Title: Mega-Nightmare
Author: John Nieman
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 1649087098
Pages: 108
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by: David Allen
Hollywood Book Reviews
Mega-Nightmare, a novel by John Nieman, begins like this: “Over a million people buy Mega-Million lottery tickets every Tuesday and Friday.”
If you are one of those million people, this story will whet your appetite–for big winnings and possibly for other books by John Niemann. The characters in this novel, Danny and Meghan Banks and their teenage daughter Casey, find themselves winners of a colossal $416 million jackpot–and victims of numerous get-rich quick venues up to and including kidnapping. Even if you don’t buy lottery tickets, you will want to read this exciting well-written novel, which is an object lesson in be careful what you wish for, you may end up getting it.
The Banks are good people. They live in a modest home in Hastings-on-Hudson, in lower Westchester County, New York. Meghan Banks waits tables in a dinner and her husband is an appliance repairman. They are grateful for their happy lives and especially grateful for their bright cheerful daughter Casey. Casey is a cheerleader at the local high school.
Fantasy comes true when the Banks learn they have actually won one of the largest jackpots in New York State history. Their immediate instinct is to not let the cat out of the bag and immediately spread the news. Human nature being what is, their best intentions are foiled and soon friends, neighbors and classmates are aware that the Banks are big winners.
Friends and neighbors begin to drip from the woodwork, proposing schemes and investments to the couple. Perhaps Meghan would like to buy the diner she works for? Perhaps Danny would like to own his own store? Understandably, the couple is underwhelmed by these misguided opportunities. The furthest the Banks can immediately foresee is perhaps a Caribbean family vacation and a new family car.
“Men make plans and God laughs,” as the saying goes. Daughter Casey is kidnapped and most of the book describes the family’s ordeal as police track down the culprit. (I found myself engrossed in the tale, eager to find out the conclusion.) I won’t spoil the ending for future readers; suffice it to say that the ending is satisfying.
Our society is deeply materialistic, and books like Mega-Nightmare are one remedy for this cultural blight. Money can bring out the worst in people and this book makes that point clearly. The narrative voice, the relatively straightforward story, and the characters ring true. They evoke the goodness in life and in our nation, and provide a telling contrast with lives actuated by greed and plunder. This book is a quick read because the story is compelling and gives the reader pause.
John Nieman is a prolific author and is an international artist. He has written numerous stories and novels and describes himself as a proud father of five children.