Book Review
Review of The Case of the Locked Drawer
A need to review books that are readable, adult without prurient content, interesting, and simply enjoyable has long been with us. This site will review books of that nature.
Violence and sex seem to be the mark of modern best sellers. While these factors are part of the modern scene, there is no reason to glorify them.
Some will say, "But the Bible is full of sex and violence."
That is one of those dangerous half-truths that so easily lead us astray. Virtually all illicit sex acts are mentioned to be condemned, not to titillate our senses.
In order to provide a book fascinating and readable, I undertook the task. I intended to include, romance, humor, unexpected twists, adventure, action, and intellectual acceptability. That I achieved this to some extent can be discerned in the following unrequested, unexpected review of The Case of The Locked Drawer.
Review by John Clinton
Here’s my review that I am sending to Larry:
“I knew that Larry was good with words – but this tops my expectations. He has put together words that make sense, are fun to read, and that present a challenge to the reader. It’s a “Who done it?’ with some good twists. It’s an enjoyable read with enjoyable characters.
They (whoever “they” are!) say that one should write about what they know. Larry has done this.
The story is set in a Senior Assisted Living Community. He knows that.
The hero/heroine is a grand-motherly lady who uses a wheel chair. He knows about that.
There are devious folks and there are helpful folks. He knows all about those things.
Pick it up and enjoy it until you put it down after page 280.. It is a prize-winner. One thing I can tell you – the butler did NOT do it.
Three cheers for Larry Winebrenner.”
So – please buy it – one for you, one for a friend or two, and more for holiday gifts. That’s what friends are for……………..
God bless…
John
[more at . . .]
Review of The Case of the Locked Drawer
Author's Review
In this review, I want to show common folk and uncommon folk in this book. I want to stimulate intellectual curiosity at the very beginning, so the scene is set by a strange sounding puzzle:
The murder weapon was in a locked desk drawer over which the murdered man slumped.
I hoped the reader would desire the answer to that paradox as much as wanting a solution to the murder. After all, the reader didn't know the murdered man. There was no need to know him in order to be fascinated by the puzzle.
You see, I knew practically anyone with half a brain might conceive of one, if not half a dozen, ways for this to be done. In fact, one prominent character in the book, Dr. Jim, suggested how it could be done the first time he heard it.
The question is not so much "How?" as "Why?"
I found my hero/heroine by reflection on my favorite mystery book detective, Nero Wolfe. He had his Archie Goodwin to collect the facts. I didn't want to duplicate him, but his armchair style of solving crimes. Nor did I want to have all the suspects gathered in a room where the detective cunningly revealed the culprit.
A 92-year-old woman fit the bill as armchair detective. But who would be her Archie Goodwin. Let her do it herself by computer and phone. Soon I was able to give her Mephistopheles, a voice-actuated computer that often was as contrary as Archie was for Wolfe. One of the discoveries computer users soon make is the curse of information overload. That's a problem Etta constantly struggles with.
One thing that unexpectedly happened to me as I wrote the book was character rebellion. I don't think any creative author can force her/his characters down a carefully defined path. If they are "real people," they're going to act like real people. As soon as the author says, "You're going to do what I say," they become puppets--no, worse than that--manikins.
In writing this book, I came to a better understanding of God's distress with the rebellious creatures of the Creator. And God's desire to redeem them and set them on the right path.
As I review the pages of my own book, The Case of the Locked Drawer, I see little problems I overlooked--a final quotation mark here, a typo there--I realize that the readers that lose patience with the book because of them miss the joy of the story.
And isn't life like that? When we focus on the problems, we miss the glory. Read the book and enjoy.
