Down Solo
Earl Javorsky
Suspense/Thriller
The launch of a propulsive noir series with a paranormal spin.
Things haven’t been going well for Charlie Miner. His work as a private investigator involves him with an endless roster of shady characters. His ex-wife is borderline crazy. And he hasn’t been getting to spend anywhere near enough time with his teenage daughter Mindy, the one person in his life who truly matters to him.
When he wakes up on a slab in the morgue with a hole in his head, though, things get even worse.
Just before the shooting, Charlie was investigating a case involving fraud, gold, religious zealots, and a gorgeous woman who seemed to be at the center of everything. Even with a fatal bullet wound, Charlie can connect the dots from the case to his attack. And when his daughter is abducted by someone involved, the stakes get exponentially higher. Charlie needs to find Mindy before the criminals do the same thing to her that they did to him.
After that, maybe he’ll try to figure out how he’s walking around dead.
Uncaged Review: Right from the outset, the reader is introduced to the main character as a dead person. With this POV, you might assume that anything can happen, as this truly is uncharted territory. However, the author temporarily sets metaphysics aside and guides us through the mission that Charile Miner seeks to accomplish, namely solving his own murder. Principal and secondary characters are well presented and developed, and the storyline progresses quickly to keep the reader engaged to the very end. In the final chapter, the reader is still unsure what the outcome will be regarding Charlie’s state of being. The metaphysical questions return, then the reader must decide. All in all, a very well done suspense, drama, touch of paranormal story and mental exercise for a willing reader. Reviewed by Doug
4 1/2 Stars
