The Fall of Billy Hitchings (A John Reeves Novel) [Kindle Edition]

Kirkus MacGowan (Author)

Book Description

2012 Best Indie Book of the Year Top 5 Finalist in Mystery and Thriller on The Kindle Book Review

Book Description:
The John Reeves Creed: "Kill them with kindness. Unless you have a gun."

John Reeves drives to Myrtle Beach hoping to repair a damaged relationship with his fiancée. Instead, he finds her unconscious in the hospital, the victim of an unexplained explosion at a local restaurant.

Reeves meets Billy Hitchings, a teenager who knows more about the explosion than he should. Their questions lead to an ancient legacy best left alone.

Pulled into yet another crossfire, John Reeves fights to protect his friends and keep a primeval power from falling into the wrong hands.

What Readers are Saying:
"...the characters are superbly written, their intertwining relationships riveting and the actual source of Billy's "fall" is nothing short of creative genius."
- Ashley Fontainne
Amazon Bestselling Author, Eviscerating the Snake Series

"...his moments of descriptive brilliance will leave you wanting more."
- S.M. Boyce
Amazon Bestselling Author, The Grimoire: Lichgates

"I found myself, literally, on the edge of my seat hoping that one of my favorite characters did not just bite the big one."
-J. Scott Sharp
Author, Not Even There(A Short Story)

"If you want tried and true, staid and predictable, read something else."
- G.A. Albrethsen
Author, The Foolish and the Weak (Age of Restoration)

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The first novel in the John Reeves series is a stand-alone. Reading the series in order isn't necessary.

About the Author

Amazon bestselling author Kirkus MacGowan wrote his first book at age eight about traveling to Mars to find the cure for cancer. He put his writing dreams on hold for twenty-five years and focused his energies on playing baseball. He moved on when he found playing softball with his friends more enjoyable than his pipe dream.

Since then, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, married a woman too good to be true, and moved back to his hometown. He gave up an amazing career waiting tables and now stays at home with his two crazy children. He spends his time writing thrillers and fantasy, playing softball with friends, enjoying the occasional computer game, and wrestling with his kids.

Product Details

• File Size: 421 KB
• Print Length: 284 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0984740708
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Kirkus MacGowan (November 29, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006AY2P6W
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,170 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters! Great debut novel! January 22, 2012

By J. Scott Sharp

Format:Kindle Edition

This debut novel by Kirkus MacGowan is filled with more twist and turns than a pretzel.
Billy Hitchings is a normal 19 year old kid, with normal 19 year old ambitions. Until he discovers something that might just be the undoing of everything that he knows and everything that he is.
What does Mr MacGowan do right?
He has filled the novel with characters that you care about. This is his strength. He has also created dialogue that the reader can believe in. These are difficult for a debut author to pull off. But, Mr. MacGowan does this with flair! I found myself, literally, on the edge of my seat hoping that one of my favorite characters did not just bite the big one.
There is one thing. The end came so fast, it left me wanting more.
You can bet that this author's next book, due this summer, cannot come fast enough. I will be watching out for it!
Altogether, this book is well worth the read and Kirkus MacGowan is a writer to watch for!

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, quick and quirky March 3, 2012

By G. A. Albrethsen

Format:Kindle Edition

For those who like quick, fun and quirky reads, The Fall of Billy Hitchings is for you. Neither high or low brow, but somewhere in between, this debut novel of indie author Kirkus MacGowan keeps up the pace and the guessing to the very end.

MacGowan's narrative is unpretentious, his characters fleshed out enough that you know by their own words who's speaking, and there's ample description of people and places to put you in the scene. Like a lot of fiction, there is a need to suspend reality and just let things flow, but the novel's own laws are never violated once a premise is established. That said, the characters do act in real life ways in accordance with their type, even if the circumstances wherein they find themselves is otherworldly.

While not heavy-handed with message, there is one, and it's about finding your calling and rising above society's place for you, with some soul-searching and desires for redemption thrown in. The main characters are not saints, but they are likable and believable, more everyman than anti-hero.

If there is a knock to The Fall of Billy Hitchings, it could be that it hurries just a little too much. There was a time or two where the narrative bounced ahead before I was ready for it, but then the next chapters either caught me up or distracted me enough to allow the story to tie things back up later.

Most readers will enjoy this book for what it is: a great first attempt at a novel, that's main purpose is to entertain in a well-worn genre, but with enough ingenuity and twists to keep things lively. If you want tried and true, staid and predictable, read something else. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all those who like action thrillers and can embrace one with a paranormal archaeological bent.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Character development lacking overall February 23, 2012

By Mark Abrams

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lots of action and for many that's enough, but I am interested in characters I can really care about. This work was lacking in this regard, except to a limited extent the character of Billy. For the most part it was about undeveloped characters I couldn't possibly care about being shot at and faceless people having meaningless sex for little reason.

There were things to recommend this work in other areas, but the fuzzy characters, too soon into the middle of the action, left me cold from the start. I saw no attempt to round out the characters shortly after, until the author sadly lost my interest.

I am not like every reader, though, and in many demographics it may work well, but for me, it's now about this author's next release and my heartfelt hope it will be better.

More About the Author

Amazon bestselling author Kirkus MacGowan wrote his first book at age eight about traveling to Mars to find the cure for cancer. He put his writing dreams on hold for twenty-five years and focused his energies on playing baseball. He moved on when he found playing softball with his friends more enjoyable than his pipe dream.

Since then, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, married a woman too good to be true, and moved back to his hometown. He gave up an amazing career waiting tables and now stays at home with his two crazy children. He spends his time writing thrillers and fantasy, playing softball with friends, enjoying the occasional computer game, and wrestling with his kids.