An Oddity of Some Consequence

by Gary Dickson

He has always lived in mystery; will she be the one to discover his secret? Robert Valmer moves from Rome to Beverly Hills in 2015, where against his better judgment, he falls for Alexis Roth, PhD, psychologist to the stars. But Alexis wants to know everything. Start from the beginning, she says. The beginning? Can he really tell her about how he fled France during the French Revolution in 1789 or about Italy during World War II? If he tells her even a little, will she think of him as a liar or a freak rather than a lover? He tries to deflect her probes, pleading shyness, but she knows that reticence is often the veil behind which secrecy lurks. His practice of stonewalling only further ignites her burning curiosity. As the pressure for honesty mounts, he does what he’s always done—flee. But Alexis is not a lover to be easily dismissed. She follows him to Europe, determined to track him down for an explanation. Where can she start when her quarry doesn’t want to be found? Each clue she uncovers leads her deeper into intrigue. An Oddity of Some Consequence is a glamorous tale of mystery, romance, and the fountain of youth.

Genres: Fiction

239 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2020

About the author

Gary Dickson is an inveterate traveler and a Francophile sans merci. Educated in the United States and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland in history, literature, and the classics, Gary lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Susie.

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Dickson delivers an intriguingly romantic read about an impossible relationship that transcends time and reason.

This story is about a man named Robert Valmer who is either gifted or cursed with his eternal life. He meets a brilliant psychologist, Alexis Roth in Los Angeles and falls in love. The problem is, how can he keep his secret when the woman he loves is so interested in everything about him, including his past.

The story is set in amazing locations and destinations - that will make you long to travel and jet set like our main characters in this story. But most of all, I love how the characters were brilliant, clever, and te sense of fantastical element also adds to the charm of the read.

Overall, this story is about love and trust, mystery and discovery, living in the present and just letting things be.

This is a glamorous story full of heart and intrigue.

I enjoyed this one!

[Volpot · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Book was fairly interesting and headed for 3.5 to 4 star rating, until the atrociously non-sensical and abrupt ending. It made reading the entire book pointless. What a shame.

[Donna172 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might be my favorite Gary Dickson book yet! I am not usually one that likes fantasy but this book was written in such a way that the fantasy actually seems like it could be reality. I enjoy Gary Dickson’s no frills way of getting his point across! He tells a good story and gets right to the point.

Robert Valmer is blessed (or cursed) with the gift of eternal life. Seems like it should be a great thing, right? The problem is that Robert can’t have a lasting relationship with anyone because they would find out his secret. When he meets Alexis he is confronted with a dilemma. He loves her, but she us getting just a little too close. That is as much as I will say! No spoilers here!

[Beverly Fuqua · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fun and/or interesting part of a story about a person who has lived for centuries is reading about things that happened in the past and how they affect their life in the present. This was just all about the love relationship between the two characters, it could just as well have been some other big secret, like the guy was married or actually a woman. "Oh dear, she can't find out, I'll be doomed!" I'll pass.

[Kim Bakos · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of Gary's books so far! I love the time travel aspect/eternal life of this book and how the consequences, both positive and negative, of this "gift", and impact a person's life. The benefit of being wealthy is tempered with the inability to have relationships of any depth or that last more than a few years. It is somewhat of a mystery as well as a love story, and questions what a person can give up, or put up with, to be with the person that he/she loves.

[Gabriela Zago · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of the TV show “Forever”, in which a 200 year old guy works as a detective in New York City. I really liked the premise of someone living for a really long time, having to hide this particular secret from other people in order to, well, continue to survive. Unrelated to that, I also like the TV show “Amazing Race”, where people compete following clues and traveling around the world. While this book is completely different from those shows, the story reminded me a little bit of each.

In this novel, Robert Valmer has a deep secret that he doesn’t want to share with his new love interest, Alexis. But she is too curious not to try to investigate. As he tries to escape, she goes after him, from US to Switzerland, and every place in between.

It’s a love story that also involves travel, through space and time, since Alexis decides to investigate ancestry to try to understand Robert. If you like romance with a little bit of mystery, this will be a great read!

