Blurb
At 55,
big city sleuth Sonny Busco is sinking deep into debt and distrust when
suddenly he’s thrown a lifeline. The chief assistant to a prominent university
professor offers $2500 for safe delivery of a confidential briefcase to Santa Fe , NM
See also my recent Interview and Feature Post with James Blakley. ENTER to win a PRINT copy of The Steel Deal PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Sorry! This giveaway is limited to Shipping to US addresses only. Giveaway ends March 3rd.
MY REVIEW
My Rating 4.5 Stars
Drawn into the story immediately, I was amazed at the wonderful originality of thought within the sentences. Mr. Blakely conveys ideas with uniqueness rarely encountered; no worn-out, tired clichés. I absolutely fell in love with this author’s voice and style. The sentences are particularly well-constructed, fluid, and contained phrases that helped me visualize the story and the characters’ personalities especially well.
The whole idea of sentient steel fascinated me, and the ramifications of such a technology kept me trying to second-guess where the story was headed. There were multiple twists and the whole escapade finally unfolded to an ending that was logical, though somewhat of a letdown to this Fox Mulder fan.
This is an exciting story of industrial espionage, trendy technology, shifty villains, and an intelligent courier. Told in first person, I was kept entertained and fully engaged as Sonny Busco figured out smart solutions to the difficulties he faced while responsible for the contents of a briefcase that could potentially revolutionize society. I hope Sonny returns in future adventurous frolics.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
Reviewed for Night Owl Reviews
View all my reviews
2 COMMENTS:
Sounds exciting and I like the fact that the hero is older. debby236 at gmail dot com
Thanks for your post and interest in THE STEEL DEAL, Debby.
As for hero Sonny Busco's age, it helped greatly to make him 'older', in regards to expanding THE STEEL DEAL from its original short story standing to a novel. Originally, Sonny was an attractive thirty-something: confident, more athletic, able to make more money, and socially aware. This made for a rather cardboard action-type hero who was predictable; and it gave the plot less depth and believable direction because of the kind of lead character controlling it.
By making Sonny 55, he's not dead and buried by any means. But he's not as physically quick and easy to mend. This makes him less prone to solve problems by sheer violence or force; rather, he prefers using his brain. Sonny's also saddled with not just the central problem of securing sentient steel but also being alone and broke in the big city--burdens that further emotionally tax an almost tapped out man. And being older, he is more set in his ways; he is less able to change smoothly in a society that changes almost daily. Best of all, making Sonny Busco older is perfect because it leads his enemies to underestimate him which amps up the tension. How can Sonny possibly save the day with all this stuff in his way?
So as you can see, there are many advantages to making the hero older. Mostly, it gives the reader more to explore and expect in not only the character, but the plot. The story is no longer predictable because you have a relatively unconventional character at the wheel.
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