Circle William

It's amazing to me how a handful of major book reviewers with an attitude can affect the market's reception to an otherwise stunning work. It's hard for me to believe that the reviewer from "KIRKUS" and I read the same book called "Circle William." As a longtime fan of Tom Clancy, Michael Crighton and John Grisham, I'd like to think I have a nose for hugely commercial works. "CIRCLE WILLIAM" is the greatest undiscovered political-military-terrorist-White House-suspense thriller in the past ten years. Someone at Scribner Publishing has a great eye for talent with Bill Harlow. But someone in Scribner's publicity and marketing department should be reassigned to Libya for allowing this terrific read to end up on a "remainder's table" at [local store]. With the right marketing and publicity, this should have been one of the top ten bestsellers of 1999. If you ask me, I think some jealous and bitter wanna-be novelist at "Kirkus" unfairly excised their bile on this great novel, and this may have tempered the publisher's enthusiasm to support the book. What a shame for book consumers, and what a shame for Kirkus. Will somebody out there please get Bill Harlow to write another superb thriller?

I took the time to write this review because I thought the reviewer from Kirkus is way off base.I READ A LOT. I bought this book at a dollar store for one dollar. That does not speak well for it. I bought it because it came well recommended from people who have been on the inside-- Navy Secretaries, Press Secretaries. They couldn't put it down.I think it is the best piece of modern fiction I have read in a long time. It is funny. It is way beyond those Tom Clancy dreary soap operas where everyone has such cute, perfect and extremely well-documented lives. It is about PEOPLE who are well sketched (in a brief format of a 300-page novel). The story is just part of the lives of these people.I think I know why this book has struggled. It is politically incorrect. He slams National Public Radio for being a bunch of windbags. Now, how are you supposed to get reviewed by effete pace setters if you slam them in your book? Also, Mr. Harlow makes the outrageous suggestion in 1999 that America could conceiveably come under attack by a bunch of crazed terrorists. Admittedly, this is far-fetched. At least it was far-fetched in 1999.This is an outstanding work for a first novel, yea, a one hundredth novel. Note: it is not Henry James. Thank goodness, it is not Tom Clancy either.

Circle William was a very pleasant surprise. A quasi-techno-thriller, Circle William combines Tom Clancy/Clive Kussler with Dave Barry. The book is witty and compelling -- you will laugh at this novel while being glued to the plot. The characters, for a change, are believable as is the story line. Even the supporting characters in this novel are well developed. This is not a 'way out' story written with sprinklings of techno information. The plot is BELIEVABLE and the information is solid. You come away from this book with the feeling of knowing the characters.A very promising author if he sticks to the information he knows first hand. Best new author I have seen in quite a while.

I read the wildly entertaining "Circle William" over the weekend. As was the case with other readers, I simply couldn't put it down. Its author, Bill Harlow, has a real comedy talent. While the thriller plot moves along at a thundering pace the book's real merit lies in the humor that Harlow throws at us with both hands. I spent 30 years, active and reserve in the surface Navy and retired as a Captain. Harlow's take on life aboard a destroyer is about as accurate as a reflection of life throught a fun house mirror -- but "Circle William" is also about as much fun as a trip to an amusement park. Highly recommended.

Serious literature? Nope. Techno-thriller. Uh-uh. Instead, Circle William is simply a great read. Mr. Harlow writes with an engaging, wry humor that captures the nuttiness of inside-the-beltway life. To his credit, he also neatly packages life on board a front-line warship -- both the common-sense professionalism as well as the quirky personalities.Circle William goes down as quick and easy as a mint julep in July. Mixing a bit of Seinfeld and Schwarznegger in 315 pages, Mr. Harlow kept me engaged (cover-to-cover) for about half of a recent trans-Atlantic flight. Apparently, it was the longest recorded incident of a Scandinavian Airlines stewardess going unnoticed.Ok, Mr. Harlow. Count me in for your next book.