A one-page first chapter opens with Jack Girard’s mother Betty swallowing eight pills in an apparent act of suicide. Jack, an ex-lawyer and owner of a bar club in Key West, Florida, is soon alerted by his lawyer-father “Duke.” As with any good tale, things are not as they initially seem, though, and the story’s twists slowly build intrigue until resolution. Along the way, Jack reorients his life and his self-understanding as he uncovers family secrets. He comes to an increased sense of inner-peace and self-regard as longstanding personal dramas play themselves out. In that sense, this book is a coming-of-age tale.
This book has been categorized as a thriller. I’m not sure that’s the right genre. It’s more of a mystery. The first-time author James Polkinghorne is a self-described “semi-retired” lawyer, and the plot builds in much the same fashion as a lawyer would build a legal case. Except this story unfurls, not in a courtroom, but on the stage of life. When I think of a thriller, I imagine high-drama and high-intrigue. Polkinghorn’s style is more understated and grounded in reason, not piqued emotion. Again, he sounds like a lawyer carefully building his case rather than someone seeking to convey manias of humor.
My description of this style is not a criticism because, frankly, it works for this tale. Polkinghorn sprinkles enough intrigue as the plot builds so that readers do not bore. Jack has a relationship with a sex worker. His brother, too, committed suicide. Fraught family dynamics are all over the place. All these combine to make this story realistic and plausible. They make the story more than merely entertaining; indeed, they communicate a deep understanding of human nature.
Those involved with the legal profession will probably enjoy this story most. Again, it aims to observe human nature more than to provide cheap entertainment. Readers of mysteries will also enjoy trying to figure out where the plot will head next. Polkinghorn tells enough to keep the reader engaged while drawing us all past another construct, on the way to a climax and resolution. Now that he is semi-retired from law, his future as a spinner of fiction looks bright. If he can continue to inform while lightening the reader’s heart as much as this book does, then he’ll garner many more followers.
Liquid Shades of Blue: A Novel
By James Polkinghorn
Copyright (c) 2023
Oceanview
ISBN13 9781608095506
Page Count: 208
Genre: Fiction/Stories, Mystery
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