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Just Shut Up and Drive
It’s an important time in every young adult’s life: the final summer before post-secondary school and after high school. It’s a transitional period where one goes from being a teenager towards becoming an adult. For a young man who lost his parents before he could tie his own shoes, this final summer holds more than just pre-school anxieties. Wil Carter is preparing to head off to school in Just Shut Up and Drive by Chynna Laird but his grandfather, Gramps, has other ideas in mind. While Wil just wants to work and hang out with his friends, Gramps prefers to toss his charge into a classic truck and head on a road trip. This is a coming of age story where the bond between a young man and the only father he has ever known is tested, strengthened and celebrated. This is a journey across the prairies of Canada that will touch your heart and possibly make you cry.
Our tale starts with Wil and Gramps arguing about a road trip that the senior has pushed on his grandson. The dynamic relationship between Wil and Gramps is funny, heart-breaking and above all else: realistic. This is a delicate and interesting relationship that is being described. We have an eighteen-year-old boy and a ninety-five-year-old man with more than a ‘generation gap’ between. Gramps is the one who raised Wil after the untimely death of his parents in an automotive accident. While each gives as good as he gets there is a nostalgic respect that Wil holds for his grandfather. You can hear the irritation in his voice as he deals with the elder man’s stubborn personality but you can also hear the respect he has for him as well. Wil was not a golden child while growing up and as he is aging and moving forward with his life he is beginning to understand everything his grandfather has done for him. The description of the relationship between the two and the dynamic in action seems like something out of a movie.
Laird knows what Manitoba, Canada looks like and appears to have at least visited the cities, villages and towns described in the book. For readers who live near or in a location used in any story faithfulness to the recreation is paramount. Laird uses local vernacular when referring to some of the locations and even though the story takes place in modern times, Gramps’ relaxed and sentimental accent rubs off on Wil. While it could be said that Laird sometimes tries a bit too hard to make Gramps really sound like a stereotypical old man, it doesn’t detract from the story.
While a road trip before heading off to university or college is an idea that has been done before, Just Shut Up and Drive by Chynna Laird brings more than just self-discovery to the tale. Wil not only learns about himself on his journey with his grandfather. He also learns about the parents he can barely remember. He learns about what he is capable of when a small child stows away in his truck, begging for help. He learns what it takes to be a man to the standards of what his grandfather has wanted for him. This book is a delightful short read that will tug at your heart strings while making you laugh at the same time.
Pages: 166 | ASIN: B00DGJK3B8
Blood Tail: A Lieutenant Beaudry Novel
Blood Tail by Michael Kent is the first book in the Lieutenant Robert Beaudry series. A murder mystery novel set in Canada with twists at every turn. This novel does an excellent job at introducing the reader to the characters. The author is able to describe Lieutenant Beaudry clearly, showing the depth of his nature. He is not your cookie cutter detective with nothing but the job to keep him going. Beaudry has a taste for classic muscle cars, fine wine and excellent cooking. He is quick with a gun, but also knows how to fight with his hands. His intuition helps keep him alive and makes him an excellent investigator, it also lands him in some hot water with Internal Affairs. The plot dives deeper than just who killed who and the twists keep adding up all the way to the end of the book. Kent has clearly set this novel up to be the start of an engaging series.
The novel opens with Lieutenant Beaudry and his wife having dinner. She uses this moment to tell him she is leaving him and before things get too heated he is called to the scene of a high profile murder case. The first twist occurs when one of the victims is in fact not dead. In order to protect their victim, the only one that can now identify his attackers, he is hidden away. There turns out to be a long list of reasons on why he might have been targeted, and suspects include his crazy soon-to-be-ex- wife, partners in his law firm, overzealous fan of his TV reality show, or even the mob. Throughout the investigation Beaudry makes friends with unlikely characters like a tow truck driver named Tony. I suspect later into this series Tony will play a key role. While trying to solve the case Beaudry finds himself in difficult situations with more dead bodies than the police department is comfortable with. Dead bodies mean more investigations with the Internal Affairs office. Captain Jean O’Neil is Beaudry’s boss and in charge of keeping him in line, needless to say his hands are full and they develop and understanding. Kent gives Jean O’Neil a very short tempered and direct personality, a contrast to the easy going personality of Beaudry. Together they work well and complement each other. Beaudry also manages to find a new girlfriend just days after finding out his wife is leaving him. She has a quick wit to match his, a demanding career as a nurse, and a carefree attitude about relationships. They find themselves thrown together over the murder case and through their relationship we learn more about who they are outside the jobs.
Blood Tail keeps the reader on edge with every new clue sending the investigation in a new direction each time. Kent keeps the reader guessing how things will tie up all the way till the end of the novel. As for where the title comes from, you will have to ask Crackers.
Pages: 280 | ISBN: 0993713122
A Force of Nature
Good books are as hard to find as good help. A Force of Nature by Dan McEwen is set in the 90’s, in Toronto. The book takes you on a journey that begins with writer, Claire ‘Voyant’ Chandler, the protagonist. After setting out to make an admission and vacation with longtime friend and former boss, Iris Saunderson, Claire finds herself entangled in the dark history of Iris’s beau, Victor Redstone. As the writer’s ‘special ability’ begins to unravel old mysteries of disappearing girls, Indian spirits and murder, it also brings to light startling truths about Victor’s past, unexpected romances, death and lost treasure.
Claire Chandler, former writer for Canadian Woman magazine, and script editor turned writer-for-hire, lost both her parents at a very young age and escaped death herself several times, in very uncanny ways. She lost lovers to death, divorce and indisputable job offers and was far from the average thirty-eight year old. In addition to escaping death, she had what seemed to be the gift of insight. A gift that would take her on the vacation she would never forget. Claire’s daily cyclical pedal, run, write, repeat, lifestyle was broken by three encounters of coincidence that pointed in the direction of her former boss and the dreadful secret she left behind. Claire would leave the city and vacation with Iris to confess her secret, but she would not have expected the outpouring of revelations that would follow. During this time, themes of fear and uncertainty were dominant about Claire. As Claire entered Bay Harbor; where Iris lived, the description of the buildings and scenery are very detailed and brought out clearly, the narrative style of the writer. A local officer, Ben Shipley, would however warn Claire to be careful of animals while on the island. Bears were the Redstone family totem, it’s also the animal that has taken the life of Ben’s parents, uncle, nephew and daughter. The generational rivalries between the Shipley’s and the Redstones, local officers and Ojibwe Indians have resurfaced. Iris’ failing health, the discovery of dead bodies, ghost sightings and a mystical wolf, all weighed on Claire’s mind. Local pilot, Tom Katz, would refocus his energies from chasing criminal Lou Scoggins, and would find himself in the middle of dangerous unknowns with Claire and her ghosts. In a closer analysis, Claire and Iris represented a strong feminist perspective throughout the book. The Canadian Woman represented their voice against prejudice ideologies. The theme of prejudice was also evident among the Redstones, as they were isolated because of their nativity. Discovery is another important theme that was displayed; it embodied discovery of facts and discovery of self. In the end, the main underlying theme was that of justice. Each detail of the story was an important element that desperately tried to inform justice. Although it took a while to climax, A Force of Nature is a good read for persons interested in mildly paranormal mysteries.
Pages: 196
ASIN: B011JFOC6C
LITERARY TITAN 