Final Price by J. Gregory Smith

A quarter finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, this book deserves to be looked at carefully. Most of us have purchased a car at one point or another. I doubt many of us have considered the car salesman’s point of view, let alone a psychopathic car salesman. Shamus the car salesman does not take rejection well. His reaction to rejection is investigated by the largest Chinese American State Trooper in Delaware and his emotionally vulnerable sidekick.

Smith paints a vivid portrait of a tortured soul inflicting his inner demons on those who he feels has wronged him. Those of us who have sold for a living recognize some of the frustrations in dealing with a fickle, often unreasonable and frequently unpredictable customer. Doing your best to please someone and feeling maligned and misunderstood is painful. Luckily most of us are able to shrug off the bad, revel in the good and move on with our life. Shamus Ryan’s soul was shriveled long before he started selling cars. Price does a nice job inferring his past without detailing it, this provides a lot of room for the imagination to flourish.

Paul Chang struggles with his own demons and endeavors to stay on the sane side of the emotional precipice that Shamus cheerfully drives over. Paul’s loyalty to his former partner his endearing and his pain is clear. I think Price painted his characters well. The book is a good mystery and provides a modicum of motivation to consider the feelings and stresses of those who sell for a living.

I recommend the book, for a first effort this is outstanding!

Body of work of J. Gregory Smith

Review none found

Web Site: none found

Born to Run by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon

A book with a morale is not surprising from Lackey. I guess the surprise for me was to discover she and Larry Dixon on spouses. Didn’t know that. The story doesn’t seem dated at all, in spite of being published in 1992. The cast of mages, elves and ghosts, both good and evil, provides a good story. A young “do gooder” mage’s concern about the welfare of a runaway permeates the story line. Depiction of the dangers of running away and the potentially despicable consequences provide the grindingly realistic morale. I particularly liked the after note that provides an 800-999-9999 number for runaways to call for help. Since the book was dated, I called the number and it is still a crisis hotline so I put it here as well. I liked the fact the author and the publishers seemed concerned about their reader’s welfare. I recommend the book.

Body of work of Mercedes Lackey
Body of work of Larry Dixon


Site: http://www.mercedeslackey.com/
Not Dixon’s site but interesting: http://gryphonking.aelfhame.net/

Review: http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?book=284

Car Warriors, The Square Deal by David Drake

This is a book one of a series that never propagated. Book 2, “Car Warriors, Double Jeopardy was written by Aaron Allston and that appears to be the end of the series. This book is packed with the normal slam bang violence you expect from Drake but more on a juvenile level. The book appears to be focused on a younger audience than the normal Drake work. I would guess that a lot of gamers would enjoy it as it is a first person shooter kind of book. In a post apocalypse type of world those who drive fast in heavily armed vehicles are the protagonists of the book. The book was enjoyable and I would recommend it although I won’t give it to my 10 year old grandson, I would guess by 12 or 13 he would enjoy it.

Body of work of David Drake


Web Site: http://www.david-drake.com/

Review: none found