Title: Carlton
Author: Tawnee Chasny
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 1425727700
Genre: Thriller / Literary Fiction
Pages: 184
Reviewed by: Liz Konkel
Hollywood Book Reviews
Carlton thought his life was tough but it only gets worse after he loses his job when the company is taken over by another company. He’s forced to sell everything he has except for a few things and following a stop at a gas station, his day only gets worse. The gas station gets robbed by escaped criminals who go on to take the money along with kidnapping the owners’ granddaughter. And yet, his day still finds a way to get worse. While the prisoners have taken off, Carlton ends up taking a tumble that ends with his memory being lost. As he heals in the hospital, he receives help from people that have a form of mystical intervention to help him remember and catch the criminals.
The story revolves around a chase after escaped criminals which creates the tone and fast-pace of a thriller. The beginning of the plot revolves around the mysterious James who takes a tumble and has a severe loss of memory. From the discovery of James comes those that attempt to help him regain his memories in a literary-driven work woven with the action of a thriller. The first part of the story focuses on the mystery of who James is and follows his search for answers about his own identity. He turns to Ruby and Crystal for unconventional as he’s driven by the determination to regain his memories. The story unfolds as James digs up his memories through lists and mystical help. The memories he’s trying to recover are at the root of the plot and create a catalyst for the chase element of the story, with events tying together through the revival of his own identity.
The plot revolves around a multitude of characters which their perspectives are used to bring this crime thriller about escaped criminals to life. The escapees are dangerous and root the story in a threat which drives the actions of the other characters as they search for their whereabouts following the robbery and kidnapping. The chase after the criminals gives the book a suspenseful tone as the stakes are high with a serial killer among the escaped and lives hanging in the balance. The overall plot ties every character together and as you near the end, the mystery of James identity coincides with the actions of the criminals. The third-person narrative allows you to see the perspective of each character from the evolution of James into Carl as he goes from amnesiac to witness, those that help him regain his memories and make up his support system, the criminals that escaped and their actions and the victims are directly harmed by those criminals.
Carl has a specific role in the story as the protagonist and a witness to the robbery while also driving a mystery for the first part of the book. This shows a great use of a character with several layers which contribute to his arc and that directly impacts the development of the plot. The writing has a literary style that is driven from a place of humanity that is woven into the story. The characters are well-rounded and each contributes to the plot whether as those helping Carl or the criminals causing the chaos. Each scene succeeds in driving the story forward which creates a build-up to a plot that makes strong use of every character.
Carlton, by author Tawnee Chasny, will appeal to those that enjoy crime stories, thrillers, and conspiracy reads which have a literary bent with suspense, action, and character-driven plots.