OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Reunion" by Jack Elgos.]

The Reunion, by Jack Elgos, is a fictional adventure story about over-the-hill, former motorcycle club members who reunite for one last ride after a number of years. Alan, aka Knocker, a member of the NNMC (No Name Motorcycle Club), makes an interesting find while going through his father’s possessions after his father has passed away. At the bottom of his dad’s old army chest is a "thick sheath of wrinkled, yellowed, heavily creased old letters and papers which were all tied together with a piece of thin string." Knocker is intrigued by the papers and after studying them he realizes it is information about a crate load of gear looted from the Nazis that his father and his father’s army mates left behind in a tomb in a cemetery when the war ended. The urge to check out his ‘treasure map’ is too strong and he sends out messages to all his old buddies to help him.

Knocker hasn't seen or heard from any of his old motorcycle club members in over 30 years so he isn't sure what their response will be but they had all promised to come whenever they were called no matter how long and how far. Even though it’s been a number of years since they have seen or talked with each other, they all come and agree to make plans to try to retrieve the crate that Knocker’s father never had a chance to go back and get. It’s their chance for one last bike ride with old friends. They have no idea what they will find, or even if it will end up being a wild goose chase, but they all want to find out. Along the way to seeking their ‘treasure’ they help each other regain their old camaraderie and have a few somewhat harrowing adventures in the process.

This book begins with a prologue set in World War II which sets up the premise of the story. Then Elgos jumps forward to present day and devotes a chapter to each character so the reader gets to know what each character is like and where each character has ended up after their motorcycle days. This book has all the components of a good story; it has action, mystery, humor, suspense, good guys and bad guys, all in a nicely paced story with good character development. The action is carried along by the dialogue which is very well written. Since some of the characters have their own dialect it leads to some humor in the characters trying to communicate with each other. While the dialogue did add to the story, it also made it a little slow to read at times because it’s not like reading standard English. It’s a little harder to automatically understand the words right away. The story is good though, so the dialogue doesn't detract from the story, it actually adds dimensions to the characters. Elgos provides a glossary of terms at the end of the book to help the reader understand some of the terms the characters use although the reader can probably get the gist of what is being said through the context of the story.

I would recommend this book to men, maybe in their 40’s and older. I think that age group would identify more with what the men in the story are going through. Older women who know men in this age group might also find the story interesting. It does have humor and suspense. It was a little vulgar at times and there was some technical talk about motorcycles so it seems like a story men might relate to more than women.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It held my attention, had good plot and character development, and a surprising conclusion. It reminded me somewhat of the movie ‘Wild Hogs’ with Tim Allen and John Travolta.

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The Reunion
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Great review! It sounds like the book contains all the right elements for an absorbing read. I like your "Wild Hogs" movie reference. What a blast from the past!

The book isn't for me, but I enjoyed reading your review. Thank you for the lovely review.

Although I like books about World War II, I don't think this one is for me. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the review. I like the idea for this book. Sounds like the story has a lot of potential.

Thank you all for the positive comments on this review. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started reading this book. I chose it because what I read about it said something about World War ll which I am interested in because that was something my parents lived through so I thought reading stories about people during that time would help me know what it was like for my parents. This book really wasn't that much about World War ll, but it was a really good story.

Nice review, though the book seems to appeal to a different kind of audience.

Maybe I should have just gone with the fact that it was just a good story and not tried to pinpoint a target audience. It was a mystery that got a group of old friends reunited after they had all gone their separate ways. If anyone is interested in a light read with humor and colorful characters, this would fit that category.

Amheiser wrote:Maybe I should have just gone with the fact that it was just a good story and not tried to pinpoint a target audience. It was a mystery that got a group of old friends reunited after they had all gone their separate ways. If anyone is interested in a light read with humor and colorful characters, this would fit that category.

I think it was fine that you explained that middle-aged men might enjoy the book. I think it was implied that the was very good and that a general audience might enjoy it.

Ok. Thank you for clarifying that. Some of the replies to the review made me think that maybe I had narrowed the target audience down a bit too much. I enjoyed the story. I think the mystery and suspense part of it appealed to me, along with how the characters interacted with each other. It was fun reading about old friends getting together and going on an adventure.