SERIAL BOOK REVIEW | Higher Cause (Part 15 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.

There are a lot of plot lines this week. Just about all the major players, in fact, make an appearance.

We visit the Marcos family, where things in Mexico have nearly reached a climax point, and so has the family dynamic.

Elisa, still arousing my suspicions, briefs Petur and paints a picture of dark clouds on the horizon.

Onbacher makes some headway, perhaps, in his search for the Bounty.

The council of oligarchs comes on stage for a short while.

Finally, we see where Jeff Baddori has ended up. There is the potential problem of logic in this part, because it raises some questions that will need some plausible answers. For now, though, it certainly intensifies things.

The three chapters this week bring us perspectives from all the important storylines. Each either establishes something important or moves the plot forward. Most leave the story dangling tantalizingly in the air, waiting for another chapter so we can see what comes next. It is this aspect of the book, the chapter endings, that stand out most. It is what the author has developed the most in his writing technique.

What needs the most work is the continued over-explaining, the telling instead of showing. This week we read lines like, “His father was like that — always taking the opportunity to belittle and berate his son,” and, “Petur used his Hash name,” after a line of dialogue in which we just read what he used. The absence of things like this would improve the work, a simple judicious use of the delete key.

That aside, and the dialogue that could use a little cleaning, it has been a while since I have read something that I thought was out of place, or truly needed work. Once the story is up and running, it moves forward well and usually has something of interest.