3 out of 4 stars
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Sophia Butler is one of the biggest stars in the diminishing sport of harness racing. Her husband, Michael Butler, is serving a sentence at the Adirondack Correctional Facility in New York for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Sophia is also a member of the notorious Tanzini family, and they are on a mission to separate Sophia and her husband…by any means necessary. The story covers the often overlooked (especially in fiction writing) sport of harness racing, complicated family dynamics, love and lust, betrayal and murder.
Jate’s Boy by Peter P. Sellers is the fourth book of The Michael Butler Saga. It is a complex tale from beginning to end, and it takes readers on a wild ride with unexpected twists and turns. The book is crowded, but not overcrowded, with a diverse group of characters that at times can make it hard to distinguish between who is the bad guy and who is the good guy. Every player in this narrative has his or her own selfish motives, complicated pasts, secrets, and hidden agendas. Even Sophia and Michael Butler, who are the main characters, are not typical protagonists. Given some of the choices they make throughout this book, it might be difficult for readers to root for them at all times, and that is a refreshing change from some of the unbelievable protagonists readers find in other stories. Jate’s Boy is a story that does not ignore the complexities and desires of the human heart, making for a realistic narrative.
The author does a fantastic job at drawing readers in from the beginning of the story as Michael Butler is arrested for without initially being given a reason. From there, readers are left with the need to find out if he is guilty, if he will be released, and what the state of his relationship with his wife Sophia will be in. This wonderfully written group of characters also makes it so that even readers are not always sure who the villain is, and obstacles are being faced on all sides. The best feature of this story is that it is never boring. It also strays away from the mundane crime and suspense novels by introducing readers to harness racing, something that is unexpected in this genre. The author does a great job presenting a well-researched narrative on this sport while mingling it with suspense, great characters, and unexpected events. Readers are also introduced to the Tanzini family, a mafia-like group ,and their henchmen, or hit men.
There are not many negatives in this story. The only three small exceptions are perhaps that the story jumps back and forth between characters so often; it would have been nice to spend a little more time reading about the big players in the book and learning more about their histories. Instead, some sections only devote a couple of paragraphs at a time to characters before jumping to the narrative of somebody else, which at times can be a little confusing, distracting, and make it hard to form a connection with some of the more crucial characters in the book. The narrative is also always in third person, except for the character of Michael Butler, who is written in first person. While this style could be attributed to the fact that he is the main character in the saga, it can be confusing at times. There were also a few errors with spelling and punctuation, such as cardiology being misspelled as cardialogy. For this reason, this book is given 3 out of 4 stars.
Overall, this novel is a breath of fresh air with its dynamic characters and harness racing angle. It is also a nice change to be unsure of who is good and who is bad because that is reality. The book is suitable for any individual who likes crime and suspense. It is also suitable for all age groups other than children. There is language that could be offensive to some, so for those who are sensitive to that, take that into consideration.
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Jate's Boy
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