SUNSTROKE by Jesse Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman and Faye Kellerman are two very successful fiction authors. Now their son Jesse is entering the family business with his first novel SUNSTROKE. It is a promising debut for a novelist who will receive much attention just because of his lineage.
The main focus of the story is on a woman named Gloria Mendez. She has been working as a secretary/assistant for a man named Carl Perreira in Los Angeles. Carl and her work are her life. She is in love with him but he does not encourage her attention or return her affection. He acts as if he likes her but that is it.
Each year when Carl takes a vacation Gloria takes care of things at the office. This year an earthquake occurs while he is gone. When she goes to check on the state of their office she checks the phone messages. There is a mysterious one from Carl and that is enough to make her pack her bags and head for Mexico where he was supposed to be.
Once in Mexico Gloria heads down a rabbit hole much like Alice did. The world she discovers just gets curioser and curioser. Still she is determined to find Carl and, if need be, save him. But it seems Carl had some secrets and the little Gloria did know about him may not have been true.
Kellerman keeps his story going for much longer than he should. Gloria's first trip to Mexico is interesting, but a second one is too repetitive in all respects. Gloria heads in circles and the reader gets dizzy from the efforts she makes. It also doesn't help that Carl is never a clear figure in the story, and why he has so dazzled Gloria is never explained.
The meandering plot is not enjoyable but the character studies are. There are layers and layers to Gloria and Kellerman goes back into her past to explain why she behaves as she does in the present. But even with her being explained, the story still suffers. Gloria is a flawed heroine and one who doesn't inspire as much of the reader's loyalty as she should.
The strongest part of Kellerman's writing skills at this point is his ability to create interesting dialogue. He is both dramatic and humorous, in equal parts. The conversations between his characters flows freely and are natural.
Jesse Kellerman is certainly not at his parents' level of writing skills, but SUNSTROKE does indicate he has a definite flair for storytelling. He will only get better with each successive novel. Still for now, SUNSTROKE is only an average read.
SUNSTROKE is published by G P Putnam's Sons. It contains 370 pages and sells for $24.95.