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Got Trouble
Trouble can find you anywhere
When your day starts at 11 pm, it’s a long way to sunrise. Glynnis Cary is stuck working as a night manager at the Gas-O-Mart. Her husband Keith’s idea of romance is buying her grocery store flowers, usually only when he comes home drunk. Her son is in trouble at school, skipping out with his girlfriend, and keeping secrets. Big secrets, ones that may turn out to be both lucrative and felonious. Keith’s bumbling unexpectedly makes Glynnis the target of multiple murderous enemies and a lot of bullets. Way more bullets than is reasonable. On the run with a new friend, one whose life she’s just inadvertently destroyed, Glynnis has to rely on her gut, her grit, and her ability to spin big lies to find a way to survive.
Got Trouble is a new novel of suspense, thrills, humor, and one woman's attempt to just have something go right. For once. For crying out loud.
Content Coarse language, some gun violence.
When your day starts at 11 pm, it’s a long way to sunrise. Glynnis Cary is stuck working as a night manager at the Gas-O-Mart. Her husband Keith’s idea of romance is buying her grocery store flowers, usually only when he comes home drunk. Her son is in trouble at school, skipping out with his girlfriend, and keeping secrets. Big secrets, ones that may turn out to be both lucrative and felonious. Keith’s bumbling unexpectedly makes Glynnis the target of multiple murderous enemies and a lot of bullets. Way more bullets than is reasonable. On the run with a new friend, one whose life she’s just inadvertently destroyed, Glynnis has to rely on her gut, her grit, and her ability to spin big lies to find a way to survive.
Got Trouble is a new novel of suspense, thrills, humor, and one woman's attempt to just have something go right. For once. For crying out loud.
Content Coarse language, some gun violence.
348 pages, Paperback
Published January 4, 2023
82 people are currently reading
1235 people want to read
About the author
Dave Dobson
13 books85 followersA native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, boardgames, computer games, improv comedy, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids.
Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. Dave first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent game is Scryptix, a word game for cell phones.
Dave taught geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College for 24 years before stepping away to write full time. He does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kinda cool.
Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. Dave first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent game is Scryptix, a word game for cell phones.
Dave taught geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College for 24 years before stepping away to write full time. He does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kinda cool.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 11, 2023
Glynnis Cary is the night manager at the Gas-O-Mart, thanks to the expensive truck her husband Keith bought himself. They now have a large loan to repay, so Glynnis had to give up her classes at the local community college and her dreams along with them. She seems to barely go through the motions every day. She has a husband who is not home most every weekend, “fishing” with his friend Dale and at the bar during the week, and whose idea of romance is giving her a bouquet of grocery store flowers after he comes home intoxicated. Her son Jeremy is in trouble at school, sneaking out of the house with his girlfriend while grounded, and keeping secrets—big secrets. An orchid from the grocery store bouquet remains fresh, even though the rest of the flowers have died. She takes the flower to Andrew Grimes, PhD, the botany professor of Riggson College, to show him the unusual flower with its brilliant colors and ask what type of orchid it is. After a very fun lab experiment to test the orchid, Glynnis feels more alive than she has in quite some time. However, she then becomes the scapegoat for her husband’s blunder, which makes her the target of ruthless enemies and more bullets and destruction than any one person should ever have to experience. On top of that, she has inadvertently put Dr. Grimes’ life in danger, and probably detroyed his career. Now Glynnis must muster every bit of strength she has to ensure they both survive.
This was an engrossing, page-flipping novel, and I am pleasantly surprised and pleased enough with the story to have given it my highest score. It is unputdownable, a mixture of family drama, government conspiracies, destruction, and a bit of romance and sci-fi thrown in for good measure. (Full disclosure: Sci-Fi is NOT my genre) However, the twists and thriller parts are played up, the villains are truly vile, and the pace is exciting throughout, which makes reading the whole book completely enjoyable. Glynnis is a real bada$$ as the heroine/protagonist, and Dr. Grimes is an admirable and worthy sidekick. The worst of everyone else brought out the best in the two of them. The plot was thoroughly enjoyable. I also utterly relished the character of Jimmy, so much so that I’d love to see a novel featuring his life story. In a lot of ways, he was my favorite (see my previous reviews professing my love for elderly curmudgeons). I am thrilled to recommend “Got Trouble” to a variety of readers, it has something for most everyone to enjoy.
