Tea at Trianon: Hunter

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Hunter

I ran into author Robert Bidinotto while I was having lunch with some friends at a barbecue joint in St. Michaels, MD. We were talking about books and I asked if I could review one of his. He happened to have a copy of his debut novel Hunter with him and gave it to me on the condition that I would write my honest opinion of it. The problem I have as a book reviewer is that when I really enjoy a book I am too busy lapping up the story to note the literary merits or demerits. Such is the case with Hunter. It is the kind of thriller which lives up to its name by grabbing your attention at the first moment and not letting you go until the end. The protagonist Dylan Hunter is an intrepid journalist dedicated to fighting for the rights of victims by exposing criminals and those who enable them. His adventures are set in the Washington, DC area where there is always plenty of crime as well as behind-the-scenes intrigue.

The hero and heroine, Dylan and Annie, are both complex characters who struggle with loneliness and angst as part of their chosen professions: Dylan as a journalist and Annie as a CIA operative. Dylan, of course, has no idea that Annie secretly works for the CIA and Annie has no clue about some of Dylan's hidden activities. Yet the two are overwhelmingly drawn together by their mutual brilliance and emotional need. Their relationship is a scorching roller coaster ride which appears to be more and more doomed as each other's secrets are revealed.

What sets the novel apart from so many others is that there is nothing gratuitous in the scenes of violence; the author keeps his finger on the pulse of the human tragedy in a soul-searing manner. The incalculable cost of the loss of innocent lives is painfully assessed as are the psychological scars borne by the survivors. The story is a scathing indictment of contemporary society which expends more effort towards protecting the rights of violent criminals than it does to those who are their victims.

(*NOTE: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.) Share

1 comment:

Robert Bidinotto said...: It's considered to be bad form for an author to comment on a review, so I rarely do. I'll make an exception here, simply to say that I'm grateful for your kind and generous words. I only hope that your readers share your opinion of my debut thriller, and that they take equal pleasure in the Dylan-and-Annie sequel, BAD DEEDS.

Many thanks.; May 27, 2015 at 6:30:00 PM EDT