘the forgotten coast,’ that was the perfect
environment for growing up and learning about writing and magical realism.
Campbell lives on a north Georgia farm with his wife, Lesa, and their two cats.”
To learn more you can follow his blog or his Facebook page.
Appraisal:
Jock Stewart is an old school newspaper journalist. When a crime is
committed he goes out looking for the truth. And the whole town seems to be
suspect. To top that off Jock is having woman problems. Jock is a wise-cracking,
smart ass, full of sarcasm but relatively comfortable in his own skin. Except
where women are concerned. There he seems clueless and second guesses himself.
The plot is twisty curvy, like the women in Jock’s life. Jock’s internal
dialogue and narration gives the book a noir feel.
The important characters are well rounded. Like the donut eating
sheriff whose name happens to be Kruller. There are some minor characters who
are stereotypical of small town’s low-life that add humor to the story. At
times the sheriff and his deputies seem inept. And the newspaper’s upper
management is losing its sanity, or is it a ploy to save their necks? No one
seems to like the idea of taking the paper into the digital age.
Here’s a sample of Jock’s clever dialogue. The deputy was explaining
how they arrested one of the suspects:
“That son
of a bitch had fallen asleep in the can with his .38 lying in the sink.” “What
was it lying about?” asked Jock.
Then later in the book some of Jock’s inner dialogue:
Jock had
never heard Marta gush before and found the sound rather unsettling like a
stopped up toilet overflowing.
It’s a fun story with a clever plot, full of red herrings to keep you
guessing. And a bit of romance to boot!
FYI:
Sex is behind closed doors, and some adult language.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A small number of proofing issues
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 60-65,000 words
