Head Lock

Though Jerome Doolittle can scorch the souls of Republicans, dishonest businessmen, dopey politicians and a lot of other of folks, he saves his greatest venom for hypocrites.In Head Lock, he finds a good one, a preacher, outspoken opponent of abortion, senatorial wannabe and sexual miscreant.I've been reading several of the Doolittle series featuring the somewhat odd private investigator Tom Bethany in the last few months, and, unfortunately, have read them a little out of order. This is not a fatal mistake; I've just found myself a little confused by the lives of some of Bethany's friends as they leave one career--say, operating a massage parlor, for another, running a religious theme park. That's also not the fault of the author or his sharp writing. Doolittle is a must read for anyone appalled by what passes for political and moral leadership in this day and age. Be prepared for some of Doolittle's zingers, hurled at many people in all of his Bethany books, but thrown with a little extra sting at phony moralizing. Suffice it to say that, in this book, Bethany puts away the bad guy in fine fashion, though not until after he's done irreparable harm to a teenager he doesn't even know. I recommend Doolittle without qualms; someone has to take on the phonies of the world and not be real nice about it in the process.

Once again, Jerome Doolittle is unafraid to take on issues that are controversial. Via Tom Bethany, the non working workaholic, he inserts some thought provoking insights into the heated debate of abortion. Perhaps the most frightening part is the antagonistic characters may be ousted from Jerome's book and placed into the world and we would be able to identify them. Jerome knows how to weave a story and fill it with humor, comraderie, and perhaps even a touch of wishful thinking.