The Garden of Eden

Let me preface this by acknowledging that this is my first ever review and the reason for it to encourage a sequel, prequel or just another Eve Adams book. My wife was so taken that she got on Mr. Coont's web site and inquired if he intended to write another Eve Adams book to which he tactfully said no. A delightful romp! Stephen Coonts (aka Eve Adams) is well known as a masterful storyteller and in the Garden of Eden he does not disappoint. While this is not a nail-biting, page turning Jake Grafton adventure the plot and character development as well as the humor are pure Coonts. This (probably) West Virginia town of Eden is filled with the most wonderful group of misfits, characters and fine people you could ever hope to meet and our brief encounter with them has us either guffawing or grinning with delight at every turn. One of Stephen's, er pardon me, Eve's characters interjects a little homespun philosophy on relationships that should give us all pause to ponder and the grand finally is grand and gives each of us a reason to be hopeful. The sad part of this enchanting novel is turning the last page and having to leave Eden. I do hope that Mr. Coonts, er, Eve will reconsider and enrich our live with another rendezvous in Eden.

First off - if you enjoy the standard "trashy romance novel", then this book isn't for you. Most of what I read is military and historical fiction, with a little science fiction thrown in. (Alternate History is also a big favorite.) But when I saw that Stephen Coonts wrote this book under a pen name, I ordered it simply because I like all of Mr. Coonts' fiction. The Jake Grafton novels, the two SAUCER books, everything. So, even though the cover doesn't resemble the cover of anything I usually read, I got it because of Mr. Coonts. And I wasn't disappointed one iota. You can definitely tell it was written by Stephen Coonts as soon as you start on Chapter 1, because his sense of humor is prevalent in the dialogue from the beginning and continues throughout the book. I'd recently finished the GETTYSBURG trilogy done by Newt Gingrich and Dr. William R. Forstchen. So I needed something to lift my spirits to get me away from the death and destruction of the War Between the States. This fit the bill to a "T". A great story and characterization filled with excellent humor, and it has a happy ending. No unnecessary violent deaths; and most of the characters get what they want out of life. There is a ~slight~ gap left open for a sequel. Maybe one of these days Mr. Coonts will get to revisit Eden. I hope so. This is a nice story in an age where you don't see very many of those anymore. I went through this book in two short days, because it was just too good to put down. A previous reviewer had a small gripe about most of the female characters being "extraordinarily gorgeous goddesses". Hey - Eden is a fictitious community. Of ~course~ the women are going to be breathtaking. And the *really* gorgeous ones in this book are certifiably nuts, which lends a hand in making this tale more true-to-life, in my humble opinion. [Tongue planted firmly in cheek.] Long story short - this is a great book, full of laughs; and also some introspective glimpses of what makes people tick. Give it a try.

I just plain enjoyed this book! It doesn't fit any genre...not a 'mystery', not a 'thriller', etc. Just tells a story about folks living a not quite ordinary life.The characters were likeable. Kind of like hearing the local 'gossip' from your best friend. Rules were bent at appropriate times. People got what was coming to them. And the main story had a happy ending. My only complaint is there were too many questions left unanswered....too many stories that were not ended. Maybe a little too 'real life' in that respect. For example, did the author find his 'true love'? What happens with the town drunk and the widow next door? What do the 'kids' do after HS graduation.....does college end their relationship? I enjoyed the book....but it left me wanting more!

I picked this book up "by the cover" near the end of my summer, and totally enjoyed it. What a cast of likable, interesting personalities in a web of situations that seem realy only because we've all lived in such webs of intervowen coincidences. You will love Eve Adam's novel!

Young state policeman Sam Neely has been assigned to the tiny village of Eden (population: 47) where he fears he will go mad with boredom. But he never gets that opportunity, because things start happening immediately. Eden banker Ed Harris arrives home unexpectedly to find his best friend, Hayden Elkins, in bed with Ed's wife, Anne. With a gun pointed at them, Ed orders Anne to pack her belongings. Anne, he announces, will now live with Hayden, who will treat her as a wife. When Hayden reminds Ed that he already has a wife, Ed replies that now he has two. Ed orders Hayden to make Anne happy. And so the couple head home to Hayden's wife, Matilda, who faints when she hears the news. The town is abuzz with the news of Hayden and his two wives. Some of the more upright women approach Trooper Neely to swear out a complaint of bigamy against Hayden, and a complaint of felony menacing against gun-toting Ed. Neely must investigate. When Neely interviews Anne, she blithely divulges how she and Matilda plan to divide their wifely duties, with Matilda doing the housework, Anne washing the windows, and so on. That is just the beginning of the happenings in Eden, the young policeman discovers. There's gorgeous Crystal Ice, with whom Neely falls madly in love. There's also a young retarded Peeping Tom, a wealthy author who has escaped from city life, and a deputy sheriff who has quite the photo collection. And then there's the comely woman preacher, who has an amazing secret. As one might expect from the author's name, the book is written under a pseudonym, which drove me into a frenzy of deciding on the identity of the writer. After some research, I discovered I was way off on my guess of the author ("Eve Adams" is the pseudonym for bestselling thriller writer Stephen Coonts --- who would have guessed??) The book reminds me very much of the Mitford series by Jan Karon, although THE GARDEN OF EDEN is a bit racier. Like the Mitford stories, the characters' lives fit together in a pleasing manner, which is very satisfying and uplifting. Besides the interesting characters, a decidedly Southern backdrop, plenty of understated humor, and a lively pace make this a pleasurable read. I have one small quibble: all the women of note are extraordinarily gorgeous goddesses. Descriptions of these beauteous lasses wore thin rapidly, and made the characters seem less real. Despite this minor drawback, I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in THE GARDEN OF EDEN. [...]