4 out of 4 stars
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Ever imagined a bright family vacation that is expected to be enjoyable but turned into a fight for freedom? Are you a fan of adventurous and exciting stories? If yes, then Michael J. Clark's 448-page road fiction novel titled Message From A Star is perfect for you. It is steeped in themes of danger, family, true friendship, crime, and espionage.
The book is encapsulated within twenty-nine chapters. The storyline revolves around two men (Joe and Chad), who were best friends, and the coolest guys in high school in the era of the fifties. Years later, they surprisingly reunite in Florida while bringing their respective families for holidays. In a shocking and unexpected turn of events, both men drift from being harmless family men and tourists and are thrust into the blood-chilling world of cold-blooded murder, hard drugs, crime, and ruthless gangsters. On the run from determined and ambitious cops, and amidst the battle for their survival and freedom, they must ultimately prove their innocence under the watchful and judgmental eyes of the world. Read up to find out if they are fortunate enough to overcome their perils.
Michael J. Clark is a great writer. I admire his light-hearted, humorous, and simplistic writing style. The adventures in this book are one of a kind. Message From A Star can rightly be described as a reasonably good debut novel. The author does an excellent job of wrapping up action and humor in a commendable way. The plot is riddled with twists and turns, and the characters are caught up in a perpetual cycle of disasters.
There is also a theme of suspense that rings throughout the novel. The author should be commended for creating a set of well-constructed and incredibly likable characters. The story is intensely character-driven. The author designed a detailed and extensive behavioural chart for the main characters. Their adventures, thought processes, distinctive personalities, and strong motivations kept the plot exciting and refreshingly amusing. Characterization strengthens a book and gives it life. In the case of this book, this is monumentally true in every sense. Therefore, I am rating it 4 out of 4 stars because the characters are professionally developed. Also, the book is well-edited because I did not find any grammatical or punctuation errors in it.
My favorite character is Joe. He is the more courageous, logical, and intelligent member of the dynamic duo. He is also a voice of caution and a true family man at heart. I admire his bravery during his encounter with the drug baron, Getty. It was a tensed survival scene filled with suspense, drama, grit, and a frail thread that separates life and death dangling at the top of it. Other players, such as Angie and Babs (the ladies at the bar), Rico and Jose (the thieves), Albert (the hotel owner), and Chillic (the notorious drug lord, The Chameleon) helped to drive the storyline. Various settings like luxury hotels, dreary low-income houses, beaches, and so on were well-orchestrated.
In conclusion, Message From A Star is fun, entertaining, and humorous but at heart a tale of true friendship. You will be charmed by the jokes, nostalgic memories, and brave actions of Joe and Chad as they lurch from one experience to the other in a bid to clear their names and set their lives back to the tone of normalcy. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in family bonds, the joys of friendship, and the fight for freedom.
The only thing I dislike about the book was the instances of several occurrences of profane words, but that did not hinder my reading experience. Joe’s imaginative writing to his wife (Stacey) towards the ending part of the book was very captivating and emotional. That is what you get when you read a book authored by a songwriter.
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Message From A Star
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. Nice review.