I’d like to thank BookSirens and Dave Dobson for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
This was an engrossing, page-flipping novel, and I am pleasantly surprised and pleased enough with the story to have given it my highest score. It is unputdownable, a mixture of family drama, government conspiracies, destruction, and a bit of romance and sci-fi thrown in for good measure. (Full disclosure: Sci-Fi is NOT my genre) However, the twists and thriller parts are played up, the villains are truly vile, and the pace is exciting throughout, which makes reading the whole book completely enjoyable. Glynnis is a real bada$$ as the heroine/protagonist, and Dr. Grimes is an admirable and worthy sidekick. The worst of everyone else brought out the best in the two of them. The plot was thoroughly enjoyable. I also utterly relished the character of Jimmy, so much so that I’d love to see a novel featuring his life story. In a lot of ways, he was my favorite (see my previous reviews professing my love for elderly curmudgeons). I am thrilled to recommend “Got Trouble” to a variety of readers, it has something for most everyone to enjoy.
I’d like to thank BookSirens and Dave Dobson for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
April 20, 2023
Glynnis Carey is an honest law-abiding middle aged American mom with a boring marriage, lacking in romance. She is working the night shift at the local gas station for extra money due to a truck loan her husband took out and since her kid will be going to college in the Fall. She is an intelligent woman who had to leave behind her aspirations of college and career when she discovered she was pregnant at 18. Her son Jeremy is generally a good kid but is in trouble at school.
All of this seems like a fairly normal life, until an interesting flower enters Glynnis’s life by way of a grocery store bouquet bought for her by her husband to assuage his guilty feelings. The bouquet contains an unusual orchid which she is unable to find online and the grocery store clerk says they just came in a box marked ‘roses’. She decides to seek out a botanist at the local college and here she meets the kindly Dr Andrew Grimes. He encourages her eagerness to learn and they perform experiments on the orchid. They notice how time seems amazingly to stop in a field surrounding the orchid. Later that night his office is broken into…
From this point things then start to escalate rapidly with the action ramping up and shocks and excitement coming at poor Glynnis from every angle. Her normal life has unfortunately gone out of the window! She discovers Jeremy has been involved in a Bitcoin-like scheme with his friend Alex, who has now been kidnapped by Romanians.
Her husband has also been kidnapped by what seems to be a separate group of terrorists seeking the flower.
She goes to warn Grimes and they are shot at and she must make a getaway during which Grimes is taken hostage. The kidnappers then want to exchange her husband for the plant, but she has discovered he is having an online affair and isn’t sure how she wants to proceed.
Glynnis’s character seems to come alive and take charge as her circumstances get worse and worse. She discovers hidden depths she was unaware of. She grabs her husband’s guns from their ransacked house, stepping over a corpse in the garden like an action hero, formulates a plan to keep her son safe and borrows a car, bravely rescuing Grimes.
The characters in this thriller are really well-written. Glynnis and Grimes make a wonderful team in this tale of flower terrorism. Each is brave in their own way, yet down to Earth, ordinary people caught up in an exceptionally out of the ordinary set of circumstances. They complement each other well, despite having only just met. Fortunately for the two unlikely desperados, Grimes has a close friend, Jimmy, a man who is an expert in living off the grid and they flee to him for help. Jimmy is a very enjoyable character, if somewhat stereotypical.
Despite this being an action-packed novel, there is a thread of humour running throughout which I really enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers who like a little mystery and Sci-Fi thrown in!
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review! My opinions are my own.
