Review by chidiekweozor -- McDowell by William H. Coles
-
chidiekweozor
- Posts: 16
- Joined: 18 Jul 2017, 15:45
- Currently Reading: Strong Heart
- Bookshelf Size: 27
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chidiekweozor.html
- Latest Review: McDowell by William H. Coles
Review by chidiekweozor -- McDowell by William H. Coles
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The novel, McDowell by William H. Coles is about Hiram McDowell’s career and family life. In the story, he is married to his third wife, Carole Mastriano and they have five children in all. Hiram ran for the office of the president of the college of Surgeons and won by enlisting the support of Michael O’Leary because of the votes he could swing. Trouble started when Hiram passed him over for the position of executive director that he earlier promised him. Michael in a bid to undo Hiram, found evidence of data manipulation in a research publication done on purpose to influence the outcome of a clinical trial, and he reported it to the ethics committee.
In another development, Paige Sterling and her team of Journalists uncovered misappropriation of the Foundation’s fund managed by Hiram. As if that was not enough, discrepancies were discovered in his memoir about his experience in raising the quality and availability of healthcare in Nepal and neighboring countries. The story climaxed when Jeremy, Hiram’s grandson, in an outburst of insanity, killed 12 people including Penny his sister, seriously injured his mother and almost killed himself. Hiram, under a lot of pressure and a strong believe in euthanasia, swooped in and suffocated the boy on his hospital bed. He got 25 years sentence for second-degree murder and was imprisoned. He escaped from prison and was declared a fugitive. He was eventually shot and killed by a deputy in Nevada.
The protagonist, Hiram was an irresponsible man. He broke his marriage oath, professional oath, and never kept his promise to Michael O’Leary. He also fabricated lies, told half truths and manipulated research data to acquire wealth and power. When things turned sour he blamed Michael, Paige, his coauthor for misrepresenting the truth, the board of Directors at the foundation for withdrawing support, the college of surgeons, his wives. He never for once admitted his role in the matter; he instead worked so hard to explain himself by writing another memoir while on the run.
The theme of the story is karma. Hiram was ambitious and mean. He used people and dubious means to get what he wanted but eventually it all crashed. The setting of the novel is in United States of America and Asia between 1981 and 2001. Also, the author used indirect characterization in developing the story. Candice was portrayed as a silent character but I give credit to the writer because her silence did not impact negatively on
the flow of the story.
What I liked most about the story was the balance of justice meted to Hiram by karma. Hammering home the moral lesson that we reap what we sow. On the hand, what I disliked most in the story was the incestuous relationship between Billie and Tasha which eventually lead to pregnancy and marriage. This type of union is frowned at in Africa. It is also not advisable medically, because it retains and multiplies whatever disease that is inherent in the father’s gene within the family.
I rate this book 4 out 4. I didn’t give it a 3 star because the story is captivating and the work was properly edited. This book is meant for a mature audience since it contains some sexual scenes that might offend the innocence of children.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like chidiekweozor's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The novel, McDowell by William H. Coles is about Hiram McDowell’s career and family life. In the story, he is married to his third wife, Carole Mastriano and they have five children in all. Hiram ran for the office of the president of the college of Surgeons and won by enlisting the support of Michael O’Leary because of the votes he could swing. Trouble started when Hiram passed him over for the position of executive director that he earlier promised him. Michael in a bid to undo Hiram, found evidence of data manipulation in a research publication done on purpose to influence the outcome of a clinical trial, and he reported it to the ethics committee.
In another development, Paige Sterling and her team of Journalists uncovered misappropriation of the Foundation’s fund managed by Hiram. As if that was not enough, discrepancies were discovered in his memoir about his experience in raising the quality and availability of healthcare in Nepal and neighboring countries. The story climaxed when Jeremy, Hiram’s grandson, in an outburst of insanity, killed 12 people including Penny his sister, seriously injured his mother and almost killed himself. Hiram, under a lot of pressure and a strong believe in euthanasia, swooped in and suffocated the boy on his hospital bed. He got 25 years sentence for second-degree murder and was imprisoned. He escaped from prison and was declared a fugitive. He was eventually shot and killed by a deputy in Nevada.
The protagonist, Hiram was an irresponsible man. He broke his marriage oath, professional oath, and never kept his promise to Michael O’Leary. He also fabricated lies, told half truths and manipulated research data to acquire wealth and power. When things turned sour he blamed Michael, Paige, his coauthor for misrepresenting the truth, the board of Directors at the foundation for withdrawing support, the college of surgeons, his wives. He never for once admitted his role in the matter; he instead worked so hard to explain himself by writing another memoir while on the run.
The theme of the story is karma. Hiram was ambitious and mean. He used people and dubious means to get what he wanted but eventually it all crashed. The setting of the novel is in United States of America and Asia between 1981 and 2001. Also, the author used indirect characterization in developing the story. Candice was portrayed as a silent character but I give credit to the writer because her silence did not impact negatively on
the flow of the story.
What I liked most about the story was the balance of justice meted to Hiram by karma. Hammering home the moral lesson that we reap what we sow. On the hand, what I disliked most in the story was the incestuous relationship between Billie and Tasha which eventually lead to pregnancy and marriage. This type of union is frowned at in Africa. It is also not advisable medically, because it retains and multiplies whatever disease that is inherent in the father’s gene within the family.
I rate this book 4 out 4. I didn’t give it a 3 star because the story is captivating and the work was properly edited. This book is meant for a mature audience since it contains some sexual scenes that might offend the innocence of children.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like chidiekweozor's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: McDowell by William H. Coles
