BOOK REVIEW: Baker creates intriguing characters shrouded in mystery

By Diana Nollen

Nora James hooked me up with “A Good Man,” for which I'm ever so grateful.

She is the first character who intrigued me in Larry Baker's third novel, released Sept. 17 through Ice Cube Press in North Liberty. James is that mysterious woman everybody knows, nobody sees and anybody can hear by tuning into her cooking show on the little radio station in St. Augustine, Fla. She's a complete mystery you want to solve right away, but Baker wisely lets you know her bit by bit.

She is the best of what Baker does so well. He draws rich, complex characters who draw readers into their rich, complex lives.

Unfortunately, you don't meet James right away. She isn't the only character shrouded in mystery. Baker does introduce them from the very beginning. They just aren't as likable as Nora James.

I found the first couple of pages a tad off-putting. I wasn't sure where all the religious point-counterpoint quotes were headed, but the negative attitudes bothered me right up to the final quote, from II Timothy about “fighting the good fight.” That gave me a sense of redemption. And that's the whole point of the book - I just didn't realize that at the time.

All of the characters are seeking redemption, from the main character - liquor-sodden late-night radio host Harry Ducharme - to the people he meets in passing. Each one adds a piece to the puzzle that is puzzling by nature. Is the man who shows up during the times of greatest trial a prophet or a charlatan? Politics, war, nostalgia and American milestones good and bad provide framework for the tale. Newspaper clippings and photographs provide context, as well.

Baker is a smart writer. That's obvious, especially in the last half of the book that just steamrolls right through to the end, dragging you willingly through twists and turns that leave you pretty much breathless.

But Baker needs a better editor. The use of the “R” word on the first page of narrative was jarring, along with a few typos and grammatical errors along the way. This is a good enough book that it should have a second printing and find its way to a national audience, so there's still time to polish the rough edges.

ARTS EXTRA

What: “A Good Man” author events featuring Larry Baker of Iowa City

Book signing: 11 a.m. Nov. 19, Wild Rose Bookstore at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City

Reading: 7 p.m. Nov. 19, Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City