Fool's Ride

Jenkins Cycle #2

by John L. Monk

Dan Jenkins is back, body hopping a scumbag at a time in his quest for the perfect ride. He doesn’t need much. Premium cable TV, good books, a well-stocked pantry, and he's set. But the Great Whomever has other plans.

After six months waiting in limbo, Dan catches a ride as a horror novelist whose gruesome stories aren’t just fiction. Later, he hunts a man who’s escaped justice for far too long. Then, in his greatest challenge yet, he strays too deeply into the lives of the people he loves: his most foolish ride of all.

Genres: Paranormal, Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Horror

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2014

About the author

John L. Monk lives in Virginia, USA, with his wife, Dorothy. A writer with a degree in cultural anthropology, he boldly does the dishes, roots out evil wherever it lurks, and writes his own stunts.

Reviews

[Tammy K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resuming 6 months after the ending of Kick, Fool's Ride finds Dan Jenkins jumping into the life of a famous horror author, Ernest Prescott, moments before a book signing. Dan finds that his ride lives a bizarre lifestyle which may threaten the lives of others.

If you enjoyed the first book of this series, you are sure to enjoy this one. It full of the same edge-of-your-seat suspenseful action.
I found myself cheering for Dan all the way!

I highly recommend this book (series) to readers of the Dark Fantasy, Horror and Thriller genre.

I do caution that this book contains violence and other material that may not be suited for young and/or sensitive readers.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn't have as much of the vigilante fun of the first book, and the MC disappointed me by being a little more passive, but it was a great progression of the story line and we find out more things about the afterlife and get some theories on Dan's status.

[Carol Kean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy ride, or freaky, creepy carnival ride: come along for a spin.

Daniel Jenkins repeatedly returns to earth in human form to atone for his sins and deliver some good old-fashioned, oh, so gratifying, vigilante justice. Fans of Book One, "Kick," know Dan committed suicide while in college, bleeding all over the dorm room of the girl who'd jilted him. Horrors! What in the world could entice me to spend a whole novel in the point of view of a thoughtless, self-pitying loser like Dan? Does the writer even live who could interest me in this guy's miserable hereafter? Yes. Yes. And yes again.

Alas, poor Dan. He comprehends the magnitude of his stupid act of suicide. His guilt is so stupendous, he somehow finds himself entering the body of a living human man. What happens to the guy's soul while Dan occupies his "ride," we don't know, and we don't need to worry about that yet. Most of these guys end up dead, thanks to Dan, who somehow manages to occupy the body of a bad guy, a seriously, horribly bad guy who deserves to die immediately. And should have died before he had a chance to ruin so many other lives. From the opening scene of "Kick," I was hooked on Dan. He's become so thoughtful in the lonely hours of the hereafter, he even thinks to tighten a plastic bag around his head before holding a gun to it and blowing his brains out. Well, not his, as in Dan's, but his, as in whatever smarmy criminal was occupying this now-dead body.

If I make this sound way too complicated, trust me, it's easy to follow in the novel. Monk is methodical in delivering the right amount of information when we need it, without resorting to the dreaded "info-dump" of the novice author. With wit and humor, irony, one surprise after another, flying bullets, innocents to save, donuts to devour and food, food, food, Dan reminds us of how much fun it is to be human, and how great it is just to eat in front of a big-screen TV.

Riding along with Dan is living out a dream. What if we had only a few weeks to live--to feast on all our favorite foods, never having to choke down lima beans or broccoli in order to prolong our lives? Never having to consider cholesterol, diabetes or weight gain?

Too many "rides" in a row like that might get old (might! might!), but Dan never has time to be bored. The body he's in keeps getting phone calls or visits from other bad guys. Somehow he has to get his fill of pizza before dispatching the baddies. And he has to finish with the vigilante justice before the first, second and third warning kick that he's about to be evicted from the body he's riding around in. Now that's pressure. So much unfinished business to wrap up before he makes sure he leaves behind a dead body, not a criminal still alive and on the prowl.

Do I sound smitten with this premise? Well, I am.

Book One held a surprise when the final ride happens to be a nice guy, and Dan has to work heroically to keep Nate alive after Dan's ride is over. It occurs to Dan that in his next incarnation, he should look up Nate and ask him what it was like during the weeks Dan was occupying Nate's body. I had looked forward to finding out in Book Two, but Dan is much too busy dealing with a violent novelist and his snuff-film making cohorts, then with a house full of pedo--

But you don't want to hear it from me. You want to read it all for yourself.

And I hope for Book Three to come out soon. Nate, I want to know if you remember anything of those three weeks when Dan Jenkins was in your body, posing as you, eating your food, watching your TV, enjoying your big house and car. And helping to get you out of that crazy, stupid mess you got yourself into.

I also want to see Dan achieve whatever nirvana will release him from this cycle. Then again, as long as Dan is able to come back and eat junk food for a few weeks, maybe he'll never tire of the empty stretches in the great wherever. Maybe he'll meet the Great Whomever.

This is the most fun, gratifying, creepy, and satisfying fiction I've read in a long time. Plot holes don't matter. I'm along for the ride. Whether it's a joy ride or a freaky carnival ride, Dan has me hooked and wanting more.

p.s. Take a close look at the cover of "Kick." Twisted! (Love it!)

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read

If you like or even read 'Kick' you'll love this book. If you haven't read 'Lusk I suggest you do then 'Fools Ride".
In my opinion John Monk writes a great book. It has abit of Gore at times and funny that I atually laugh out loud. It can be intense at monuments but then you have your laid back time cause Dan, the main character is funny, likes to read, lay around watch t.v. and eat pizza and ice cream. Oh yea let's not forget donuts, lemon especially.
On this particular ride ,the first I should say he's a really messed up horror writer that leads to a very bloody scene before he's kicked to yet another screwed up old man that ends up doing a good thing then he's into yet another screwed up man. But this all has a meaning it seems and it leans towards his family. After sitting in the great unknown for 5 yrs 7months and 17 days, I believe, he's lead to a big surprise. And no it seemed long but not that long. And I liked how he discovered the new movies right on your t.v., smart phones, tablets all the new stuff that changed in just 5 years. It was kind of amusing how he described it. I've grown pretty fond of Dan and his humor and killing sprees. I hope this isn't the last of him but I don't no if theirs anything left. He seems to ha Made his piece but then again he was potholes out shortly after to make that one digit off phone call .
So I guess we wait and see if there's a book three. Me my self I hope so. I get a kick ,lol, out if these books.

[Johanna M Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome sequel to Kick! The lovable Dan Jenkins is back, larger than life. I found this story slightly slower to get into than its predecessor, but once I was in the thick of it, it was amazing. Just like the first book, once I became engrossed in the story, I found it difficult to put down.

I loved that we got to see some character growth with Dan, as inevitably, so many kicks are bound to take their toll on his psyche. It was great to learn more about his original life and family, and interesting how it tied in with everything else going on. Despite Dan's best efforts to remain unattached to his former life, he just can't help himself and it does present him with a few challenges as he battles to bring justice to his latest ride.

I found myself itching to know more about the minister, I feel there is a huge story arc there, just waiting to unfold. There is much more to that character than we first thought. I love that someone in Dan's present circumstance, knows of his predicament. I also loved the detail of the subplot with the 'wrong phone number' - I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it for future readers... but I highly recommend this book. If you have not already read Kick, I urge you to read that first.

[Steelwhisper · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* rounded up.

Started out a bit weaker than the first in the series, but then got quite intriguing.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as the first book in the series.

[Ozsaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this series so much, I immediately bought this one. No regrets! It didn't have quite the punch of the first book, but it did expand on Dan's background, his family, and tantalizing hints about what his existence is.

I still want to know more about why he was chosen to keep coming back, and what's the real reason for his body hopping.

I'm getting more into the episodic nature of each book. Each person he jumps into has a unique identity and problem for Dan to work out. No two hops are the same.

I can't say it's a "fun" ride because most of the people Dan deals with are horrible scumbags, but this series is certainly entertaining. I have the next book already!

[Patrick Stemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable sequel. Without spoiling anything - the rides get a little less cut and dry in this one. Dan's rides are less likely to be standing over a body and holding a smoking gun when he takes over. He has to do a little digging, and doesn't always look in the right place. Rides start to overlap - whoever is in charge is either messing with him, or trying to help him out. Even Dan doesn't know which. Great follow up to Kick.

