Review of Tinman
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Rajnee Varma
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Review of Tinman
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tinman" by Karen Black.]
TINMAN by Karen Black and Matt Walton is a suspense thriller written in first person from the perspective of 34-year-old Gregory McGregor. His monotonous life as a postdoctoral research fellow took a nasty turn when Charley Farnsworth called him from Los Angeles to share some exciting secret involving big money. Charley sent him fake papers of a new identity and a plane ticket to Alaska. On the morning of his departure, a bomb exploded on his porch, killing his pet dog. As he left stealthily to meet him, Charley was killed before his eyes. He reached Aspen and met Corky, a friend of Charley and his housesitter, in Charley’s vacation condominium. Intrigued and scared, he found himself in a predicament without a clue as to why Charley was killed, and now he was a target. Corky and Gregory were followed by shady characters; apartments were ransacked and bombed; there were attempts on his life; while Charley’s death was considered a case of mugging gone wrong. Gregory and Corky would not have a normal life until the mystery was solved. Nobody knew what secret Alaska held for them, and they had to find out on their own.
The story depicts greed, crime, and corruption in the corporate world. Charley worked for a major heavy construction and engineering company, TINMAN, as an engineer and project manager. A project in progress for the construction of a dam in Alaska was, unfortunately, opposed by environmentalist groups. But that was no reason to kill him, and Gregory had nothing to do with it except that he was contacted by Charley. The well-crafted characters in the story are quite interesting, and the story is remarkably suspenseful. Each character has a realistic story that helps understand their behavior and contributes to shaping the story. Charley is a flamboyant character, eccentric, and creative. His creativity is evident in the fake identity he created for Gregory in such a way that he would have no difficulty in answering when called by Mac or Greg, the nicknames he was used to. He was intelligent, wealthy, and very cautious in contacting Gregory, but could not escape his fate. There is a subtle hint that he was not interested in women. Corky was a perfect fit as his housesitter. She was unattached, independent, a ski expert and coach, a celebrity, and an Olympic aspirant until she met with a sports accident that ended her dreams. She shows courage, empathy, resilience, and a sense of humor and loves Charley as a fatherly figure who provided her with a protected and secure life. Gregory, a divorced man without kids, was grieving his broken marriage when he lost his loving and devoted companion, his dog Darwin. The many characters in the company are interestingly described, and Gregory saw each one of them as a potential suspect but could not find a reasonable motive. Gregory finds himself hurt, angry, lonely, and scared, all at the same time, but still, he is not ready to be killed. As a common man without any previous experience or training, he faces the goons and evades them successfully.
In the foreword of the book, author Terry M. Badger mentions that this book was completed by Karen Black, several years after the original author, Matt Walton, died, leaving the book incomplete. She has done an excellent job of completing the story without any transition hiccups and making it into a wonderful book. There is no noticeable change of style or anything out of place. The book is through and through suspenseful, and the plot hints at many suspects but finally ends with a twist. The language is full of catchy phrases, wit, and humor as the protagonist describes his story. Here is an example I would like to quote: "I’ve smoothed the captain’s ruffled feathers, your house has been searched with trained drug hounds, and you came out as clean as... I would say as a baby’s bottom, but then I just changed my daughter’s diaper... so that just doesn’t work... but you get the picture.” And another: “Nevertheless, we ran back down the beach as though the Hound of the Baskervilles was snapping at our heels.” Also, “I was never quite sure where history ended and Robert Louis Stevenson began.”
The editing is exceptionally good, and there is not a single error in the book. I very much liked the scenes in Alaska describing nature's beauty—wildlife, mountain ranges, rivers, and canyons. There are interesting facts about skiing, rafting, and kayaking that are informative and will appeal to lovers of sports and adventure. There is nothing that I would like to be changed, and I have nothing negative to say about the book. I have no hesitation in rating it 5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the crime and suspense story is a dormant theme of environmental issues. With a growing population and an increasing energy demand, dams are a feasible solution, but they harm the environment and destroy wildlife. The readers are left contemplating whether they should back up the environmentalists or the projects to tap the energy sources from nature. I would recommend the book to lovers of suspense thrillers with meaningful themes. The book does not contain any mature content and hence is suitable for young readers too.
