Blue Flamingo by Joyce V. Harrison | Review *4/10 Stars*
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Blue Flamingo: A Novella
by Joyce V. Harrison
Page Count: 111
Published: October 24th 2015
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Genre: Fiction
Source: I received a paperback from the author for an honest review (Thank you!)
Summary
When his father dies, 24-year-old Dylan Ryker finds a matchbook his dad had hidden in a drawer.
Could it be a clue to the identity of his mystery birth mother? The matchbook, from a bar called the Blue Flamingo, takes him from Chicago to a village in the Florida Panhandle where he goes to work for the owner, Rita Cornwall. He’s sure this woman knows something but she’s not telling.
In his search for answers to where he came from and where his future lies, Dylan finds himself in harm’s way, threatened by a local troublemaker and warned by a religious fanatic to stay away from his daughter, conflicts that will lead him to the truth but not the one he imagined.
Could it be a clue to the identity of his mystery birth mother? The matchbook, from a bar called the Blue Flamingo, takes him from Chicago to a village in the Florida Panhandle where he goes to work for the owner, Rita Cornwall. He’s sure this woman knows something but she’s not telling.
In his search for answers to where he came from and where his future lies, Dylan finds himself in harm’s way, threatened by a local troublemaker and warned by a religious fanatic to stay away from his daughter, conflicts that will lead him to the truth but not the one he imagined.
The verdict
An otherwise short book, Blue Flamingo dragged a little too much for a novella.
After going through the blurb (and that pretty cover), I expected it to be an enjoyable read. But I felt the plot lacked originality and turned out to be a bit meh. I was definitely not sucked in as a reader, nor did I enjoy the writing much.
I did quite like the characters though. Well sketched out and detailed. Especially Dylan. But the weak pace and the purposelessness of the story line did not allow me to care for Dylan much. Rita though, seemed more interesting than our protagonist.
Overall an okay story.
Buy the book
About the author
A full time freelance copywriter, I come from a decades long career in ad agencies and prior to that in broadcasting. A long time songwriter as well, I am a lifetime voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammys). My first book "Slag" takes place in the far North where I was born and raised and is set in the 1950s. The title of my second book "Long Plastic Hallway" comes from a quote by Hunter S. Thompson about the music business. The third book, "Blue Flamingo: A Novella" is about a search to learn the identity of a mystery birth mother.
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