HALL
WAYS REVIEW: When I read and am WOW’d by a first book in a
series, I am always nervous about the second book. What if that first one was
just a fluke and the next one is a fail? What if the author(s) take it in a
different direction? What if I am disappointed? And for a series that’s all
about WHAT IF, waiting for the publication of Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation, the anxiety level was even higher. I
guess I have book series trust issues. In my gut, I knew that in Dam Nation, good ol’ Bonnie and Clyde would kick ass and take names, but the brain
kept whispering WHAT IF they don’t?
"You
don't use good dogs to guard the junkyard; you use the
meanest g****n dogs you
can get a collar around."
I am happy to report that the
gut was correct, and my trust issues were terribly misplaced. Dam Nation is a full throttle thrill
ride. Seriously, I am worn out by the action and like “Brenda and Clarence” (as
they are renamed), after this adventure around the building and saving of
Hoover Dam, I need to go collapse on a Mexican beach for a while, adult
beverage in hand. Authors Clark Hays
and Kathleen McFall continue the story of Bonnie and Clyde, who are very much
alive and very much owned by a secret government operation.
As in book one, Resurrection Road, there are dual story
lines going on in Dam Nation. One is
set in 1984, with a Lubbock journalist helping an aged Bonnie investigate loose
ends and record the real story of Bonnie’s and Clyde’s lives after their
supposed demise in 1934, at the ambush in Louisiana. A (mostly) reformed Bonnie
wants to make amends for past wrongs done by her and to her, and she’s chosen
Royce to make that happen. Readers will enjoy seeing that the spunk and spark in
eighty-year-old Bonnie is much the same as the version of her fifty years earlier.
"Everyone
has a purpose in life,
and perhaps they are fulfilling theirs."
The second story line is the
beefier of the two, with Bonnie/Brenda and Clyde/Clarence sent on assignment to
learn who is sabotaging the building of Hoover Dam. Is it the union? The mob?
Italian anarchists? Of course, nothing is as straightforward as it should be,
and the story progresses with B & C turning into working jerks who must put
in a full day to make their living. The scenes of the two of them dealing with
being nine-to-fivers were some of the most humorous (I hear ya, Clyde, on
waking up too early and to an alarm every day; and I hear you, Bonnie, on not
taking on the domestic goddess role. Groceries are overrated.). The couple is
still as sexually charged as ever, and they are fiercely loyal to and protective
of each other. There is a unique dynamic to their relationship not only because
of all they’ve been through together, but because of a mutual respect for each
other’s strengths and weaknesses. Readers
can’t help but love this couple and will be reconciling their current and former
personae, seeking to forgive them as Bonnie and Clyde do the same of themselves. They continue
to be works in progress, and that’s one of the best hooks in the series.
In Dam Nation, the scenes are more realistic, and readers don’t have
to suspend their disbelief or stretch to accept the action. Bonnie and Clyde
are good at being bad, and they have skills beyond the average person, but they
aren’t over the top, and that’s a good shift in this book.
The writing in Dam Nation is excellent, with the
dialogue being especially good. Due to the word choices and sentence structures,
writers will really hear Clyde's voice. Hays and
McFall incorporate interesting facts of the times (like the expense of the twenty-five-cent
movie) and factoids on the size and scope of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam program,
but it’s organically done and never feels like an info-dump. There were some references
(like my fave girl, Nancy Drew) that will surprise readers who may not realize
how long those things have been around. The book is well-researched, and as
with Resurrection Road, it draws parallels
and highlights the flaws in the political system that persist into current
times. Except for some typos and run-ons (that won’t likely distract anyone from
the fabulous story), it was cleanly edited. (For those who care [who, me?], in
true journalistic form, the Oxford Comma, sadly, is missing.)
As Bonnie and Clyde might
say, Dam Nation was a fun kick in the
pants, and I highly recommend it. I know I am going to suffer the consequences
of reading it straight through and seeing the sun rise as I finished, but really,
isn’t that how the best books work? The hangover is well worth it. Based on that ending, I had better rest-up because it feels like a next installment is coming. Better be!
Thank you to Lone Star Book
Blog Tours and the authors for providing me a gorgeous (this COVER) print copy
in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.
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