NOVEMBER ROAD by Lou Berney
NOVEMBER ROAD is a new novel by an author named Lou Berney. I have never read anything by Berney and basically had not heard of NOVEMBER ROAD until it showed up on my doorstep and went into my possible review stack. Then something made me pick it up and read the first few paragraphs, which is something I usually do with unknown books and/or authors. If it doesn’t grab me quickly then it doesn’t get read. NOVEMBER ROAD grabbed me by the shoulders and screamed “Shut up and read!”.
It is just a gem of a novel with characters and plot blending perfectly into a story you cannot take your eyes off. Frank Guidry is the first person on the scene in the story and he is at once fascinating and charming. He lives in New Orleans, works for the mob, and has everything he needs to make him happy. But the clock is ticking and the devil is going to demand his due.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma a woman named Charlotte, who is married with two kids, is trying to figure out how her life went wrong. She is married to a hopeless alcoholic and she needs to make a move. Summoning up all her nerve she packs up her two daughters and hits the road. She is headed for California where she hopes to get a fresh start. The girls think they are going on vacation and that their father will join them there.
Frank gets an assignment for his boss which he fulfills but the fact he has done it puts a target on his back. So Frank hits the road too. It doesn’t take much imagination to know Frank and Charlottes lives are going to intersect. And when they do the target on Frank’s back spreads out to encompass Charlotte and her two children.
All of this plays out against the backdrop of the Kennedy assassination. The world is horrified by what has happened in Dallas but little do they know how many people are directly affected. Frank and Charlotte are two people caught in the path of the aftermath and clean up.
Berney creates his characters and unrolls his plot with perfect precision. The suspense he manages to inject into the pages is staggering. Once the chase is on there is not one bit of respite offered. It just gets more and more intense and the reader is wondering how can this book possibly end and be satisfactory. Not to worry, Berney pulls it off.
Mark this book down as a must read. It is fresh and amazing writing. I am now a Lou Berney fan for life.
NOVEMBER ROAD is published by William Morrow. It contains 300 pages and sells for $26.99.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
