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The Fine Owl Solution
At first sight, Minus Allswell could very well be the most paranoid individual you could possibly meet. And rightfully so. This pale-orange tabby knows some at the CIA want the president dead, he's a member of the conspiracy--but one that wants no part of it.
He's spent the better part of the last two years embedded at the Dallas County Library, stocking shelves and filling orders. Waiting. And now, with only a week to go before the balloon goes up, he has yet to unravel the plot; to bring justice to the ghouls responsible.
Just one more week...
And he's in the dark. Contending with his handler, a CIA squirrel that seems to be equal parts alcohol, and masochist; an altruistic bobcat, with his "book to change the world"; and, perhaps the key to it all, the gifted Federal Investigations Bureau agent--a housecat raised by the owl.
He's spent the better part of the last two years embedded at the Dallas County Library, stocking shelves and filling orders. Waiting. And now, with only a week to go before the balloon goes up, he has yet to unravel the plot; to bring justice to the ghouls responsible.
Just one more week...
And he's in the dark. Contending with his handler, a CIA squirrel that seems to be equal parts alcohol, and masochist; an altruistic bobcat, with his "book to change the world"; and, perhaps the key to it all, the gifted Federal Investigations Bureau agent--a housecat raised by the owl.
224 pages, ebook
Published June 26, 2019
10 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 13, 2019
This was an unforgettable read and a unique take on the assassination of JFK. You throw in speaking cats and dogs in a mature, real-world manner and you have heightened suspense and an intense race against time. Entertaining and funny, but also thought provoking. Descriptive, imaginative and riveting.
November 4, 2019
What a great way to tell a story and a very fun read! C. Ryan Carlson (who has a wonderful way with words) puts a unique spin on an actual historic event from U.S. history. The Fine Owl Solution is a very interesting and imaginative tale (or should I say tail?) interwoven with a long running conspiracy that still has people scratching their heads as to what really happened. You can't help but love all the characters... highly recommend!
November 18, 2019
A cool example of historical fiction taken into the realm of the weird and wonderful. I found this book hard to put down once I got going - it's very unlike anything else I've read and I didn't know what was going to happen (which is pretty unusual for me, I can usually guess from the genre tropes pretty quickly!). The prose is clean and easy to read while still conveying a unique perspective. A good holiday read!
November 21, 2019
I have no idea what I just read. This book was so confusing, at a certain point I checked if I had accidentally picked up a second book in a series. I have no idea who the characters are, what their motivations are and most of the time I wasn't even sure what was happening. This felt like fragments from different characters lives, that while do connect to each other at parts, never fully develop into a story.
October 22, 2019
Recommend
Such a unique and interesting story, with great characters as well. The ending really stuck with me. I cant wait to read the sequel!
Such a unique and interesting story, with great characters as well. The ending really stuck with me. I cant wait to read the sequel!
January 31, 2020
If you're looking for the perfect combination of something different, political thriller, dystopia, alternate universe and immersive world-building, then The Fine Owl Solution is for you! The great writing skills of the author will pull you on in right from the start, then the plot will hook you until the end. I loved how humans were painted as being extinct, the dynamics between the animal species, the way tension built up and the multi-layered characters, starting with Minus. The historical references to the assassination of JFK were a great plus. All in all, the whole story reminded me of Animal Farm with a modern take. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2019
Cleverly conceived, The Fine Owl Solution is an engaging story based on the assassination of JFK. The characterizations are quite good and, in my opinion, the portrayal of Harvey “Minus” Allswell, the tragic yellow tabby, could be called a character study in its own right. The plight of the felines of the USA, second-class citizens at best, elicited my sympathy, and the social commentary sprinkled about in the story struck me as on point. A bit of history, a bit of satire, a bit of cheer, this engrossing story of a conspiracy, peopled with really interesting anthropomorphic characters, is one I suspect you will continue to think about long after reaching the end.
