Official Review: Charlie Hungloe's Greatest Challenge

[Brendan Donaghy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Charlie Hungloe's Greatest Challenge" by Harry L. Campbell.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Charlie Hungloe’s Greatest Challenge is a short action-crime novel for young adults covering events that take place over four days in Mesquite, Nevada. Written by Harry L. Campbell III, it is the first book in the Charlie Hungloe's Adventure Series.

One August morning, teenager Greg Jackson launches a gun attack on the students of Hollingsworth High School, injuring seven children. Jackson is a member of a group known as “the black coat gang.” A few hours later, a crisis point is reached when the gang carries out two more attacks. The city’s mayor demands action, and a special task force is formed to catch the gang. Detectives Charlie Hungloe and Samantha “Sam” Sterling are the two detectives assigned to the case. Together, they set out to hunt down the gang and arrest its leader, Master Tan. Their pursuit of Tan involves them in perilous situations that require them to use their expertise in martial arts. Will the pair survive this adventure? Will they succeed in capturing Master Tan? Will they ever stop arguing long enough to complete their mission?

I liked that the book is a fast, one-session read. It is very much driven by its action and adventure aspects rather than its characterization. As a result, the story zips along as Charlie and Sam hunt down the terrorists and their leader. The dialogue, too, contributes to the pace of the story. When they’re not shouting instructions to each other, Charlie and Sam spend most of the time engaged in verbal sparring matches, so most of their conversations consist of snappy put-downs or rejoinders.

On the negative side, I found the underlying message of the story hard to fathom. The book is published by Christian Faith Publishing, a fact which could give prospective readers the impression that this book is a religious text of some kind. This seems to be confirmed by the author who, in the preface, flags up a Christian moral to the story. He quotes lines from the Bible, including a verse from John: “Jesus said in 1 John 4:8, ‘Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.’ For this reason, I wrote the book, Charlie Hungloe’s Greatest Challenge, because love is often out there but hidden.” (page 7) If the idea is that the main characters, Charlie and Samantha, have some hidden love for each other that somehow exemplifies Christian teaching, then it simply doesn’t work.

I am awarding this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am deducting one star because the story isn't strong either as a Christian allegory or as an action novel for young adults. I found a few errors but, overall, the book is well edited. There is one reference to a couple “making out”, and one comment about flatulence that 10-year-old boys will find hilarious, but otherwise there is nothing in the book that would traumatize teenagers or even children on the cusp of their teenage years. If you’re in that group and you’re looking for a short, action-packed adventure story, then this book might suit you.

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Charlie Hungloe's Greatest Challenge
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[Kanchan Sharma]

A very good review by Brendan Donaghy. He has clearly told the good points and errors of the book. I am really curious to read the book.

[Kavita Shah]

That's crazy violence by the gang. I agree that the hidden message is hard to believe. It really doesn't feel like a good book for Y.A. Thanks for a Great review!

[Mwatu]

I enjoyed reading this review and the attempt at Christian allegory is hilarious to me. Thank you for a lovely review!

[SweetSourSalty AndSpicy]

I appreciate that you shared your insights about the allegory. Thanks for the comprehensive review.

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds like a fun and intense read for when you don’t have a lot of time to devote to it. Thanks for the honest review