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Grady
, February 09, 2012
(view all comments by Grady)
Stalking: unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person., February 9, 2012
Stan Talbott has polished the concept of writing terse suspense novels by abiding by the code that there are many sides to every situation. His subject matter in this immensely readable book is divorce and the spectrum of events that the termination of a marriage can present. He is careful not to make his characters black and white, he allows us to understand motivations and the by-products of deeds, and he remains cognizant of the importance to the reader of a propulsive storyline. In short, Stan Talbott writes well.
Billy Freeman and Diane Downer were married at one time but when we meet them they have been divorced for some time: Diane had been a burden in her addiction to drugs and alcohol. We meet Billy returning to the US from a time in Australia and we are allowed some insights into his personality by a jovial cab ride with a Pakistani cabby as they witness a man on a bridge bearing a sign stating 'Please Help My Kids' and 'Kids First', a clever entry point for the information that follows that Billy is accused of 'stalking' his former wife after a misunderstanding o f sorts: Diane captures their grandson Trystan from the couple's alcoholic daughter Faith and her illegal alien husband and unilaterally decides to place the child in first grade as opposed to the intended kindergarten. This seemingly minor incident raises issues of the pattern of stalkers - an apparent recurring situation in the Freeman family that the author develops very well. How Billy copes and deals with the label of 'stalker' is at times comic, at other times tragic, and at all times carries a dollop of truth that makes us all more attuned to the implication of the meaning of stalking.
Talbott is a fascinating man in addition to his new-found skills in writing. He is a triathlon competitor, has been a successful coach for basketball, even founding a 3-on-3 outdoor basketball tournament project throughout Oregon, he has taught Journalism and English and has been a sports reporter. All of these attributes provide Talbott with a palpable energy as a writer: his novels speed along like a long distance run with plenty of side excursions to capture the imagination of every reader. Talbott seems to have a solid career ahead of him as a writer of note. Grady Harp, February 12
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