While the author’s talent is apparent, the editor’s attention to detail was not as good as one would wish. Some grammatical and proofreading errors slipped through, as well as a couple of anachronistic points and an occasional lack of clarity that caught my attention. Nonetheless, I don’t hesitate to recommend this book. It is not your typical genre-style story, but a one-of-a-kind that is well worth the read. I look forward to seeing more from C. Ryan Cory.
While the author’s talent is apparent, the editor’s attention to detail was not as good as one would wish. Some grammatical and proofreading errors slipped through, as well as a couple of anachronistic points and an occasional lack of clarity that caught my attention. Nonetheless, I don’t hesitate to recommend this book. It is not your typical genre-style story, but a one-of-a-kind that is well worth the read. I look forward to seeing more from C. Ryan Cory.
September 8, 2019
Wonderfully Imaginative!
You have to check out indie author C. Ryan Carlson! Imagine taking the conspiracy theme of the JFK assassination and playing out all the angles. Don’t stop there, throw in a new set of characters; cats, dogs and more! This engaging tale will keep you turning pages as C. Ryan Carlson cleverly exercises his imagination regarding the assassination.
The book is beautifully written, and the scenes and that characters leap off the pages. I love the personalities of the cats, they are cleave and at the same time retain their feline qualities. My new favorite quote is ‘Dog Dammit,’ I laughed out loud when I read that!
I look forward to reading more from this writer!
You have to check out indie author C. Ryan Carlson! Imagine taking the conspiracy theme of the JFK assassination and playing out all the angles. Don’t stop there, throw in a new set of characters; cats, dogs and more! This engaging tale will keep you turning pages as C. Ryan Carlson cleverly exercises his imagination regarding the assassination.
The book is beautifully written, and the scenes and that characters leap off the pages. I love the personalities of the cats, they are cleave and at the same time retain their feline qualities. My new favorite quote is ‘Dog Dammit,’ I laughed out loud when I read that!
I look forward to reading more from this writer!
October 13, 2019
Cats and a ball of conspiracy yarn.
Fine Owl Solution reads like the Zapruder Film if it was recreated by the makers of Zootopia. With cats being the victims of social injustice and dogs making up the ranks of the Dallas PD, homeless but well-meaning Trigger is trapped in a government plot to assassinate the president.
I enjoyed the different portrayal of race relations and conspiracy theories but got bogged down in grammatical errors characters that didn't seem to fit the story.
Fine Owl Solution reads like the Zapruder Film if it was recreated by the makers of Zootopia. With cats being the victims of social injustice and dogs making up the ranks of the Dallas PD, homeless but well-meaning Trigger is trapped in a government plot to assassinate the president.
I enjoyed the different portrayal of race relations and conspiracy theories but got bogged down in grammatical errors characters that didn't seem to fit the story.
November 21, 2019
Author C. Ryan Carlson has written an imaginative story featuring animals in the roles of people involved in the JFK assassination. This novel will be appreciated by animal lovers, and perhaps a teen audience. I was entertained by the novel, but occasionally thrown off track by some typos and repetitive uses of character names, which is why I am giving it a 4 rating instead of 5. However, I would still highly recommend this novel for its creative use of plot and animals as human-like characters. Well done!
July 8, 2019
My new favorite book. I picked up a copy of this last week and read the whole thing in two days. I absolutely love the characters, Trigger in particular. The author does a great job of describing them in a way that i can picture vividly, and the same could be said for the setting. But! The true gem is the story (with the perfect blend of humor). I don't want to give anything away, so that other readers can go in fresh, but i will say that i can't wait for the second book of the series.
December 2, 2019
This is an entertaining story about a historic event, the assassination of JFK. At first it felt weird that the characters were animals but after a few pages the story drew me in. We follow Minus Allswell, an orange tabby cat, who tries to investigate, solve, and discover the plot. He is an unwilling part of the conspiracy. The story kept me glued to the page guessing what would happen next. If you enjoy thought provoking stories you will enjoy this book.
November 18, 2019
Brilliantly crafted with excellent characters and story. Was hard to put this book down.
-Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, Hay House author of PERCOLATE and CEO of The Best Ever You Network
-Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, Hay House author of PERCOLATE and CEO of The Best Ever You Network
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews