Review: Out of Order

Second adventure novel by this author. Let's say you are approaching the beginning of your middle years, and you have a reasonable if not very exciting job and you really aren't thinking about adventure, certainly not with a capital A. I mean, you tend to go to Disneyland on your vacations. But you are single with no real attachments, certainly no romantic entanglements.

You have a neighbor in the Corning, New York, apartment, a younger couple with almost unpronounceable names, who have moved to Corning from India. Sriram and Vidya are a lot of fun to socialize with and Jason Talley, our earnest protagonist, enjoys being with them, particularly since it appears that Srirham, an electronics designer, is on the verge of some big- time breakthrough in the computer field. One day, Srirham, in a oddly conspiratorial manner, importunes Jason to hold for him a package, a package Srirham plans to personally deliver to his mother soon, back home in India. Jason, of course, agrees. Wham! The very next day, Srirham and his lovely wife are found dead in what is considered to be a murder/suicide circumstance. So what does Jason do? Of course, he decides to deliver the package to Srirham's mother, as a last gesture to his dead friend.

And so the adventure begins. In no time at all, Jason is off on a package tour to India. There, he meets a girl and soon, the tour is somewhere back in the dust. Now, if you begin to suspect this is a pretty over-the- top novel, you would not be mistaken. Reality and realism are not strong suits for this author. But if you say, oh, well, I'm along for the ride, then you'll be in good hands. Benoit is a pretty good writer and he infuses the book with a high level of energy, great pace, enough twists and misdirection to keep the reader guessing, and if you just suspend every trace of disbelief you'll have a good time with this novel.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carl Brookins - RAM

Book Review: Out of Order