One of two questions can keep me turning pages (or scrolling) in a novel:
1. How on earth will the main character get out of this mess?
Or…
2. I think I know the answer to this mystery–will I be right?
Halfway through Kick, I thought I might know the answer, and from that point on, I was reading not just because I was entertained by the writing and fascinated by the action and the characters, but because I wanted to learn if I was right. I even contacted the author, John L. Monk, and shared my suspicion. His answers were vague, so not to spoil the ending, but he did answer! A nice guy.
The main character of Kick is Dan Jenkins, a dead nice guy who keeps hitching uncomfortable rides in the living bodies of bad people. Now this premise could result in a gruesome story, but Monk keeps it light. Even though, sadly, Dan got this way because he committed suicide.
It can’t be easy to write convincingly of evil deeds in a comic voice. Monk carries it off with clever turns of phrase and a self-deprecating tone. In his many bad-guy bodies, Dan shares his qualms and quirky observations. Like the very first line: “Helen had a face that had launched a thousand customer complaints.”
Priceless.
And oh, yes. I was right.
Kick is a high-value, low-price ($2.99) ebook available at Amazon, and free to Prime members. Try it, you’ll like it. Here’s a link: http://amzn.to/17PVRTx
Pingback: What keeps you turning pages? | John L. Monk
Reblogged this on Belly-up! and commented:
I plan to review John L. Monk’s novel, Kick, sometime soon. Author Carol Ervin beat me to it!
hahahahaha
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