Faolan O’Connor Book 1
By Brian McKinley
© August 17, 2016
ASIN: B01KN27CPA
Kindle Version, file size 1028 KB
First and foremost, I want to point out that this book is completely unlike the stories I usually choose to read; vampires and gangsters aren’t really my jam. So even though the book’s blurb made it clear from the outset that those were key elements in author Brian McKinley’s novel, I didn’t know what to expect.
None of that mattered. Drawing Dead bit into me almost immediately, and I was hooked. The main character, Faolan O’Connor, sucked me in completely. His charm won me over even as his shenanigans surprised, entertained, and captivated me. I couldn’t wait to see what he would do next, or whether his plans would succeed or fail. In a world where failure usually carried a death sentence, I was rooting for him at every turn.
The author’s storytelling is well-spun. Its complex and multi-layered intrigues, all the back-stabbing, plotting, and scheming kept me fully engaged. I will admit I had a bit of trouble keeping up with who was trying to target whom, but as long as I kept my eye on Faolan, I was able to track the story. With all that happens on these pages, it’s a pretty non-stop adventure, violent and dark in many places, but with a ray of hope and light—not sunlight though; vampires, remember?—that runs throughout the story. I loved every minute.
Because the story takes place in 1930s New York, there are threads that, at first glance, might seem racist, sexist, classist; but I understand McKinley’s purpose in including these details. They were, after all, part of that era in the real world, so readers should go into this story with that in mind. The thing that made those characteristics bearable, in my opinion, was the fact that they were found in the antagonists—yet another reason to boo them. Faolan did not embody any of those traits himself, and in fact despised them. He is not racist, not sexist, not classist. He is who he is, a New York Irishman who loves his city and its people, all flavors, colors, and stripes. He champions them in most instances, which raised him even higher in my estimation.
I even loved the “About the Author” page, and the description of “Brian McKinley” himself. You have to read it to see what I mean, but don’t do it before you read the book. Do it after. That’s when it will have more meaning. Trust me on this.
The only thing I could find to critique is that the book could have used a bit more proofreading. Still, even those little “glitches” faded as I read, and I stopped noticing them at all. The story was that good.
I thoroughly enjoyed Drawing Dead, and hope McKinley will write more of Faolan’s story at some point. Most highly recommended.