Official Review: Padanaram Village by Jack Burbank

[DarkestbeforeDawn]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Padanaram Village" by Jack Burbank.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Padanaram Village is an engaging read about a man named Richard Lewis who is near beaten down by a cruel divorce until life finally throws him a bone in the form of millions. Millions of dollars. The only catch is that the money embroils him in dangerous game that involves the police, drug dealers, a dead body, and the mafia. The entire story revolve around Rich as he tries to overcome the financial troubles of his divorce’s aftermath and avoid getting axed by the other dangerous players.

The characters are fleshed out and engaging. Jack Burbank, the author, did a good job at creating individual and interesting characters. Richard Lewis is the protagonist and he does well enough to be a likeable and relatable character despite his dangerous entanglements. His divorce left him the short end of the stick and he struggles to keep his head above water as his ex-wife demands more than he can give. Given the certain circumstances of his life, he is a very strong and resilient character. He can be bitter and sarcastic, but he has reasons: his wife left him for a younger man after taking almost everything from the divorce, he is being targeted by the IRS, and faces potential jail time after failing to keep up with his court-mandated payments. The only moral ambiguity of Rich is that he risks the life of his ex-wife and her husband by framing them for the millions of dollars that the mafia is looking for. He didn’t intend any physical harm to befall them, but he wanted a form of revenge. It was a risky gamble, but Rich’s desire for revenge doesn’t stem from thin air. I suppose no one said that protagonists all had to be morally stringent characters.

Jack Burbank even gave his best efforts to create his side characters enough time and development to be compelling. His ex-wife, Debbie, can exist as a real person. She has squirreled away money from Rich during their marriage until she finally cut the ties and left him for a more passionate relationship with Tom. Although she is greedy, selfish, and cruel, she isn’t entirely two-dimensional. She realizes that her relationship with Rich was happy and nice, but the grass seemed greener with Tom. The mafia boss, Carlos, also has dimension. Although he chops up incompetent subordinates and throws them into the ocean, he expresses a great zest for life and a deep love and adoration for his wife. Even facing his adversaries, he adheres to a code of honor derived from his breeding. The only issue found with the book is that Rich’s love interest, Gail, was not given enough time. Based on the book’s description, I was led to believe that Gail would have been Rich’s partner in crime. However, in the book, she is described and defined well-enough, but she is then promptly cast aside due to Rich’s concern for her safety. Burbank even gave her the ties and the qualities to be a real powerful companion. However, she is really only a charismatic love interest who offered a safeguard for Richard if his plan went awry. She wasn’t lacking anything as a person, but she was built up for particularly no reason. However I find it a small flaw in the face of so many other good characters.

The plot of the story is gripping and possesses a certain element of suspense. After stumbling upon the mafia’s money due to a botched drug deal, Richard Lewis must devise a way to avoid getting targeting by the mafia. All the while, the IRS, repo-man, and his ex-wife are after him. Alan is Rich’s attorney and also serves as a confidant and helps Rich carry out his plan once it was set into motion. Running next to Rich’s story is the police investigation regarding the dead body that Rich found and their active tracing of the dirty money in Rich’s possession. Rich constantly encounters Carlos and other figures that could easily destroy him, which only increases the suspense and raises the stakes of the story. The only time Padanaram Village dragged on was the intense bouts of legalese in divorce court. It took a fair amount of time, however, the payoff was rewarding enough to pardon it. The only flaw I can take with this book is that the ending might have wrapped up too nicely and conveniently. However, with the challenges and difficulties that Richard Lewis faced, I can believe that he has earned his happy ending.

In conclusion, I would rate Padanaram Village 3 out of 4 stars. The characters are developed, compelling, and could exist as real people. The plot was properly set up for a good payoff and remains interesting with very few lulls. Everything that happened served a purpose. I would recommend this book to the general audience. I believe that this is a book that can be picked up by anyone and enjoyed. Unless you get easily bored with the legal environment, go check out Padanaram Village.

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Padanaram Village
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[chytach18-]

Very detailed review. It seems to be a good crime novel, although I don't like the storyline when divorce/money are involved. Such storyline is used so often that to me it has become a cliché long time ago.

[runawaytrain]

I agree, divorce and money are way too often plot devices that don't really add much.

[literarychemist]

This sounds really promising, I'm not usually interested in these sorts of divorce thrillers, but I could maybe check this out

[MsMartha]

I've been curious about this book, and the review does not disappoint me. Thanks!

[savagelion]

This review is very thorough, thanks for the work!

[kimmyschemy06]

Sounds like an interesting book with relatable characters. I am so curious about the 'million dollars' I might check it out . Great job on the review!

[Delilah13]

I think this is a great review that gives a lot of detail to the characters. I am a little confused on the plot, but I guess that's what the book is for.