Friday, July 30, 2021

New crime fiction series with a twist by Howard Seaborne

 


Divisible Man (7 book series)
by Howard Seaborne
crime mystery/spec fiction, 358 pp
Buy on Kindle $2.99 or paperback, $12.99
 
About the book:
The media calls it a "miracle" when air charter pilot Will Stewart survives an aircraft in-flight breakup, but Will's miracle pales beside the stunning aftereffect of the crash. Through trial and dangerous error, Will discovers he can make himself vanish, and in doing so, become immune to gravity. In partnership with his police officer wife, he finds himself at the epicenter of high adventure time after time.
While the series follows in sequence, each book in the series stands alone, launching the reader on a page-turning thrill ride to satisfying and startling conclusions.
 
My Review:
It’s true – the author doesn’t leave the reader hanging by his fingernails at the end of each book, but it’s fun to read them in order. And if you like deep character-led action with obvious spot-on descriptions of flight, you’ll love Seaborne’s Divisible Man series.

I met the author at a vendor fair, and after his wife (yes, great spokeslady!) sold me on reviewing the first book, I happily spent a few days flying around with a dreadfully romantic couple, Will and Andy Stewart, while they took down the bad guys. Will is the private pilot running charters out of small-town Wisconsin, and his wife Andrea is a cop on the ladder to detective whose well-heeled family through her under the bus when she chose a blue-collar life. Will and Andy promised trust in all things between them, but after Will wakes up in the hospital broken but alive for a reason that’s bizarre beyond belief, one disaster after another interrupts Will’s chances to confess to an incredible secret.
 
With alarming reality, Seaborne describes the current plague of sex and drug trafficking, pedophilia and porn in Wisconsin. Readers will wade through a lot of descriptive language and some minor repetitiveness as Will tries to make sense of what happened to him and what it means, and how he can use this crazy new gift. Will and Andy, and friends are well-developed, comfortable characters. Seaborne’s fun turn of phrase even makes cliché cops and villains interesting to read about. Andy and Will’s relationship is rich and nuanced. I fell in love with them and yes, bought the next book in the series. While the story arc concluded, the author cleverly left us wondering what actually did happen to make Will vanish. I aim to find out. Brutality and graphic violence and some language are not prolonged or overly described, but an organic part of the story.
 
About the Author:
Howard Seaborne began writing novels at age ten and flying airplanes at age sixteen. He is a former flight instructor and charter pilot. Today he flies a Beechcraft Bonanza, a Beechcraft Baron and a Rotorway experimental helicopter that he built in his garage. He lives with his wife and writes and flies during all four seasons in Wisconsin.

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