All of this seems like a fairly normal life, until an interesting flower enters Glynnis’s life by way of a grocery store bouquet bought for her by her husband to assuage his guilty feelings. The bouquet contains an unusual orchid which she is unable to find online and the grocery store clerk says they just came in a box marked ‘roses’. She decides to seek out a botanist at the local college and here she meets the kindly Dr Andrew Grimes. He encourages her eagerness to learn and they perform experiments on the orchid. They notice how time seems amazingly to stop in a field surrounding the orchid. Later that night his office is broken into…
From this point things then start to escalate rapidly with the action ramping up and shocks and excitement coming at poor Glynnis from every angle. Her normal life has unfortunately gone out of the window! She discovers Jeremy has been involved in a Bitcoin-like scheme with his friend Alex, who has now been kidnapped by Romanians.
Her husband has also been kidnapped by what seems to be a separate group of terrorists seeking the flower.
She goes to warn Grimes and they are shot at and she must make a getaway during which Grimes is taken hostage. The kidnappers then want to exchange her husband for the plant, but she has discovered he is having an online affair and isn’t sure how she wants to proceed.
Glynnis’s character seems to come alive and take charge as her circumstances get worse and worse. She discovers hidden depths she was unaware of. She grabs her husband’s guns from their ransacked house, stepping over a corpse in the garden like an action hero, formulates a plan to keep her son safe and borrows a car, bravely rescuing Grimes.
The characters in this thriller are really well-written. Glynnis and Grimes make a wonderful team in this tale of flower terrorism. Each is brave in their own way, yet down to Earth, ordinary people caught up in an exceptionally out of the ordinary set of circumstances. They complement each other well, despite having only just met. Fortunately for the two unlikely desperados, Grimes has a close friend, Jimmy, a man who is an expert in living off the grid and they flee to him for help. Jimmy is a very enjoyable character, if somewhat stereotypical.
Despite this being an action-packed novel, there is a thread of humour running throughout which I really enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers who like a little mystery and Sci-Fi thrown in!
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review! My opinions are my own.
September 29, 2023
I’ve read Daros, Dave Dobson’s sci-fi novel, and I loved it, so I thought I’d see what he does with a thriller. I loved this too. Glynnis Cary, his main character, is very interesting, and her family and life situation was so interesting I almost found myself a little disappointed when the mystery really got going! A fast, fun read. Full disclosure: I know Dave personally, very slightly: not well enough to feel obliged to read his books, or review them, or give them good grades. Especially not two of them, I don’t think I’d even do that for my wife. Hope you enjoy it!
July 11, 2023
A wild adventure to get absolutely immersed in. Fast-paced and binge-able, vivid scenes, incredible details (no spoilers!), and a very fun, very cool reminder that people are always more than meet the eye.
Loved it. Kicked me right out of a reading slump and finished in two days.
Loved it. Kicked me right out of a reading slump and finished in two days.
March 3, 2023
Got Trouble is a very gripping story and one you won't want to put down. I really enjoyed the main character, along with the plot. I thought that both were interesting. I also really enjoyed the descriptions and felt that it made you think and your imagination work. This was my first book by this author, but I'm interested in reading more of his work.
July 28, 2023
Extremely fun and thrilling read that you won’t want to put down. Glynnis and Grimes are the type of characters you feel like you know personally and the story itself is really unique. I feel like I want to go back to school to learn more science now :) absolutely loved this book and am excited to see more of what the author has to offer.
February 11, 2023
Dave Dobson breaks out from space fiction and fantasy worlds to write a story set in the USA, albeit with a little bit of science fiction thrown in to start the ball rolling. I enjoyed the transformation of Dobson's main character from beleaguered housewife to formidable opponent. The humor that carries his other books present as always and I was laughing out loud several times. There may be more ideas in the story than it comfortably holds.. There were characters in the first half who deserved more play, but perhaps that will allow a sequel at some future date.
