Review of Morrow's Con
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Review of Morrow's Con
[Following is a volunteer review of "Morrow's Con" by Earl James.]
Morrow’s Con-Opening Gambit is clever, witty, and intriguing, and it leaves you wanting a sequel or another episode. I highly recommend the effortless and compelling read. This is a well-edited story with no sexual content, minimal profanity, and a sprinkling of sarcastic humor. You don’t need to be a chess master to enjoy this chronicle.
You need to ask yourself if the opening gambit is Morrow giving up his safety and anonymity to run a con on his own, or is it the writer sacrificing years of his life to write the book he always wanted, or is it the reader relinquishing time to be transported into an adventure for a while, or does it hint that there are more books to come?
Morrow is a lone wolf ex-con. He accepts a gambit involving an opportunity for a bit of excitement and “some serious money,” which will force him to sacrifice his anonymity and quiet life to lead a team of misfits in several dangerous schemes to win a sizeable compensation—his life.
Author James Earl cleverly takes chess off the board, placing it on the page and into Morrow’s life. And Morrow doesn’t play just one game of chess. He simultaneously plays four competitions, all with a possible
fatal ending. His first game hasn’t started yet, with Salvador Kane, an aggrieved adversary, still in jail. The second contest is versus Damon Barger, a mob boss from the north side of Phoenix. The third match is in opposition to Jacob Almeda, a corrupt fine art owner, and the last one is against Conrad LeBlanc, a corrupt art dealer.
The use of chess terms is prevalent. Each chapter references how Morrow manages time control in his “matches,” discusses his strategy for each, and explains how he moves his “pieces” (teammates) into positions for the endgame.
He uses many literary tropes as well. There are numerous examples of MacGuffins (items or goals that motivate characters), such as ego, morals, money, and avoiding death. An instance of a Red Herring on page 138 and possibly a Chekhov’s Gun for another book (a minor detail that later becomes crucial):
“How about a picture of all of you? Sounds like you’re celebrating,” a college-age kid with a Nikon D750 and a mounted light interrupted. “Only ten bucks!”
The endgame of all the chess contests uses the trope Deus Ex Machina (surprise resolution to a seemingly unsolvable problem), which I will avoid as not to spoil the ending.
Earl James moves the “pieces” expertly throughout the novel, putting the reader in an enticing place to keep reading. You can expect a little profanity, no sexual content, almost flawless writing, sarcastic humor,
and thoughtful life lessons. I give this book a 5 out of 5 for the excellent use of literary tropes, the clean writing, unexpected resolutions, and a plot that is respectable, albeit unethical.
******
Morrow's Con
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Morrow’s Con-Opening Gambit is clever, witty, and intriguing, and it leaves you wanting a sequel or another episode. I highly recommend the effortless and compelling read. This is a well-edited story with no sexual content, minimal profanity, and a sprinkling of sarcastic humor. You don’t need to be a chess master to enjoy this chronicle.
You need to ask yourself if the opening gambit is Morrow giving up his safety and anonymity to run a con on his own, or is it the writer sacrificing years of his life to write the book he always wanted, or is it the reader relinquishing time to be transported into an adventure for a while, or does it hint that there are more books to come?
Morrow is a lone wolf ex-con. He accepts a gambit involving an opportunity for a bit of excitement and “some serious money,” which will force him to sacrifice his anonymity and quiet life to lead a team of misfits in several dangerous schemes to win a sizeable compensation—his life.
Author James Earl cleverly takes chess off the board, placing it on the page and into Morrow’s life. And Morrow doesn’t play just one game of chess. He simultaneously plays four competitions, all with a possible
fatal ending. His first game hasn’t started yet, with Salvador Kane, an aggrieved adversary, still in jail. The second contest is versus Damon Barger, a mob boss from the north side of Phoenix. The third match is in opposition to Jacob Almeda, a corrupt fine art owner, and the last one is against Conrad LeBlanc, a corrupt art dealer.
The use of chess terms is prevalent. Each chapter references how Morrow manages time control in his “matches,” discusses his strategy for each, and explains how he moves his “pieces” (teammates) into positions for the endgame.
He uses many literary tropes as well. There are numerous examples of MacGuffins (items or goals that motivate characters), such as ego, morals, money, and avoiding death. An instance of a Red Herring on page 138 and possibly a Chekhov’s Gun for another book (a minor detail that later becomes crucial):
“How about a picture of all of you? Sounds like you’re celebrating,” a college-age kid with a Nikon D750 and a mounted light interrupted. “Only ten bucks!”
The endgame of all the chess contests uses the trope Deus Ex Machina (surprise resolution to a seemingly unsolvable problem), which I will avoid as not to spoil the ending.
Earl James moves the “pieces” expertly throughout the novel, putting the reader in an enticing place to keep reading. You can expect a little profanity, no sexual content, almost flawless writing, sarcastic humor,
and thoughtful life lessons. I give this book a 5 out of 5 for the excellent use of literary tropes, the clean writing, unexpected resolutions, and a plot that is respectable, albeit unethical.
******
Morrow's Con
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
— Dalai Lama
Gail
— Dalai Lama
Gail
Latest Review: The Islands Tell Of It by Patty Fischer