******
Tinman
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
TINMAN by Karen Black and Matt Walton is a suspense thriller written in first person from the perspective of 34-year-old Gregory McGregor. His monotonous life as a postdoctoral research fellow took a nasty turn when Charley Farnsworth called him from Los Angeles to share some exciting secret involving big money. Charley sent him fake papers of a new identity and a plane ticket to Alaska. On the morning of his departure, a bomb exploded on his porch, killing his pet dog. As he left stealthily to meet him, Charley was killed before his eyes. He reached Aspen and met Corky, a friend of Charley and his housesitter, in Charley’s vacation condominium. Intrigued and scared, he found himself in a predicament without a clue as to why Charley was killed, and now he was a target. Corky and Gregory were followed by shady characters; apartments were ransacked and bombed; there were attempts on his life; while Charley’s death was considered a case of mugging gone wrong. Gregory and Corky would not have a normal life until the mystery was solved. Nobody knew what secret Alaska held for them, and they had to find out on their own.
The story depicts greed, crime, and corruption in the corporate world. Charley worked for a major heavy construction and engineering company, TINMAN, as an engineer and project manager. A project in progress for the construction of a dam in Alaska was, unfortunately, opposed by environmentalist groups. But that was no reason to kill him, and Gregory had nothing to do with it except that he was contacted by Charley. The well-crafted characters in the story are quite interesting, and the story is remarkably suspenseful. Each character has a realistic story that helps understand their behavior and contributes to shaping the story. Charley is a flamboyant character, eccentric, and creative. His creativity is evident in the fake identity he created for Gregory in such a way that he would have no difficulty in answering when called by Mac or Greg, the nicknames he was used to. He was intelligent, wealthy, and very cautious in contacting Gregory, but could not escape his fate. There is a subtle hint that he was not interested in women. Corky was a perfect fit as his housesitter. She was unattached, independent, a ski expert and coach, a celebrity, and an Olympic aspirant until she met with a sports accident that ended her dreams. She shows courage, empathy, resilience, and a sense of humor and loves Charley as a fatherly figure who provided her with a protected and secure life. Gregory, a divorced man without kids, was grieving his broken marriage when he lost his loving and devoted companion, his dog Darwin. The many characters in the company are interestingly described, and Gregory saw each one of them as a potential suspect but could not find a reasonable motive. Gregory finds himself hurt, angry, lonely, and scared, all at the same time, but still, he is not ready to be killed. As a common man without any previous experience or training, he faces the goons and evades them successfully.
In the foreword of the book, author Terry M. Badger mentions that this book was completed by Karen Black, several years after the original author, Matt Walton, died, leaving the book incomplete. She has done an excellent job of completing the story without any transition hiccups and making it into a wonderful book. There is no noticeable change of style or anything out of place. The book is through and through suspenseful, and the plot hints at many suspects but finally ends with a twist. The language is full of catchy phrases, wit, and humor as the protagonist describes his story. Here is an example I would like to quote: "I’ve smoothed the captain’s ruffled feathers, your house has been searched with trained drug hounds, and you came out as clean as... I would say as a baby’s bottom, but then I just changed my daughter’s diaper... so that just doesn’t work... but you get the picture.” And another: “Nevertheless, we ran back down the beach as though the Hound of the Baskervilles was snapping at our heels.” Also, “I was never quite sure where history ended and Robert Louis Stevenson began.”
The editing is exceptionally good, and there is not a single error in the book. I very much liked the scenes in Alaska describing nature's beauty—wildlife, mountain ranges, rivers, and canyons. There are interesting facts about skiing, rafting, and kayaking that are informative and will appeal to lovers of sports and adventure. There is nothing that I would like to be changed, and I have nothing negative to say about the book. I have no hesitation in rating it 5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the crime and suspense story is a dormant theme of environmental issues. With a growing population and an increasing energy demand, dams are a feasible solution, but they harm the environment and destroy wildlife. The readers are left contemplating whether they should back up the environmentalists or the projects to tap the energy sources from nature. I would recommend the book to lovers of suspense thrillers with meaningful themes. The book does not contain any mature content and hence is suitable for young readers too.
******
Tinman
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Inside Passage: by Burt Weissbourd
