A Good Man

by Larry Baker

Harry Ducharme is at the end of his rope. Booze and bad decisions have taken him from the A-list of talk radio fame down to a tiny cinder-block station, WWHD, in St. Augustine, Florida. He talks, mostly to himself, from 10 PM to 2 AM. Not sure anybody is listening, reading books and poetry that he likes, not caring if anyone agrees with him, playing golden-oldies from the Sixties, and wondering how he got there. Above all, he s convinced he is not a good man. Then, as a hurricane pounds north Florida, Harry gets a visitor. An old black man who calls himself Peter Prophet, announcing the imminent arrival of a New Child of God. Harry is a bit skeptical. Harry is surrounded by men and women with their own burdens to carry. Captain Jack Tunnel is the morning host, more right-wing than Rush, with a cranky parrot co-host named Jimmy Buffett, but who also has a gentle secret life. Nora James is the mysterious cooking woman who broadcasts from her home kitchen, but whom nobody has ever seen. Harry falls in love with Nora because of her voice and spends his first year in town trying to find her, only to discover that her whereabouts are a communal secret, revealed only to a select few. Carlos Friedmann has the 2 6 AM slot, a fourth-generation Jewish Cuban who cannot speak Spanish, but whose forte is to broadcast fake interviews with Fidel Castro. Harry's role in the New Child s arrival eventually becomes intertwined with politics, Iraq, 9/11, old-time religion, and classic American literature from writers like Flannery O'Connor and Emily Dickinson, as well as the music of Harry Chapin. A good man is always hard to find, but Harry Ducharme finally succeeds as he meets the New Child of God in a final and unforgettable scene of death and redemption.

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

A rapidly becoming obscure mid-list writer, whose first novel, FLAMINGO RISING, was a Hallmark movie and whose second, ATHENS/AMERICA, is now invisible and unattainable.
My new book, A GOOD MAN, is about drunk radio talk show hosts, food, politics, and the possible Second Coming. It also involves a threesome with Nancy Grace, Ann Coulter, and a fictional right-wing talk show host.
Book is dedicated to Harry Chapin and Flannery O'Connor, but you gotta read it to appreciate why."

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baker is the author of the wonderful Flamingo Rising but also of the embarrassingly bad Athens, America, a failed attempt at a satire of Iowa City politics. After reading the latter, I decided not to read this new, locally published novel. But I shared a table with Baker at a local book fair, where he shamelessly hawked the book and convinced me that if I liked Flaming Rising, I would like this one. Well, it's somewhere in between Flaming and Athens. He does create some memorable, well-drawn characters and lovingly portrays St. Augustine, Florida. But he's still bitterly grinding some axes, and the three story lines sit uncomfortably and sometimes confusingly together: a washed-up radio personality (originally from Springdale, Iowa, just up the road from Iowa City) finds a sort of redemption in St. Augustine; a sort of sequel to Flamingo Rising; and a peculiar story line about a religious prophet.

[Nick Stika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larry Baker is a wonderful author and this is a sequel, if you will, to Flamingo Rising. A great story.

[Scott Benyacko · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great story about a really good man. It was fun revisiting with some of the characters from Flamingo Rising. I admit that I did not see the ending coming.

[Beth Coffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Larry Baker and his books. The characters, some of whom I've loved since "Flamingo Rising," are lovely and alive and lively. I'm ready to move to St. Augustine.

[Mike Buckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked forward to every opportunity to once again open the cover of this book and continúe reading.

[Krysta Halye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts in pieces, continues with a life, and ends with unexpected heartbreak.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing journey story. With inspirational nods to Harry Chapin and Flannery O'Conner, Baker tells the story of Harry Ducharme, a down and out talk-radio host who has burned his personal and professional bridges and lands in St. Augustine, Fla. to start a new life.
While this seems like one man's journey, it is the collective tale of everyone involved even slightly in Harry's life. Through a strange confluence of seemingly random events, several strangers are brought together around a common purpose, and as you read it, you too feel as though you've been included in their journey.
This is a wonderful story that touches you, amuses you and gives you a glimpse into the importance of seemingly small , random gestures and how very important they can be.

[Harry Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “A Good Man” author Larry Baker demonstrates his remarkable mastery of descriptive writing and extraordinary character development in leading the reader through the events that shape Harry Ducharme’s life in his new job as late night talk radio host at a small radio station in St. Augustine, Florida, the last stop in Ducharme’s slide from his once being a top A-list radio host. The story quickly grabs the reader’s attention and keeps him/her enthralled up to the dramatic ending. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and highly recommend this book. It will be one you’ll remember long after you finish reading it.

[Kenny Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Would love to see it made into a film.