May 30, 2023
Well written bored housewife whose life is turned upside down when she discovers a rare flower on an apology bouquet from her husband. There’s Romanians after the follower, kidnapping lots of suspense and drama to keep you reading. Even some sci-fi drama. Not my typical read, however, it kept my interest and me reading. *I was given an advanced reader copy via BookSirens and am voluntarily giving my honest review
September 21, 2025
Life is life is life....sometimes up and sometimes down. For Glynnis Cary in Got Trouble by author Dave Dobson life is quite a mixed bag every day.
But Glynnis is a modern day star and taking good care to handle everything with quiet ability.
Till the day her inebriated husband, Keith, presented her with a bouquet of flowers as an apology.
And incidentally cheating on her (though that is simply a suspicion as yet)
And she discovers her son, Jeremy, is in trouble at school.
And has an incredible amount of money in his savings account.
But the real puzzler happened a subsequently when the orchid that formed part of her husband's bunch of flowers insist on surviving all the other flowers. And nobody knew what kind of orchid it is.
The subsequent events were simply inexplicable and plain crazy.
I loved the character of Glynnis and her surprising ability to deal with the madness that followed. I loved the humour that still makes me smile broadly when thinking back on the amazing and quite unique plot developed by author Dave Dobson in this book.
Got Trouble certainly made my day...irrespective what life might offer.
Enjoy
But Glynnis is a modern day star and taking good care to handle everything with quiet ability.
Till the day her inebriated husband, Keith, presented her with a bouquet of flowers as an apology.
And incidentally cheating on her (though that is simply a suspicion as yet)
And she discovers her son, Jeremy, is in trouble at school.
And has an incredible amount of money in his savings account.
But the real puzzler happened a subsequently when the orchid that formed part of her husband's bunch of flowers insist on surviving all the other flowers. And nobody knew what kind of orchid it is.
The subsequent events were simply inexplicable and plain crazy.
I loved the character of Glynnis and her surprising ability to deal with the madness that followed. I loved the humour that still makes me smile broadly when thinking back on the amazing and quite unique plot developed by author Dave Dobson in this book.
Got Trouble certainly made my day...irrespective what life might offer.
Enjoy
July 15, 2023
Physics, Biology, and Adventure!
There were parts of this I didn't really understand, not being much of a science person. But that didn't even matter.
There were kidnappings, car chases, gun fights, terrorism charges, corrupt government agents. And it couldn't happen to a nicer woman. Suburban wife and mom with an interest in biology that had been postponed years ago. That interest, though, raised her curiosity about a flower that was part of a grocery store bouquet her husband had brought her. She had never seen one like it. So she went to the local university to see if she could get some information. And so the adventure began.
Fast paced, fun characters, a new type (for me) of mystery/thriller. Five stars.
There were parts of this I didn't really understand, not being much of a science person. But that didn't even matter.
There were kidnappings, car chases, gun fights, terrorism charges, corrupt government agents. And it couldn't happen to a nicer woman. Suburban wife and mom with an interest in biology that had been postponed years ago. That interest, though, raised her curiosity about a flower that was part of a grocery store bouquet her husband had brought her. She had never seen one like it. So she went to the local university to see if she could get some information. And so the adventure began.
Fast paced, fun characters, a new type (for me) of mystery/thriller. Five stars.
February 19, 2023
The main character, Glynnis, felt a bit meh on page one, but she quickly grew on me and I came to really appreciate her inner monologue, sense of humor, and her way of taking things in stride. The world needs more main characters that are middle aged moms! Especially ones that are unassuming, capable, and badass in their own way.
A few things that happened felt like a stretch (no spoilers!), but never to the point of hindering my enjoyment of the narrative.
And what a story!
All the characters felt very realistic, and while none were perfect, I appreciate that the author seems to have faith in humanity overall.
Also, I'll never look at orchids quite the same way every again.
In a nutshell: an enjoyable read that I recommend.
A few things that happened felt like a stretch (no spoilers!), but never to the point of hindering my enjoyment of the narrative.
And what a story!
All the characters felt very realistic, and while none were perfect, I appreciate that the author seems to have faith in humanity overall.
Also, I'll never look at orchids quite the same way every again.
In a nutshell: an enjoyable read that I recommend.
