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Jack & Coke: A Novel
Jack Ranger is a young journalist ready to set the world on fire.
As a freshly-minted college graduate he follows an enigmatic mentor on a quest to expose the corrupt governor of Massachusetts. But society’s institutions have a way of keeping themselves in power and Jack finds himself enveloped in conspiracy and sabotage that threatens to silence both the truth and his future.
In his attempt to re-write the rules, Jack creates Flint Media to breathe new life into the tired industry of truth-telling and to bring out the story that the world so desperately needs to hear. Flint Media takes Jack from the streets of Boston to the high stakes world of New York City, where his venture-backed startups risks flying too close to the sun. As Jack’s purpose bleeds from righteousness to vindication he struggles to reconcile his dreams with the reality of who he has become.
In a blend of “House of Cards” and “Silicon Valley,” Jack & Coke explores the relationship between our ability to preserve transparency and this generation’s struggle to “make it” in a world of stratifying inequality.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 4, 2018
An entertaining read! Im looking forward to finding out more about where Jack takes us from here!
February 16, 2018
A really fun book and even more impressive for it being the author's debut novel. Haight wastes no time diving into the action and it makes for a fast-paced, enjoyable read. The chapters are quick and the structure of the story always leave you interested to find out what's going to happen next. The characters are well-developed and I found it easy to picture the characters and scenes as I read. This book could make for a fun movie too. I highly recommend and look forward to the possibility of a sequel (title ideas: Double Jack & Coke, Jack & Coke Press, Single Barrel Jack & Coke, or Tennessee Fire Jack & Coke...).
February 15, 2018
A great debut novel! Really fast paced, I found it hard to put down. Really speaks to a lot of the trials and frustrations that I think are unique to the millennial generation. I found it very relatable, definitely a good book to take on Spring break.
January 19, 2018
Jack & Coke isn’t bad for a debut novel. Amidst the political intrigue (of which could have gone a little further) there are hints of a great central character. One that I wouldn’t mind revisiting when he’s a couple years older and a couple years wiser. Parts of the story seem to be directly inspired by the television show Silicon Valley, but it’s not a bad thing. I only wish the pacing was a little tighter and the chapter breaks happened in a more natural way. I look forward to further novels from Mr. Haight.
February 15, 2018
A fun and fast read! I enjoyed the multiple veins in the storyline and especially the thread about startup culture...great insight to how it likely really is! I read John Grisham's new book right after this one and was surprised at how SLOW his writing was compared to Haight's.
Also - (spoiler alert), I am currently hunting down my Mark McGuire rookie card!
Also - (spoiler alert), I am currently hunting down my Mark McGuire rookie card!
February 16, 2018
Great debut for first time novelist, Jimmy Haight. The book is fast paced and difficult to put down, I read it in a day and a half! It really speaks to the ways media effects so many things in our lives and how the ways they do that are starting to change.
January 28, 2018
Looking forward to hearing more from the gang at Flint Media- and from talented first time author Jimmy Haight!
February 20, 2018
What a fantastic debut! This was a great read from start to finish. I brought it on vacation and found myself wrapped in the story from cover to cover! I truly enjoyed reading this and felt as if I knew the characters because they were so relatable and well-described. Highly recommended!
September 30, 2018
Jack and Coke was an outstanding book. I enjoyed it immensely. It surprised me because I usually don’t read literary fiction titles. I much prefer my sci-fi and fantasy, however, the book was recommended to me and I gave it a shot. I’m sure glad that I did. It had me hooked with the first page and it didn’t disappoint four hours later when I turned the last page from a single reading session. I will break down what I liked, disliked, and some technical aspects. Minor spoilers will follow.
The Good:
The book opened with danger and intrigue. It quickly flashed back to before the consequences that befell the hero, Jack, but it left me wondering when the scene would be explained.
Throughout the book you got the sense that “for evil to exist, good men must do nothing.” I truly believe this concept and appreciated how often it sprang up in the book.
I loved the character named Anton. He was a curmudgeonly old man, and I couldn’t help but picture Ed Asner every time he was present in the story. The writing of all characters (except Christopher, we’ll get to him) was well done, but Anton truly stood out.
I like how the author pointed out the two great motivators in life are fear and money. I tell people this all the time. I’m glad someone else thought the same way.
The conclusion was spectacular. I was hoping for the ending that I got.
I’m a current MBA student. I related with a lot of the concepts argued in this book. I was pleasantly surprised when Jack and Sean proposed a start-up company that was similar to what I presented in a public speaking class I had last year. Jack and Sean had a more refined proposal, but the concept of changing how we get our news was similar.
The Bad:
Mostly I liked the book, but two things did bother me. First, there is a lot of time hopping in this book. I prefer a linear story. I realize that it’s a style thing and it fits this book, but I still don’t like it and probably never will, unless Tarantino is doing it.
There was one aspect of the book that was just too much coincidence for my tastes. I know that drama uses coincidence a lot to tell the story, but Christopher and Molly have an arc that was obvious from go. It wasn’t too crucial to the plot, so it didn’t take away from enjoying the book, but it was an extra layer that wasn’t needed, in my opinion.
The Technical:
The book is mostly told from the POV of Jack, however there does seem to be slight elements of 3rd person omniscient. This doesn’t bother me, but some people may not like it.
There is a lot of business jargon in the book. If you aren’t familiar with funding rounds and venture capitalists, you may want to brush up before reading the book. Don’t let this scare you away. The context is enough to let you know what is going on.
The Good:
The book opened with danger and intrigue. It quickly flashed back to before the consequences that befell the hero, Jack, but it left me wondering when the scene would be explained.
Throughout the book you got the sense that “for evil to exist, good men must do nothing.” I truly believe this concept and appreciated how often it sprang up in the book.
I loved the character named Anton. He was a curmudgeonly old man, and I couldn’t help but picture Ed Asner every time he was present in the story. The writing of all characters (except Christopher, we’ll get to him) was well done, but Anton truly stood out.
I like how the author pointed out the two great motivators in life are fear and money. I tell people this all the time. I’m glad someone else thought the same way.
The conclusion was spectacular. I was hoping for the ending that I got.
I’m a current MBA student. I related with a lot of the concepts argued in this book. I was pleasantly surprised when Jack and Sean proposed a start-up company that was similar to what I presented in a public speaking class I had last year. Jack and Sean had a more refined proposal, but the concept of changing how we get our news was similar.
The Bad:
Mostly I liked the book, but two things did bother me. First, there is a lot of time hopping in this book. I prefer a linear story. I realize that it’s a style thing and it fits this book, but I still don’t like it and probably never will, unless Tarantino is doing it.
There was one aspect of the book that was just too much coincidence for my tastes. I know that drama uses coincidence a lot to tell the story, but Christopher and Molly have an arc that was obvious from go. It wasn’t too crucial to the plot, so it didn’t take away from enjoying the book, but it was an extra layer that wasn’t needed, in my opinion.
The Technical:
The book is mostly told from the POV of Jack, however there does seem to be slight elements of 3rd person omniscient. This doesn’t bother me, but some people may not like it.
There is a lot of business jargon in the book. If you aren’t familiar with funding rounds and venture capitalists, you may want to brush up before reading the book. Don’t let this scare you away. The context is enough to let you know what is going on.
February 15, 2018
Excellent book from start to finish. A different writing style than I'm used to, with short chapters and frequent jumps to different locations or parts of the story, but I was hooked from page one. Contained a good number of twists that I did not see coming, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Overall, would absolutely recommend to anyone intrigued by business, news, crime, or growing up in today's political climate. Great work, Jimmy!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews