EVERYONE BURNS: A noir tale that would make Sam Spade sit up and take notice!

I love a good mystery. Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, even Erle Stanley Gardner and Rex Stout were my constant companions as a young reader. Look who I have as a ‘companion in crime’ now! John Dolan led me through the seedier sections of Samui Island, Thailand as we followed the exploits of burnt out private detective David Braddock and believe me when I tell you it was one helluva ride!

Everyone Burns opens with the declaration, “Oh, bugger, I had been hoping for a quiet evening.” We’re immediately thrust into a bar room brawl. From there it just got more and more exciting as the twists of the story and the nuances of David’s slightly warped personality urged me to turn the page.

An off-the-cuff investigation for the Chief of Police, with whose wife he has been having an affair keeps David on his toes, looking over both shoulders, and kept me on the edge of my seat as I raced through the story.

The characters in Everyone Burns are brilliantly developed; the plot develops in a timely way with just enough unexpected twists and turns to keep me dizzy. David has enough flaws for any two men, but it makes him quite attractive. I’d really like to be his friend! He’s pretty damned attractive to the opposite sex, too as his trail of conquests attests.

Everyone Burns is a very satisfying story told beautifully. I give it my strongest recommendation and highest rating!

According to his biography at Amazon, John Dolan “makes a living by travelling, talking a lot and sometimes writing stuff down. Galericulate author, polymath and occasional smarty-pants.

“John Dolan hails from a small town in the North-East of England. Before turning to writing, his career encompassed law and finance. He has run businesses in Europe, South and Central America, Africa and Asia. He and his wife Fiona currently divide their time between the UK and Thailand.

“His mystery novel ‘Everyone Burns’ is the first book in the ‘Time, Blood and Karma’ series.”

I recently had the pleasure of meeting John when he traveled to Amman. Truly a sharp-witted and delightful friend!

John also runs an astonishingly delightful blog, Galericulate that I very highly recommend.

Everyone Burns can be found at:

Meet John Dolan (thefinalcurtain1.wordpress.com)
@JohnDolanAuthor releases his much anticipated novel ~ HUNGRY GHOSTS (edenbaylee.wordpress.com)

About Ol' Big Jim

Ol' Big Jim, has been a storekeeper, an embalmer, a hospital orderly, a medical biller, and through it all, a teller of tall tales. Many of his stories, like his first book, New Yesterdays, are set in his hometown of Piedmont, Alabama. For seven years, he lived in the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Amman, Jordan where he spends his time trying to visit each one of the thousands of Ammani coffee shops and scribbling in his ever-present notebook. These days, you can find him back stateside, still filling notebooks.

View all posts by Ol' Big Jim →

Posted on 28/08/2013 by Ol' Big Jim

This entry was posted in Book Reviews, Books and tagged author, book, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner, Fiction, John Dolan, Koh Samui, literature, Raymond Chandler, reviews, Rex Stout, Thailand, writing. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to EVERYONE BURNS: A noir tale that would make Sam Spade sit up and take notice!

John Dolan says:

28/08/2013 at 10:23

Thank you, Jim, for your many kindnesses 🙂

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- Ol' Big Jim says:
  
  28/08/2013 at 10:26
  
  No need to thank me, John. I should be thanking you for spinning such a riveting yarn! Can’t wait to crack open Hungry Ghosts! Thanks for sending it, by the way.
  
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  - John Dolan says:
    
    28/08/2013 at 10:32
    
    You are most welcome. Give my regards to Amman!
    
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