March 16, 2023
great read.
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. This was such a fast read and kept me interested the entire time. I finished it in about a day. I will be looking for other books by this author.
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. This was such a fast read and kept me interested the entire time. I finished it in about a day. I will be looking for other books by this author.
April 16, 2023
I do love a strong female protagonist, and I certainly go on here in Got Trouble.
A fast paced book, full of complexities and action.
Absolutely loved this story and would highly recommend.
A fast paced book, full of complexities and action.
Absolutely loved this story and would highly recommend.
June 9, 2023
Different and Unique
Interesting and unique. Different. Intriquing. Great storyline and characters. Interesting subject matter. Unique characters. Like how the author made the characters thoughts so realistic.
Interesting and unique. Different. Intriquing. Great storyline and characters. Interesting subject matter. Unique characters. Like how the author made the characters thoughts so realistic.
September 19, 2023
Another super fun read by Dave Dobson! Great characters, intriguing story, and lots of suspense- this was a true page turner!
December 21, 2023
another ripping yarn from Dave Dobson.!
have already bought all of this other books for Christmas reading fun!
have already bought all of this other books for Christmas reading fun!
Read
September 5, 2025One of those you hate to end.Characters become like family
February 15, 2023
This story is worth more than 5 stars, I found it to be a gripping read and definitely on the didn't want to put down list. The descriptions in this book have your imagination running wild, more than a few times I found myself smiling at parts of the story like the thought of the low-slung car or the throaty rumble of the engine.
I would love to read more Glynnis stories.
I received this book for free and I wanted to leave an honest review.
I would love to read more Glynnis stories.
I received this book for free and I wanted to leave an honest review.
January 13, 2024
You never know what's coming next with this one. Got Trouble is an entertaining adventure with memorable characters and an interesting science-based undertheme. Oh, and the intrigue goes all the way to the top! I had previously read (and loved) Dobson's Inquisitor's Guild series and wasn't sure what to expect with a novel set in the "real world." His ever-present sense of humor and very readable writing-style did not let me down. Highly recommend all his novels.
January 30, 2023
I enjoyed reading the book! I've read the authors other books (fantasy setting) and looked forward to seeing how a mystery/thriller modern day book would turn out by him. I was not disappointed! There is a twist to the story, making the book 90 percent thriller and 10 percent sci-fi, but it works. The main character was interesting and kind of bad ass, the action was great and the plot interesting. The author holds over from his other books, the style of short chapters and cheesy chapter titles (but not to the point of distracting from the storyline). If you want to start reading Dave Dobson's works, I recommend starting with this one.
May 30, 2023
Loved this book!
This book is so cool! Definitely a must read ! Funny and full of action. It’s different than the books I normally read. I will be keeping an eye on this author.
This book is so cool! Definitely a must read ! Funny and full of action. It’s different than the books I normally read. I will be keeping an eye on this author.
December 29, 2023
A fun very entertaining thriller. In the beginning you are wondering where the thriller part is but stay with the story, and then bam, it starts. I loved Glynnis' character, she is very relatable with regular everyday problems, a problem solver, level headed, and intelligent. I thought the storyline was original and enjoyed the humor spread throughout. I did not understand all the scientific stuff about the flower but followed along enough to know it was special. I appreciated that the action scenes were not so overly done but still exciting. The political parts were well written with enough departments involved to be believable. Grimes' character was excellent too and the relationship with him and Glynnis developed nicely. I read this story almost straight through as I was wanting to see what happened next and how it would end. I was not disappointed.
I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
May 5, 2023
What a strange book. It was billed as a mystery/thriller, but it read more like a fantasy. Without giving away spoilers, there was absolutely no sense to it. The relationship between Glynnis and Grimes was kind of fun, but beyond that, it was a lot of word salad, in my opinion. The author developed those characters well; other than that, few of the other characters were even believable. I'm still not sure how the protagonist wound up in a situation with the "Russians." I searched the book for an introduction to these antagonists, but there is none that I could find. All in all, the book rambled, was repetitive, and relied far too much on amazing solutions to situations that, in themselves, made no sense. I wouldn't recommend the book. I hope others have a more positive experience with it.
