James Polkinghorn

Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn

Powerful, compelling, thought provoking, dark, and tragic – Wow!

What I liked:
* The prologue that caught my attention and made me wonder “why?” and then “what comes next?”
* Jack: bar owner, lawyer, martial arts training, athlete, strong, fit, grew up in a dysfunctional family…even if he didn’t realize it at the time, more complex and interesting than he first seems to be
* Bobby: Jack’s older brother, athletic, conflicted, had secrets, bowed out through suicide much too young
* The plot, pacing, location in Key West and Miami, and the writing
* The twists and turns and surprises
* Being able to really HATE the bad guy
* That this book made me think, care, and hope
* Reading a new-to-me author that I really enjoyed
* The conclusion of the story

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how evil some people are
* Thinking about the impact family and religion can have for the positive and the negative on so many lives

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (más)

Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn is a highly recommended mystery.

When ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard hears from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, that his mother has committed suicide, which brings up his brother Bobby's suicide when the two were in college. Jack heads to the family home in Miami to face his controlling father and to uncover what really happened to his mother.

This mystery is a short, fast paced novel that moves quickly, almost too quickly. A little more complexity might have made the plot more compelling. On the other hand, the short and to-the-point narrative did hold my attention and it was nice to read a novel swiftly. There are several little twists in the plot as it briskly reaches the final denouement, and you will want to find out the answers Jack is seeking.

Jack is an interesting character, but a bit more nuanced character development might have been nice. There is additional intrigue created with Anna. Both Bobby and their mother had secrets, and these secrets obviously are the impetus to their deaths. The secrets and the real menace in the novel are easily deduced, but it is a quick, entertaining journey to the end.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/05/liquid-shades-of-blue.html… (más)

A one-page first chapter opens with Jack Girard’s mother Betty swallowing eight pills in an apparent act of suicide. Jack, an ex-lawyer and owner of a bar club in Key West, Florida, is soon alerted by his lawyer-father “Duke.” As with any good tale, things are not as they initially seem, though, and the story’s twists slowly build intrigue until resolution. Along the way, Jack reorients his life and his self-understanding as he uncovers family secrets. He comes to an increased sense of inner-peace and self-regard as longstanding personal dramas play themselves out. In that sense, this book is a coming-of-age tale.

This book has been categorized as a thriller. I’m not sure that’s the right genre. It’s more of a mystery. The first-time author James Polkinghorne is a self-described “semi-retired” lawyer, and the plot builds in much the same fashion as a lawyer would build a legal case. Except this story unfurls, not in a courtroom, but on the stage of life. When I think of a thriller, I imagine high-drama and high-intrigue. Polkinghorn’s style is more understated and grounded in reason, not piqued emotion. Again, he sounds like a lawyer carefully building his case rather than someone seeking to convey manias of humor.

My description of this style is not a criticism because, frankly, it works for this tale. Polkinghorn sprinkles enough intrigue as the plot builds so that readers do not bore. Jack has a relationship with a sex worker. His brother, too, committed suicide. Fraught family dynamics are all over the place. All these combine to make this story realistic and plausible. They make the story more than merely entertaining; indeed, they communicate a deep understanding of human nature.

Those involved with the legal profession will probably enjoy this story most. Again, it aims to observe human nature more than to provide cheap entertainment. Readers of mysteries will also enjoy trying to figure out where the plot will head next. Polkinghorn tells enough to keep the reader engaged while drawing us all past another construct, on the way to a climax and resolution. Now that he is semi-retired from law, his future as a spinner of fiction looks bright. If he can continue to inform while lightening the reader’s heart as much as this book does, then he’ll garner many more followers.… (más)

This novel which I received from Oceanview Publishing is hard to give it a genre. It can be a psychological thriller or a legal thriller without court scenes or legal wrangling, it can also be a mystery...hum, who knows. But whatever names you may give it one thing for sure you will enjoy every minutes trying to figure out what Jack Girard, the protagonist, is up to. My attention was held so captivate in his searches for the truth behind his brother, and his mother suicides that I didn’t see the time past.

It all started when Jack Girard a hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner groggily wakes up one morning and is greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill ringing telephone. He learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide. The death brings back memories from his past- of his brother suicide back in college years. He heads to the family home in Miami where his father suggests his mother’s death may be a murder. Acting on impulse Jack spins an exciting search for the truth...

The tale focuses on Jack and his father and tells us an intense mystery involving the family secrets. It kept me captive from the start, not wanting to put the novel down for a second. It definitely kept me on my toes. I really like how the Girard dysfunctional family is depicted with all their struggles and addictions. Mr. Polkinghorn gives this journey into the past, present and future a twist of its own. It is said without fluff or unnecessary words: right to the point. This is a fast read that is well said, paced and constructed.

“Liquid Shade of Blue” is a great first mystery novel. I will be looking forward to more from James Polkinghorn.… (más)