4 out of 4 stars
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McDowell by William H. Coles is a fiction novel set in present day. Hiram McDowell is an extremely intelligent man; highly regarded surgeon, philanthropist, and a veteran mountain climber. He is suffering through multiple marriages and children. He is known to relax with a harmonica on open mic night.
The journey begins on a mountain side at the highest elevation on Earth, with freezing winds and frigid temperatures. In my “real” world, I sat inside while our first snow stormed outside; silent snowfall, howling winds and single digit temperatures. I developed a certain sympathetic relationship to the climbers on the mountain, snuggling even closer to the fire in our hearth while contemplating Hiram’s next move.
Hiram’s life takes dramatic turns, up and down. He steps on toes and will do whatever is necessary to succeed and move up the proverbial ladder. Through mysterious but not entirely founded accusations in his research, Hiram flees. He makes his way to the mountains, where he knows the terrain and feels he is in a safe and protective environment. The locations and scenery are constantly changing; Hiram’s encounters and their stories evolving. Hiram wants to write his memoir in hopes of clearing his name. At one point, he thinks, “Why has life chosen to torture me?” Throughout his adventure he meets a few good people willing to help and he develops an understanding of human nature, the good and bad. He meets a few special people who give him a different perspective on life.
William H. Coles has the great ability to visually bring the characters to life both physically and emotionally. It is easy to envision Hiram’s interaction with each new character. He has extensive knowledge of that which he writes; the surgeon’s relentless research and drive to help those less fortunate, the snow team’s struggles on a mountain, and dealing with marriage and children. I believe this was more of a weakness than strength due to his arrogant, egotistical self-importance.
McDowell is exciting as you follow Hiram across the country. I was stunned with the ending, did not see it coming. Kudos Mr. Coles! This is a real page turner. Grammatically there were some minor spacing issues and I found two misspellings (pg.11 carousel, pg.285 dementia). Since these errors are minor, I would give it 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to other readers. It has something for everyone; adventure, mystery, marriages with the familiar struggles, murder and mayhem. Many of the subject matters are prevalent in the news today.
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McDowell
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