Review of McDowell
Posted: 02 Mar 2023, 11:09
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
William H. Coles' McDowell is a book written about a man of bad reputation. He is a well-known surgeon who is very reputable for what he does. His soaring career is brought down when his grandson goes on a murder spree and then attempts to take his own life. The failed suicide attempt of his grandson leaves the boy in a vegetative state and leaves his grandfather McDowell with an action that ends up getting him charged with second degree murder after the boy dies under mysterious circumstances. Due to this unfortunate development, McDowell goes on the run and uses his survival skills to get by and avoid a fading reporter who is hell-bent on interviewing him.
William H. Coles builds a captivating character who is ambitious and relentless in getting what he desires. He is selfish and despised by his coworkers, who think he is narcissistic by nature. I personally think that one of the best things about Coles' McDowell is the psychological representation of a morally questionable man who is pushed off his high pinnacle where he so comfortably stood. Through the lens of McDowell, we see the actions of a man tapping into the worst parts of human nature and becoming the worst version of himself. He is cold-hearted and shows little to no emotion for the people around him, with the exception of his children.
Hiram is generally an unlikable character; do not expect to fall in love with him unless you are a fan of morally questionable people. But as the pages turn, we get to see the lead character's slow but visible transformation as he stumbles into the lowest parts of life and, in so doing, learns some important lessons that aid his character development. I particularly loved how the author builds pace in character development; he represented how sometimes humans need to learn things the hard way in order to grow.
There was nothing I disliked about the book. McDowell's family finds it hard to progress because of his bad reputation looming over their heads. By using this as an illustration, Coles gives another very realistic depiction of how a person's good or bad reputation could possibly affect the people around them. It is a very enjoyable book with a captivating psychological analysis of a fascinating character.
I recommend it for lovers of character driven thrillers, and I rate it five out of five stars. The book was exceptionally edited too.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
William H. Coles' McDowell is a book written about a man of bad reputation. He is a well-known surgeon who is very reputable for what he does. His soaring career is brought down when his grandson goes on a murder spree and then attempts to take his own life. The failed suicide attempt of his grandson leaves the boy in a vegetative state and leaves his grandfather McDowell with an action that ends up getting him charged with second degree murder after the boy dies under mysterious circumstances. Due to this unfortunate development, McDowell goes on the run and uses his survival skills to get by and avoid a fading reporter who is hell-bent on interviewing him.
William H. Coles builds a captivating character who is ambitious and relentless in getting what he desires. He is selfish and despised by his coworkers, who think he is narcissistic by nature. I personally think that one of the best things about Coles' McDowell is the psychological representation of a morally questionable man who is pushed off his high pinnacle where he so comfortably stood. Through the lens of McDowell, we see the actions of a man tapping into the worst parts of human nature and becoming the worst version of himself. He is cold-hearted and shows little to no emotion for the people around him, with the exception of his children.
Hiram is generally an unlikable character; do not expect to fall in love with him unless you are a fan of morally questionable people. But as the pages turn, we get to see the lead character's slow but visible transformation as he stumbles into the lowest parts of life and, in so doing, learns some important lessons that aid his character development. I particularly loved how the author builds pace in character development; he represented how sometimes humans need to learn things the hard way in order to grow.
There was nothing I disliked about the book. McDowell's family finds it hard to progress because of his bad reputation looming over their heads. By using this as an illustration, Coles gives another very realistic depiction of how a person's good or bad reputation could possibly affect the people around them. It is a very enjoyable book with a captivating psychological analysis of a fascinating character.
I recommend it for lovers of character driven thrillers, and I rate it five out of five stars. The book was exceptionally edited too.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords