One thing about blogging - you get to "meet" some pretty cool people, &, in my case some pretty good writers as well. Mark LaFlamme is an author that falls into the met via the blog category. He has a new book out called DIRT: AN AMERICAN CAMPAIGN. I decided to read it. It was the least I could do after calling him a "nut", though it was meant in a good way. (He's funny & somewhat over the top. What more could you expect from a guy that's a newspaper crime reporter who takes the week of Halloween off for vacation?)
DIRT is the story of a candidate for President embroiled in the dirty tricks of a heated primary. His daughter-in-law has met an untimely end & the candidate's son, unable to accept her death, retrieves the body from her resting place & begins driving around New England with her corpse. Needless to say, Daddy ain't too happy & sends "a response team" to deal with this potential scandal, which in this man's case, is tame compared with the other skeletons in the family closet. Besides, he can't have the voters investigating the 'dirt' on him - especially when he's busily shoveling the 'dirt' on the frontrunner, the man with the squeaky clean image.
So I posted a review on-line (below) & hope Mark LaFlamme has some measure of success. I'm sure that good sales would be helpful - Halloween is only a month away.
DIRT: AN AMERICAN CAMPAIGN by Author Mark LaFlamme is a well-crafted work of entertaining and thought provoking fiction. The foundation of the story, unique to say the least, causes the reader to examine multiple personal conflicts within the storyline while providing a perspective on the behind closed doors dirty tricks and win at all cost mentality that is the political power grab. LaFlamme has managed to build tension, without gratuitous shock value. His characters are strong, though saddled with weaknesses and tragic pasts. The pace is crisp without sacrificing needed detail. There is nothing predictable about DIRT, including the conclusion and THAT makes for a great story. Well done Mr. LaFlamme.
5 comments:
I'm still slogging through another book in order to get to this one. I'm glad to see you think highly of it.
but, is there hot steamy sex? That's what I want to know.
Heinous - I read to either study something that interests me or as part of research for a writing project, or to be entertained. In any case, if a book doesn't get it for me - I put it down & don't think twice. This book delivered the goods & the ending exceeded expectations - which rarely happens. Mark LaFlamme seems to be a good guy as well - he's got a crazy sense of humor - never a bad thing - that you might find amusing. Thanks for visiting - I mean, you've become a bit of a celebrity now with all of those awards.....
You write a great review!
The book sounds crazy--and I love crazy!
I will check it out!
Thanks Becky for the compliment. Yes it's a bit crazy & almost as scary as having Madame Mallet living behind the lace curtains across the street - I think. If you haven't read THAT book - you should. Oh wait, my bad. That's your book. I gotta figure out how to put the picture of French By Heart on my blog. I know it's a different kind of book than what I normally read (or write) but, hey, it's written by a terrific writer that happens to have a fantastic blog called Wonders Never Cease. So thanks again Mrs Ramsey. (I gotta get my copy autographed!)
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