APPARENT WIND - Dallas Murphy

GREAT CHARACTERS - 3.5 stars

Plot - 3 stars - After getting out of jail for an unusual crime, Doom travels to his hometown in Florida. He befriends a motley crew of misfits, which makes things interesting. But mostly he wants to settle down and begin life over again. Not surprisingly, he become embroiled in a situation that skirts the law and gets him into some potential trouble.

Writing - 3.5 stars - I felt drawn to Doom right away because he was written in a sympathetic and intelligent way. Although this is not my usual comfort genre, it was comfortable to read about this somewhat unusual scenario with criminal undertones.

Characters - 4 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Doom is a highly intelligent guy, very likeable, but he is the type of guy who allows himself to be talked into crazy schemes, despite his better judgment. He sort of falls into situations that get him into trouble, which was frustrating.

Title - 3.5 stars - There is an explanation of this term towards the beginning of the book while Doom is learning about sailing. Murphy was able to incorporate it into a discussion naturally, so it made sense.

Cover - 2 stars - The glaring bright colors certainly draw the eye, but not necessarily in a good way.

Overall - 3.5 stars - Overall, this is an interesting story with some unusual criminal undertones, a rather complicated plot, and several compelling characters. I'm not the intended target audience, but I did enjoy the time spent living in this world and interacting with the group.

I loved this storyline as well as the quirky characters. Well written with plenty of action.
Many thanks to Brash Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Apparent Wind by Dallas Murphy

304 Pages
Publisher: Brash Books
Release Date: February 3, 2015

Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Suspense, Thriller, Florida Man

Dennis “Doom” Loomis served five years in prison for writing a book under the name of Eleanor Roosevelt. He found out his father died in a drowning accident. But was it really an accident? He goes to south Florida where the Staggerlee, his father’s sailboat is being kept. Doom finds out his father was part owner in a proposed development and now he has ownership. He falls for Rosalind, a scuba diver

The location of the book is south Florida. I love when I read a book and can recognize locations. My own city of Weeki Wachee is even mentioned. The characters are very developed and the story flows at a steady pace. It is written in the third person point of view and is very descriptive. There are murders and mayhem galore. There are a few mentions of the “N” word. If you like the Pono Hawkins series by Mike Bond, you will definitely enjoy this book.

An interesting read. I enjoyed the twists and turns although I didn't find it believable. The nautical aspects were very good.