I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 27, 2023
The description is very misleading. I was expecting a mystery/thriller, and while this had some aspects of that, it had a lot of other things too, like spy stuff, deep government stuff, some sci-fi, it was just all over the place.
I loved Glynnis and Grimes, and the times that they talked and spent together were the most interesting parts of the book. But, other than those two, there were no characters that made any sense.
This book needed an editor to tell the author to stop writing. The book was at least 70 pages and 2 plot lines too long. There was way too much reliance on deus ex machinas throughout the book.
I wouldn’t recommend it, but it might be great for others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I loved Glynnis and Grimes, and the times that they talked and spent together were the most interesting parts of the book. But, other than those two, there were no characters that made any sense.
This book needed an editor to tell the author to stop writing. The book was at least 70 pages and 2 plot lines too long. There was way too much reliance on deus ex machinas throughout the book.
I wouldn’t recommend it, but it might be great for others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
February 21, 2023
The story starts off slow, introducing Glynnis and her family. Glynnis is brought into a dangerous situation, inadvertently involving Grimes. The settings are descriptive, and there are a lot of elements in the book, such as science-fiction and espionage.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books, Booksirens, and author.
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books, Booksirens, and author.
October 10, 2023
While I really enjoyed the story it was very wordy and described so many things that had no relevance to anything 😅
I received this as a free ebook from a goodreads giveaway.
I received this as a free ebook from a goodreads giveaway.
April 22, 2024
Glynnis is like a lot of women I’ve known: she’s smart but she got married young, and whatever dreams she once had are far out-of-reach. The fire hasn’t gone out yet, but it’s certainly getting dimmer and is in danger of being extinguished. Her husband seems to care more about his car than her, and has sunk so much money into it that Glynnis has to work nightshift at a convenience store. Her son seems to be run-of-the-mill unruly, getting in trouble at school for indelicate photoshopping of various jocks trying to bully him. No big deal, until she finds her son’s bank statement and sees it’s six-figures. What’s a teenager who bends tacos after school doing with that much dinero?
Things are about to give for Glynnis, and while they’re inarguably going to get worse, if she makes it through, things might eventually get better.
“Got Trouble” is an endearing novel about a woman in a midlife crisis who finds herself in a life-and-death struggle that might change the world. The MacGuffin comes in the form of a seemingly innocuous flower, picked up from the local inhouse florist at the supermarket. This seemingly normal flower, however, seems to have the power to halt the laws of physics—both Newtonian and known subatomic—if one gets too near it.
Glynnis is no botanist, no physicist, and certainly no master of spycraft from a John Le Carre novel, but that’s what makes her such a sympathetic protagonist. She’s an everywoman who has to use her wits, toughness, and reserves of heretofore-undiscovered resilience to save her life and those of her imperiled family members.
The technical aspects—the science and espionage elements—are all handled well and will not only pass muster with laymen, but might satisfy the pedantic and expert. Some of the action sequence are also solid, though none quite rise to the level of heart-stopping. That’s understandable, as the author—by his own admission—is taking his first stab at suspense/thriller this time out.
It's a respectable effort, but it’s overlong, and needs shoring of about thirty-thousand words to be as tight as it possibly could be. Alas, the book wouldn’t have this problem if the publishing industry were healthy, as in the old days author Dave Dobson would have been an easy acquisition. Taking an unpolished gem like this one and getting it to shine is exactly what a good inhouse editor is for.
No matter, though. As a starting point—and as a work written in under a month—it’s a respectable effort. Granted, Lawrence Block can write a novel in two weeks, but the quality always seems to suffer when he does, and he’s an old pro.
Things are about to give for Glynnis, and while they’re inarguably going to get worse, if she makes it through, things might eventually get better.
