SERIAL BOOK REVIEW | Higher Cause (Part 14 of 22) by John Hunt

This review is part of a series covering each installment of the serialized novel Higher Cause, written by John Hunt and published by Laissez Faire Books. To catch up, start with the announcement, the book’s link-rich table of contents, and the first review.

This week is more about setting things up than reaping payoffs. Onbacher proceeds with his plan to find the Bounty, but that is the only significant plot point in the three chapters. This is not to say that the chapters are skippable, because we catch glimpses of plots and machinations whose culminations will no doubt explode in future chapters, but we do get a little time to catch our breath. There have been some rather kinetic chapters of late, so like a symphony whose music is a contrast of louds and softs, and fasts and slows, and sharps and smooths, we catch our breath and proceed pianissimo, with perhaps one sequence as exception.

There are dark characters lurking on The Island. Hunt once again introduces things slowly, like a tease, as he should. The possibilities are numerous but over the course of the next few chapters we will no doubt start to narrow them down until we find out just what these people are up to.

It bears noting that there has been a lot of reliance on chance partial sightings, conversations improbably overheard, and the like. This technique can quicken the pulse and is often used to get a plot started, or to introduce a twist, but overuse wears out anything. I would hope not to see it used too much more.

We also revisit the Marcos family for another interaction between father and son, one that leaves us more engrossed than it found us. I will say that the removal of one character from the family scenario was a lost opportunity, but there is a hint that she may return. I really want to see more from them.

There are a few examples I would cite of awkward prose, or prose that needs a little verve injection. These are things I have mentioned before, but I think it is worthwhile to bring them up as long as they keep popping up.

Joseph Onbacher had been on the phone all afternoon. It was Saturday, but that would not stop this motivated man.

The combination of overstating the case (a Saturday is no great obstacle to work) with the unnecessary adjective wants improvement. “Onbacher had been on the phone all Saturday afternoon” gets to the point, as well as shows us that he is motivated rather than tells us.

“No, sir. I could not disagree more.” Stouffer’s statement was not the least bit obsequious. It was just a point of fact. The reality was that everyone who worked for Joseph held him in the greatest esteem. He was that kind of man.

More telling when we have been shown much of this already.

That damage was irreparable and gave him an impressive propensity for evil.

The last example of telling refers to Enrico Marcos. Again, rather than be told that Enrico is abused by his father and, in his anger, deals out abuse to those under him, we should be shown. The chapter does two things: it brings us up to date on the revolution in Mexico and shows us a clash between father and son, wherein the son tells his father that he is being used and the father violently beats his son. It is effective, but how much more effective would it be to see Enrico rise after recovering from his beating, find a servant who has committed some petty offense, and deliver the same beating to the servant that his father just gave to him? Better yet, the servant need commit no offense at all. That would be gripping; that would show us Enrico’s character; that would be a great way to end the chapter. And we could omit the awkwardness of the “impressive propensity for evil.”