Earnest Ink by Alex Hall - OPTIONAL

Earnest Ink by Alex Hall. EBOOK. Nine Star Press, 2019. $6. 

Language: R (128 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In a splintered and chaotic world, Hemingway knows to keep his head down, especially because of the magic talent that makes him famous. But Hemingway can’t sit back when his best friend, Grace, goes missing and it appears that the serial killer at large has her.

I felt that the beginning was slow, but that is forgiven in everything that comes after the set up. The characters, despite occasional magical ability, felt real as I read because there are so many facets to each personality. Everyone is complicated and dealing with the national and personal tragedies the best way they can. Now I’m trying to decide if this book is one that is more satisfying after a second read through. I was shocked by the reveal of the serial killer’s identity, and I wonder if I missed the clues given or if there were no clues to miss. Thinking back over the book, I can’t think of clues pointing me in the right direction, which would be disappointing. I hope that I just missed the clues because I liked reading this book and don’t want to be upset at Hall for denying readers the potential satisfaction in solving the mystery first. The mature content rating is for mentions of orgasm and sex; the violence rating is serial killer violence.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen