Review by QuirkyPenn -- Guardian of Deceit

[QuirkyPenn]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Darwin, the main character, in Guardians of Deceit by William H. Coles, has been dealt a tragic hand. At a young age he loses his parents then his aunt, a distant but considerate woman, cannot look after him anymore and he has to move in with his cousin, Luke Pinnelli, a famous football player that lives in Pittsburgh.

Darwin is a decent youngster who eventually wants to become a doctor. On the plane, on the way to Pittsburgh, he meets two people, a disgruntled older woman, and a doctor. The woman gives him some advice; the doctor eventually becomes a friend and a mentor. At his cousin’s mansion, he meets Granny, Luke’s slightly demented and comedic grandmother, the cool and forthright house manager Mrs. Thomas and eventually his cousin. Although Darwin is in a comfortable financial position and Luke is fabulously rich, Darwin is allocated a small storeroom for a bedroom and is told to earn his keep because, as Luke says, he never received anything for nothing so neither can Darwin. To his credit, Luke does provide Darwin with the opportunities to do so.

The book follows Darwin’s life in the Pinnelli household, the rich and famous people he meets, their volatile lives, and the subsequent deceit that takes place to smooth things over. I enjoy Coles style of writing, it is expressive, wry, often funny and his characters are interesting. We all know or can relate to some of them, or as in this case, have read about them in the tabloids. The book deals with the lives of the adored glitterati, the wealthy upper-class, and the ordinary working-class people who work for them.

Guardian of Deceit does contain profanity and there are also scenes of a sexual nature so readers that have a problem with that should rather not read it. There is also ambiguity and a bit of connecting of the dots as Coles does not include all the details in keeping with his, almost like a short story, style of writing. There were times I wondered whether I had missed a page or two somewhere along the line. However, when I thought about it, I realized there were subtle clues all along.

This the third William H. Coles book I have read and I have enjoyed them all. He has a distinctive style of writing that I, for one, quite enjoy. I therefore give it four out of four stars.

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Guardian of Deceit
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[Honest-reviewer]

I enjoyed reading this book. Darwin’s character is quite good. Great review!