NECESSITIES
(Book #4 in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series)
by Boyd Taylor
(Book #4 in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series)
by Boyd Taylor
Genre: Adult Fiction, 225 pages
Category: Suspense Crime Fiction
Publisher: Katherine Brown Press
Release date: December 5, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is a murder and allusions to sex. Some mild cursing.)
Book Description: Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal.
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BOOK REVIEW:
HALL
WAYS REVIEW: ✪✪✪✪ Necessities is the
fourth book in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series by Texas author Boyd Taylor. I haven’t
read any of the prior books (yet), but this one stands alone and is a quick but
fully engaging story. I read it in one sitting not just because I had a glorious
block of time, but because I wanted to see how it all turned-out!
The structure of Necessities is interesting; it’s divided
into three parts, with the first two making-up the majority of the book. Except
for a brief mention of him, the main character of the series, attorney Donnie
Ray, isn’t introduced until nearly half-way into the story. The first half of
the book focuses on character David Lewis, who Donnie ends up defending in a
murder trial. Author Boyd Taylor does a great job of fleshing-out David’s character,
who is deeply flawed and mostly likable – though I never felt sure if he was a
good guy or not. The careful reader will notice that Taylor drops small tidbits
that cast David in an unsavory light, which plants seeds of doubt come trial
time. Another interesting aspect of the book’s structure is that many of the characters
introduced in the first half of the book are absent until the very end of the
second half. These are primarily the dysfunctional members of the ultra-rich Lehrer
family, and whose antics and attitudes – nasty as they are -- pulled me into
the story.
As readers switch gears from
Part One to Part Two – a mildly jarring transition – the legal part of the
story begins and establishes Donnie, an attorney living in Antelope City and working
in Velda, both small towns located in the Texas Panhandle. Donnie’s
contemplative nature and way of life are immediately appealing, and I was
surprised to find out later that he wasn’t even forty years old. He seems older
with his life experiences and nostalgia about the olden days of Austin and the
world in general. I wanted to know more about Donnie’s life, and this is a
place where it feels like readers would benefit by having read the prior
installments in the series.
Part Two introduces some new
fascinating and quirky characters and a side story about Donnie’s mom that may
have been explored in earlier books. The preparation for the trial and the
courtroom scenes were well-done and Taylor minimized the use of legal jargon
and kept exchanges succinct. The trial itself flew by, and I found the outcome
totally believable for a Texas jury.
Author Boyd Taylor has a distinct
and appealing writing style that keeps the story line feeling real and engaging.
The dialogue is natural, and though there is a lot of sex happening, I
appreciate that Taylor allows readers to use their imaginations instead of giving
them graphic details. The author is crafty in manipulating readers to think a
certain way and then pulling the rug out by throwing-in some great twists at
the end of Part Two and in the short but impactful Part Three.
Necessities could
be a notch better with some editing to tighten-up some gaps in the storyline, a
timeline issue or two, and scattered punctuation errors; however, it’s pretty
damn good as is. I look forward to going back to book one, Hero, starting the series from the beginning, and immersing myself
in the world of Donnie Ray Cuinn.
SIDE NOTE: I really like the
covers on this series – sleek and attention grabbing. But it bugs me that the
scene on the cover of Necessities doesn’t
match the story. It actually misleads a bit…but I can’t talk about that because
I don’t do spoilers.
Thank you to iRead Book
Tours and the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest
opinion – the only kind I give.
Meet the Author: BOYD TAYLOR lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and their Havanese dog Toby. Necessities is the fourth novel in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. In a former life, Boyd was a lawyer and a corporate officer. A native of Temple, Texas, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in government and an LL.B. from the law school.
Boyd's first novel "Hero" was prescient in its story about fake news. His second novel, "The Antelope Play," dealt with drug trafficking in the Texas Panhandle, an unfortunately accurate forecast. The third, "The Monkey House", involved commercial development of a large green space in the center of Austin, all too familiar to Austin residents. Whether his upcoming novel "Necessities" predicts future events with the accuracy of the earlier books remains to be seen.
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◐ Enter the Giveaway! ◑
1 WINNER: Paperback copy of Necessities + $25 Amazon Gift Card
4 WINNERS: Paperback copy of Necessities.
25 WINNERS: ebook copy of Necessities
(Open in U.S. only; ends March 7, 2018)
Jan 3 - Library of Clean Reads - tour kickoff / spotlight all 4 books / giveaway
Jan 4 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Hero / author interview / giveaway
Jan 5 - Literary Flits - review of Hero / giveaway
Jan 8 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Hero
Jan 9 - Olio by Marilyn - review of Hero / author interview / giveaway
Jan 10 - Library of Clean Reads - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 15 - Library of Clean Reads - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Jan 17 - Olio by Marilyn - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 18 - Books for Books - review of Hero
Jan 19 - Literary Flits - spotlight of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Jan 22 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of The Antelope Play
Jan 23 - A Mama's Corner of the World - spotlight of Books 1, 2 and 3
Jan 24 - Hall Ways Blog - spotlight of Books 1, 2 and 3
Jan 25 - Books for Books - review of The Antelope Play
Jan 26 - Olio by Marilyn - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Jan 29 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Necessities / giveaway
Jan 30 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review of Necessities / giveaway
Jan 30 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Jan 31 - Hall Ways Blog - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 5 - Literary Flits - spotlight of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 6 - Books for Books - review of The Monkey House
Feb 7 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Hero / giveaway
Feb 7 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 8 - Olio by Marilyn - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 9 - A Page Before Bedtime - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 12 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of The Monkey House
Feb 13 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 14 - Bound 4 Escape - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 15 - Books for Books - review of Necessities
Feb 16 - Fantastic Feathers - review of Necessities
Feb 19 - FUONLYKNEW - review of Hero / giveaway
Feb 19 - Literary Flits - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 20 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 21 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 21 - Bound 4 Escape - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 21 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 22 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Feb 22 - FUONLYKNEW - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 23 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of The Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 23 - Books are Love - review of Hero / guest post / giveaway
Feb 26 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Necessities
Feb 26 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of The Monkey House/ giveaway
Feb 26 - Books are Love - review of he Antelope Play / giveaway
Feb 27 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Necessities / guest post / giveaway
Feb 27 - Books are Love - review of The Monkey House / giveaway
Feb 28 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Necessities / giveaway
Feb 28 - Books are Love - review of Necessities / giveaway
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Thank you for your review. I appreciated your frankness and clarity, marks of a good reviewer!
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