[Dc · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really liked the first one, the premise was awesome. In the first book I felt there was minimal description of what the evil creepy people did and more focus on stopping the evil! But this one was way more descriptive, violent, graphic and seemed to have lost the the humor of the first one. I stuck with it for a while hoping the funny and less descriptive story line would return with focus on ridding the world of evil scumbags- but it didn't so I finally gave up and just stopped reading.

[Randy Harmelink · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this one was a bit slower than the first, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Each ride is like Dan is peeling off the layers of an onion until we're left with the stinky bits that make you wanna cry. It's fun to see just how despicable the ridees can be. And who doesn't like a story of justice, where evil gets its due?

[Daniel Penz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great ride

Rarely have I torn through books as obsessively (I guess the last time was back when Tom Clancy was actually good).

This book and Kick haunted me these past three days, and frankly I will be waiting impatiently for more. A fascinating read, with a surprising amount of heart. Definitely worth your time!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first one so I had high hopes. I was hoping Dan would team up with the minister for a vigilante duo righting all wrongs spree, but the book just kind of went nowhere with a bunch of twisted stomach turning violence.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously enjoyable. Just not necessarily five-star writing. (I'm a rough scorer.) Read it in as close to one sitting as I do these days. I definitely hope Monk keeps up this series.

[Glinda Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel!

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fool's Ride didn't have much of a plot line, when compared to Kick. That's not to say it had nothing. In both books so far, the structure includes three separate story arcs put to gether into one large story. In the first book, the overall story was a bit more clear and it had an obvious, active climax. Fool's Ride had a strong emotional climax. There was more character development in this book, which was one thing I found a bit lacking in Kick. Thus the slower, emotional climax.
This book was also a bit funnier than the first one. That is one thing that both of these books really have going for them: they have a really strong character voice and a lot of humor interspersed. I found myself both laughing out loud and tearing up. That is a mark of a good book.
I do highly suggest this book. I will warn again, though, that this series is on the soft side of "R" and it will have a good amount of violence and heavy subject matter. Make sure you can handle that kind of content before you get into the story.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the trilogy (thus far) about Dan Jenkins a "rider" who rides in the bodies of people for a while until something drastic is done or he is kicked out. This book is a bit more violent and more of a horror novel than the first book and it made me like it even more. I do like this series and want to know more about this character beyond this and the next book.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up to the first book! It was unexpectedly amazing. It took a dark path but it shows the extreme situations that Dan can be put into. The end of the story truly gave me many emotions. I'm still on a end of book high so all I can really say was it was great.

[Emmie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up the first book on a whim and got so caught up in the series that I had to read all the books. A fascinating premise, it reminded me a lot of the TV series Quantum Leap, though these leaps are a lot darker and he meets others that are also jumpers.

[Stand Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Dan

Over the course of these first two books Dan has really grown on me as a character. He is flawed and that makes him relatable despite his supernatural circumstances. I'm looking forward to reading more about Dan.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended series. Glad I stumbled across it!

[Johnie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining one sitting read

I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it highly to anyone that wants to read something different.

[Honey Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old-fashioned fun. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Gareth Otton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's another 4-star read for this series, but I can't say that I wasn't a little disappointed with this outing for Daniel Jenkins. Before we get to that though, here's what I liked...

The writing, as before, was fun, well-paced and engaging. Daniel is a humorous narrator, even with his slightly twisted morals, and no matter what story he is telling, it's always a pleasant read. The book is easily interesting enough to keep the pages turning and, as with the last one, it is a comfortable single sitting read.

However, as I said earlier, there were some disappointments. For starters, this one kind of felt like a rehash of the one before. Yet again we get half a novel of episodic adventures and then half a novel of a more relevant adventure to progress Daniel's story. On top of this, I feel that I could have done with a bit more progression in this story. We are no closer to finding out who the Great Whomever actually is, what Daniel's true purpose is, nor a number of other mysteries I wouldn't have minded finding a bit more about.

My biggest issue was Daniel himself. I was hoping for some growth in character, maybe see him become resigned to his position, or even see him start to embrace his role as some kind of holy vigilante. Especially after what happened with Nate, I was hoping that he might have more respect for the consequences of his actions. Instead, he is still confused, conflicted and not even looking to make sense out of his life.

Overall, this is a good read. I enjoy Daniel's outings and the writing style of this book, I just hope that the next book starts to progress the story a little more.

[Caddy Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I want to disclose that I, too, writer thrillers: psychological, crime, vigilante thrillers. So if you're a reader who thinks I'm going to give a biased review because I write this genre and happen to know the author, please move on. :) Thank you.

Personally, I think a writier in your same genre is much harder to please. But please is something Monk had not failed to do in my case with either Kick or this book. I was afraid the plot would wear thin. After all, it's a continuation of the character in Kick.

I should've known better. Monk takes Dan Jenkins and gives him a ride that's interesting, funny, and endearing. Never once did I find myself saying, "I wish he'd have moved on to something elses." QUite the contrary. I'm hoping another comes out with this main character.

I love the sense of humor this author has and gives to his Dan Jenkins character. I laughed out loud by myself in restaurants, in a waiting room to get my hair cut reading some of the dialog. Smart-ass and to the point. Exactly my kind of character.

Toward the end of the book he even adds some sentimental touches that I thought were perfect additions.

I would recommend this book, but you should read Kick first. In fact, I've already recommended both several times.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan is finally growing up!!!

Dan committed suicide when his first and only girlfriend dumped him. He was a loner with confidence issues to start with lol... When he died No Hell??? No Heaven. Just alone in his mind no body but he could remember everything he ever read. In the first book you find out Dan gets 3 week passes into random really BAD people, aka Serial killers, molesters, abusers etc... and he tries to right wrongs while enjoying being human and on Earth again but before he gets kicked out by original owner he kills them with evidence to their crimes on them. A perfect job for an irresponsible selfish soul???? But someone (God)?? Changed the rules toward end of last book and he was put into a Good guy to try to help him but he was too selfish for fun and almost screwed up read first book to understand. Now he is back and the rules are still changing and he is actually learning and growing slowly??? LOL Surprise visits from Family and former character's keep him guessing. A must read usually don't go so much into detail but both books are a Must Read. Signing up for e-mail notice for New books Need more now.

[C.W. Thomas]

Author John Monk continues his sharply written tale of Dan Jenkins, a man doomed to float around in the nothingness of eternity as a consequence of his selfish suicide. But here's the catch—every now and then Dan gets a "door" into another person's body, usually a criminal. Dan gets to live their life for three weeks and figure out who they are, what they've done wrong, and how to bring them to justice. Is Dan an angel? Is he on assignment from God? This sequel to "Kick" starts to address some of those questions in a clever first-person narrative that's witty, dramatic, at times creepy, and isn't without its share of murders. The great thing about book two is that it delves a little more deeply into Dan's personal struggles with his situation, how it has affected his surviving family members, and how it has taken its toll on him. The premise of this series is one of the most original I've read in a long time, and I'm eagerly awaiting more!

[Katie Hamstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

So reading this was off my schedule, but I loved book 1 so much I couldn't help myself.
Jut like book 1, Kick, Dan's adventures start from page one as he tries to work out the weird and twisted world of his "rides" This time around he has some doozies, too. It probably doesn't help that I'm pregnant and have small children, and the victims of his rides are those two things. Add in my pregnancy hormones and I was in for an emotional ride!
But this time, Dan's real life past returns, as well as the minister from Kick. It makes me wonder where Dan is headed, and I'm eager for the next installment.
I just don't have words without handing out spoilers. But this book is worth everyone's time. It's something I can't put down, and Dan's conflict while also trying to have some fun makes him the perfect character for his body hopping situation.
Looking forward to the continuation of this series.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent second book in 'The Jenkins Cycle' series! Dan Jenkins has be "kicked" into a ride with a novelist....of seriously demented behavior. He also decides that he wants to have choices in his 'rides' and not always end up in a sick and twisted world!

But his latest ride brings him to a puzzling experience, having a beautiful spouse, a criminal job, and a glimpse of the family he left behind....before everything started....

Can he try to mend the fences of the ones who lost him? Or is it something that only he's been longing for?

A great and captivating story. I can't wait to start the third book in this series!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - rounding up to 4 stars. I loved Kick, the first book in the series. Fool's Ride kicks the intensity up a notch, which was good and bad. I loved that decisions about the fate of Dan's rides was muddier in some cases. I also liked learning more of Dan's backstory. The book opens with a ride that seemed far more violent to me than any previous rides. The sadistic nature of the characters made my very uncomfortable and almost caused me to DNF the book. Luckily, that ride ended around 28% and the rest of the rides were closer to what I expected based on the first book.