“I think of my life and decide it was lived as I wished. I close my eyes and all goes black.”
Some people write books and that’s all there is to it. A dab of metaphors here. A semicolon there. Hmm, how about a sprinkle of suspense? Maybe an exclamation mark or two? Sure, why not.
But with My GRL, John Howell doesn’t just put down words and punctuation. He puts himself into the story. Not in a vessel so obvious as a character (though this may be true too…John, you captured by any terrorists lately?), but his personality lives in passing phrases and a colorful setting you can feel touching down on your skin.
This book is John Howell-breathed, people.
Even if we’ve never been there, we know that John’s spent a minute or two in Port Aransas, Texas and consorted with the waves in the Gulf of Mexico. Several times, I found myself traveling around the area with Google Earth and feeling I knew just where the action was taking place.
The characters are vivid and the protagonist endearing. Here’s a stress-filled professional looking to get away for awhile. Who can begrudge the guy? But of course, a story is just no good if the main character gets what he wants without a fight. Well paced and filled with clever dialogue, you will probably find yourself at the end of this book too soon.
My GRL is a thriller with soul.
I feel like I really got to know John while reading this book and I can’t wait to hang out with him again. I suggest you grab a glass of wine, a cold beer, or a lemonade and hang out with him too.
When you’ve finished the book, you can find him on his blog.