4 out of 4 stars
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McDowell written by William H. Coles, is a literary fiction that features one man's fall from grace and the path he travels to redemption. The book tells the story of Hiram McDowell, a nationally-ranked surgeon who experiences success, wealth and prestige with a personality of arrogance, selfishness, and manipulation. His doubtful, moral resolve costs him friends and, eventually himself.
The storyline takes a turn when a family crisis changes everything. Hiram finds himself committing a crime, being arrested, going to prison and then heroically, escaping from prison to live on the run. He moves from town to town or state to state when needed, to avoid discovery by the journalist, Paige Sterling, who wants to write his story and to avoid capture by the police who want nothing more than to put him back in prison.
To continue avoiding those who are searching for him, Hiram changes identities, looks, and occupations, when necessary, to blend into the next, new surroundings. He meets several, unique and interesting people along the way; some that he learns to appreciate and would consider friends. One such character is the down-to-earth, genuine, small-town librarian, Maud who lives with her husband and daughter. Maud befriends Hiram and lets him work on his research and writing at the library. In another town, Hiram meets a local lady, named Hulga, who lives alone and hires Hiram as a handyman. Perhaps most important, to Hiram and the story, is his friendship with Wynonna. The story continues with Hiram settling down in the run-down trailer park, owned by Wynonna, where he is content with his new life for now. but is always looking over his shoulder for the next close call.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and believe it to be professionally edited, as I found no typos or grammatical errors at all. The smooth writing, the character descriptions, the storyline and the pace at which the story progressed, were perfect and kept this reader engaged throughout.
McDowell is a sound novel that stirs emotions and teaches lessons along the way. Being introduced to arrogant, wealthy, greedy Hiram in the beginning, elicited feelings of dislike or wishing he would be taken down a notch or two. But as Hiram changes, so did my feelings for him. I began to like him more and more and felt empathy for him when he is finally captured and his journey ends.
Those who love a well written, literary fiction, with numerous characters, will love reading this book as I did! For those who aren’t fond of lengthy books or books about other people’s lives, this may not be the book for you. For all of these reasons, I give this book and author 4 out of 4 stars..
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McDowell
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