Title: And I Wanted to Be a Boat Bum
Author: Jim Hawk
Publisher: Author’s Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1-964810-02-7
Pages: 205
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Jason Lulos
Hollywood Book Reviews
“I know the swamp was home to bear, mountain lion, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, tons of wild pigs, and various other creatures, but so far I had to be satisfied with the company of alligators, snakes, and bugs – oh, and also terrorists.” So it goes in And I Wanted to Be a Boat Bum, an action-filled, poignant, ironically comedic story of a sarcastic, military man who cannot escape the role of good guy rooting out the bad guys.
Gore Lyle, an ex-Green Beret, returns from battle (a “jungle hell hole”), to start a new life. He becomes a policeman, finds God, marries with three kids, three cats, two dogs, set to leave his battle scars behind. However, tragedy strikes when a mob boss drunkenly crashes into the family car, killing his entire family leaving only Gore and one of the family dogs: Sparky. Gore, still a God-fearing man, tries living low key as a “boat bum.” He has plenty of money from the crash settlement. But the mob is still out to get him even though he and his family are innocent, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Still grieving, Gore puts his head down and moves on with his life. To be a boat bum but still protect himself, he buys a large, 80-foot “floating swimming pool” – part defense station/part pleasure cruiser. Gore still has brushes with the mob. And his superb military skills make him a sought-after agent for special operations. Thus, Gore is sucked back into the world of battling bad guys. The moral dilemma for Gore is to reconcile his Christian faith with an occupation likely involving violence. Gore reluctantly accepts this fate.
Gore is recruited by retired Colonel Spooky for special ops missions targeting a country crime boss named Crow. He meets up with Chucky and Tim, the three of them forming a formidable crew. This trio are highly skilled, sarcastic, and conduct their missions with professionalism and humor. The book reads like an action-packed movie with comedic quips. The trio aims to reconcile the violence that comes with the job with moralizing and healthy doses of humor. It is an exciting story filled with suspense and good old, classic good guys versus bad guys. There are poignant moments of juxtaposing talks with God following bloody battles. And the comedy in the novel is nicely placed, giving a nice balance of action and levity.
This story can be intense but is downright fun to read. Author Jim Hawk is quite adept at weaving a story with conflicting themes of violence, God, and comedy. Hawk’s background comes to the forefront, having experience in the army security agency, martial arts, the Army Civil Service, church administration, and electronics and computer engineering. The details of special ops and weapons are informative and will appeal to a readership interested in military procedures. However, it is a fast-paced story, and humor keeps everything light and enjoyable. Hawk has a nice conversational writing style, a sardonic detective narration. Readers will find this to be entertaining reading with substance. The author is also working on sequels to this story, which are certain to be just as exciting, fun, and, at times, even humorous. And I Wanted To Be A Boat Bum is more than a sea story, it’s a spiritual odyssey. Author Jim Hawk has written a stirring novel about how God often calls us when we’re trying hardest to disappear. Perfect for fans of Christian fiction that explores life’s storms and the peace found in surrender.