I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Anita Salonger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

WOW- another great book by Gary Dickson. I loved it. The book is a romance, my favorite, and a mystery, which makes for a great read. I usually hate to read history but the descriptions in this novel made it so enjoyable to read. I hated for it to end. Robert and Alexis meet and fall in love, but a deep dark secret keeps the mystery going.

[Shayla McMurray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the way Dickson writes. It is very casual, like a blog post or listening to a friend chat on a Saturday morning coffee walk (remember those?) so you feel like you are right there having cocktails with Robert and Alexis at the Polo Club which I looooove! Also, something I didn't expect about the book is that it is a bit glamorous. Dickson will describe the chic outfits Alexis is wearing or the fancy cars that the old guys in the coffee shop drive in and it all feels very luxe and fun. The story is set to take you to amazing locations and centuries. France, Rome, Beverly Hills, Switzerland and you get a backseat ticket to beautiful countryside and sunsets.

Also, Robert is so analytical. When he falls in love with Alexis he is very cognizant of how this is something he promised himself he would never do again. If you read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the moment anyone can have interest in Addie she basically flung herself to them haphazardly. Robert is not like this... by this point in his centuries long life he knows not to wrecklessly break hearts and be selfish with time, a currency for everyone but him.

I honestly loved the characters so much. It kind of gave me 50 Shades of Grey vibes without the steamy scenes, just beautiful scenery, pretty women in pretty clothes, and (of course) an angsty man, haha. I will say though that the ending had me SHOOOOOOOOOK. It was so abrupt I literally checked if I was missing something! If you read it let me know what you think! I am so glad I got to read Robert's story and I can’t wait to read more from Gary Dickson!

[Luana Filgueiras · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn’t going to review 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 since it was a DNF, but I already had a picture for it and I posted on my stories last night that I had DNF’ed a book and I got a ton of questions as to which book I DNF’ed 🤣 so here you go.

This could be categorized as a mashup of historical fiction with romance plus a dash of mystery, but unfortunately, the writing and pace didn’t work for me! The story basically revolves around a French man, Robert, who has eternal life (basically like a vampire, but not a vampire). He then moves to Los Angeles and meets a woman he becomes involved with romantically, but he needs to watch himself around her so he doesn’t reveal his secret.

It’s such a short book- only 195 pages, but I DNF’ed around page 53, so I could give it a real shot! As I mentioned before, my biggest problem with it was that I couldn’t connect with the writing or the characters. The writing felt almost old fashioned, even though it was set to be in Los Angeles in 2015. I also found the dialogues to be awkward and I was not convinced of Robert and Alexis’ relationship.

If this sounds good to you, give it a try since it’s short anyway! But I would say skip 😅

RATING: dnf

READ IT IF YOU WERE A FAN OF:
𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

[Susan Burlew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about Robert who for unknown reasons has been alive for more than 200 years. He still looks like he's in his forties. No, he's not a vampire! He meets Alexis and falls in love but can't tell her his real age. She knows he's hiding something and tries to figure it out. The ending was a bit confusing but still a very interesting read. Would recommend!

[Judith lavezzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting bit of a love story

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise, and the machinations and the sheer romp through the pursuit of a mystery. Two decent people with unlimited funds- not much identification there, beautiful people- nor there, totally obsessed with each other, yet kept apart by a secret. Fun and very nice for a short read. Well written.

[Chip Pertel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable book!

Clever, fresh and unpredictable. I loved the travels in and around the great cities of the continent. The love interest didn't wane. A happy but perfect ending.

[Betsy Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

It turned out to be less a supernatural tale but more an obsessive love story, like a never ending car chase.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I strongly disagree with all the positive reviews.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert moves from Rome to Beverly Hills. He begins seeing Alexis. As their relationship becomes more serious, she is naturally curious about his past, but Robert is evasive because he has a secret. As he realizes he is in love with her, he also realizes that any long-term relationship will reveal his secret, so eventually flees to Switzerland, France, and Italy. This novel tells their story of love, commitment, and trust. If you love romance novels with a bit of mystery, you will enjoy reading this book!

I was gifted this book as the winner of a Goodreads Giveaway.