The Way Life Should Be

Shortly after submitting the first chapter of my novel in the Next Great Crime Writer Contest, I wondered just how good (or not so good) a former Gather.com contest winner's novel might be. When I learned that Terry Shaw's "The Way Life Should Be" had won the First Chapters Writing Competition, I decided to check it out. I requested a copy as a Christmas present from my wife and it was with great anticipation that I began reading Terry's novel the following day. From the chilling prologue to the last page, I was very impressed with this book - having promptly forgotten I was reading a first-time published novel. Instead, I found myself drawn into this story about newspaper editor John Quinn and his search for the truth surrounding the murder of his childhood friend, Paul Stanwood. Quinn, along with his wife and young son, has recently moved back to his hometown of Stone Harbor, Maine. The story begins with the mysterious murder of his friend in the bathhouse of a local park where gays have been known to hang out in search of some action. The local politics of the small town becomes blatantly apparent when Quinn realizes that very little is being done to track down Paul Stanwood's killer. This general apathy and lack of progress in the investigation thereby prompts Quinn to set out on his own to unravel the truth. The most endearing qualities of this mystery novel are Shaw's keen skill at characterization and its solid story line. John Quinn is an intriguing protagonist with many layers to his personal and public persona. We see these layers stripped away piece by piece as Quinn struggles to come to grips with the loss of Paul and his struggle to find his killer amidst the allegations being made about his lifelong friend. Quinn encounters a host of memorable characters throughout his one-man investigation including the arrogant police chief Al Sears, Paul Stanwood's grieving widow Lizzy, and her father-in-law Angus Stanwood. The story moves along smoothly with a lot of twists and turns, never failing to keep the reader engrossed and entertained. After finishing "The Way Life Would Be," I felt that rare sensation one gets after reading a really good work of fiction. I was sorry to see it end and at the same time couldn't wait to read the author's next book. I also couldn't wait to contact Terry and tell him how much I enjoyed his first published novel. As an unpublished author, I felt inspired and motivated after witnessing firsthand how these writing competitions can yield such positive results. To say that I recommend "The Way Life Should Be" is an understatement. You owe it to yourself to discover just how good this First Chapter's Writing Competition winning submission truly is!

Fantastic debut novel. I read this straight through without putting it down. The action snaps along. The setting rings true for a small, coastal Maine town. The characters are well-developed with good back stories. There are no down times in the story. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes good, gritty mysteries.

In The Way Life Should Be, Terry Shaw shows that while maybe you can go home again, the return is certainly not without issue. Shaw's debut novel gives us John Quinn as a native State o' Mainer who returns from Miami to his storybook hometown of Stone Harbor,Maine, only to see his best friend murdered at a notorious gay pickup spot. Quinn, the publisher of the local newspaper, takes investigative matters into his own hands when he feels the local police are mishandling the probe and may even be complicit in the crime. Quinn not only faces the task of finding the killer, but also of keeping his wife and young son from perhaps meeting the same cruel fate as Quinn's friend, Paul Stanwood. Shaw's skillfully woven tale of suspense draws on a tight storyline in which the reader is transported to the middle of a sleepy Maine hamlet where nothing much ever happens. Until now, that is. The Maine imagery abounds, the dialogue is crisp and sometimes amusingly colloquial, and the characters the reader loves to love (Angus Stanwood, the deceased's father comes to mind), and loves to hate (Police Chief Al Sears, for instance), populate the fast-paced mystery. The reader is driven through plot twists and turns which, at times, seem to be frenetically paced, giving the novel a page-turning appeal. You might want to put the way your life should be on hold for a day or two until you get to the bottom of this thriller. That it had to end at all is the only drawback. All in all, this is a great first novel from Mr. Shaw with the hope of more work to follow.

When I read a review of "The Way Life Should Be" in the Nashville Scene, I had to buy this book, which went up against more than 2,600 entries in the Gather.com First Chapters writing contest. As the Scene so aptly put it, "He won, and there's no denying why." John Quinn returns to his hometown in coastal Maine to edit his family's newspaper and, along with his wife, raise his young son. Unfortunately, things take a terrible turn when his best friend, whom he thought was straight, is found brutally beaten to death in a gay pickup spot. When inept local officials don't seem capable, or willing, of finding the truth, Quinn takes things into his own hands. He discovers plenty of small town secrets - infidelity, political corruption and homophobia. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. "The Way Life Should Be" is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the end. A definite must-read! I hope it's the first of many for Mr. Shaw.

I have to say that this novel was published using a rather unique concept: take a social network called Gather, have a contest to discover a promising new writer, get a major publishing house involved (Simon and Schuster) and let the readers at the site vote for their favorite writer. The result? Over 2600 manuscripts and, after an elimination process, five were left. The winner, of course, was The Way Life Should Be, written by Terry Shaw. I have to admit I was a bit wary when I heard about all this. Would "voters" have the taste to separate the good from the bad? Would they attempt to tip the results? Would the published novel be more than a clever gimmick and truly worth reading? I knew I had to find out so I got a copy of this book and set out to find out the answers to my questions, hoping that the book would be readable. I was very pleasantly surprised. From first page to last, I could not put The Way Life Should Be down for more than a few minutes at a time. I even ignored the phone and kept the tv set off. I've since recommended the book to everyone I know. This riveting mystery novel centers on John Quinn, editor of the Stone Harbor Pilot, a Maine newspaper he's inherited from his formidable father. Right from the start, the suspense builds, as Quinn's longtime friend, Paul Stanwood, is murdered while checking out Sullivan Park, a notorious hangout for gay men. Stanwood is protective and supportive of the men, angry at those who harass them and suspicious of the true motivations of city officials who want to close down the park. But before he can provide further details about the motivations of those who want the park shut down, he is killed, setting off shock waves in Quinn's life. He already has more than enough tension in his life already because his wife, Maria, resents the time he spends at work and even suspects him of possible infidelity. Getting caught up in a murder investigation is the last thing he needs right now. Quinn can't rest, however, until he knows the truth. He can't turn his back on his friend, especially when he finds he may be the only one who really wants to know the truth. This makes him even more determined. He also has some guilt about the disagreements he has had with his friend and this remorse drives him as well. As the novel unfolds, I was delighted to find that it had all the hallmarks of an excellent mystery, including plenty of surprises and twists and turns. There are also a fair number of suspects, including the despicable police chief, Al Sears, a guy who defines the word bully with nearly every action. He has no trouble throwing his weight around and getting people to go along with him. What Quinn can't possibly foresee are the many complications that will ensue along the way or the surprises he'll discover in both his friend's background and in Quinn's own life. Even Stanwood's own wife doesn't seem above susp