“Got Trouble” is an endearing novel about a woman in a midlife crisis who finds herself in a life-and-death struggle that might change the world. The MacGuffin comes in the form of a seemingly innocuous flower, picked up from the local inhouse florist at the supermarket. This seemingly normal flower, however, seems to have the power to halt the laws of physics—both Newtonian and known subatomic—if one gets too near it.
Glynnis is no botanist, no physicist, and certainly no master of spycraft from a John Le Carre novel, but that’s what makes her such a sympathetic protagonist. She’s an everywoman who has to use her wits, toughness, and reserves of heretofore-undiscovered resilience to save her life and those of her imperiled family members.
The technical aspects—the science and espionage elements—are all handled well and will not only pass muster with laymen, but might satisfy the pedantic and expert. Some of the action sequence are also solid, though none quite rise to the level of heart-stopping. That’s understandable, as the author—by his own admission—is taking his first stab at suspense/thriller this time out.
It's a respectable effort, but it’s overlong, and needs shoring of about thirty-thousand words to be as tight as it possibly could be. Alas, the book wouldn’t have this problem if the publishing industry were healthy, as in the old days author Dave Dobson would have been an easy acquisition. Taking an unpolished gem like this one and getting it to shine is exactly what a good inhouse editor is for.
No matter, though. As a starting point—and as a work written in under a month—it’s a respectable effort. Granted, Lawrence Block can write a novel in two weeks, but the quality always seems to suffer when he does, and he’s an old pro.
December 10, 2024
Just what I needed. An ordinary woman struggling to get by gets pulled into international intrigue and discovers her inner badass. She gets shot at. Does some shooting. Teams up with a professor and a survivalist. Saves her son and husband. And encounters some crazy technology.
Like the best screwball comedies, the pace is brisk and the situations increasingly dangerous and outlandish (no spoilers). Yet they are (mostly) believable within the context of the story. While people do get killed and things do blow up, the violence is nevertheless family friendly. (I mention this because I recommended a different book to a friend that was too violent for him.)
A wild and fun ride!
Like the best screwball comedies, the pace is brisk and the situations increasingly dangerous and outlandish (no spoilers). Yet they are (mostly) believable within the context of the story. While people do get killed and things do blow up, the violence is nevertheless family friendly. (I mention this because I recommended a different book to a friend that was too violent for him.)
A wild and fun ride!
March 26, 2023
Tongue in cheek and guns in hand, this book is definitely something wonderful. From the start, you are brought in to a world where a woman is not living her fullest and definitely not appreciated as much as she deserves. Life takes a wild turn and she ends up running about, guns blazing, just to get by. I loved this read and found it really made for an enjoyable journey. It was unique, exciting and downright fun.
The main character was exciting and strong, even in ways and amounts she never knew possible.
The author has created a brilliantly flowing and fast-paced read that will be enjoyed by many readers!
The main character was exciting and strong, even in ways and amounts she never knew possible.
The author has created a brilliantly flowing and fast-paced read that will be enjoyed by many readers!
July 31, 2023
I found this book on my reading tablet - I must have downloaded it from Book Bubs awhile back.
The story delighted me - a women who never achieved her intellectual potential as she became pregnant and did 'the right thing:' marry the father of the baby. She then did several jobs but nothing inspiring and now through a random hiccup - a bunch of flowers a gift from her cheating husband as a sop to his cheating - she is flung into a nightmare of spies, kidnapping, threats, bullets and a car chase across the US. Some good comes of it - she starts researching an odd flower in the bunch and goes to a local university biology department.....
A great read in a genre I do not usually go for - so it was a wonderful surprise. Thanks.
The story delighted me - a women who never achieved her intellectual potential as she became pregnant and did 'the right thing:' marry the father of the baby. She then did several jobs but nothing inspiring and now through a random hiccup - a bunch of flowers a gift from her cheating husband as a sop to his cheating - she is flung into a nightmare of spies, kidnapping, threats, bullets and a car chase across the US. Some good comes of it - she starts researching an odd flower in the bunch and goes to a local university biology department.....
A great read in a genre I do not usually go for - so it was a wonderful surprise. Thanks.
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