Customer Reviews

Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire

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Jock Stewart has a quick answer to everything. He is sharp, unafraid to express himself, and loves to make people squirm in their chairs while he digs around for the "truth". He has the answer to everything except love. As much as Stewart portrays an outward appearance of a sarcastic journalist who has his life under control, there are many signs that he is afraid to uncover the real truth about himself. Campbell brings his readers to a place where it is hard to distinguish between reality and our own versions of it.

For those that like authors like Vonnegut or Miller, "Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire" is a must-read. The book contains a lot of dark humour, moments of sexual tension, and characters that go back and forth between light and dark. Campbell's play on words and original plot is sure to keep any reader on his or her toes.

Meet Jock Stewart: irascible, sarcastic, somewhat reckless. He's Guy Noir freed from the confines of public radio.

Armed with a sharp wit and a (secretly) soft heart, Jock sets out to investigate the theft of the mayor's missing horse, Sea of Fire. For readers, arriving at the solution to the crime is secondary to simply enjoying as the colorful (and aptly named) characters become embroiled in a multitude of small-town hi-jinks. From the opening paragraph, Jock finds himself sucked into a world of deception, murder, and illicit trysts. Despite being set in modern times (as evidenced by the existence of Krispy Kremes), Sea of Fire has a delightfully old-time noir feel, kicked up a notch by fast-paced dialog and laugh out loud puns.

Malcolm Campbell clearly had fun writing this story, which takes the reader through as many twists and turns as a plate of the Purple Platter diner's spaghetti. Though his characters are obvious caricatures (such as Chief Kruller and Sergeant Bismarck), that doesn't mean they are in any way predictable. In fact, readers may find themselves surprised on several fronts, not the least of which being how much they've enjoyed the ride.

Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire is the first novel starring the wise-cracking journalist who heretofore has appeared in the Morning Satirical New blog and in the satire news article collection The Worst of Jock Stewart. (Jock Stewart is rumored to be the alter-ego of author Malcolm R. Campbell.) Jock Stewart is an old school journalist who started his career by handsetting metal type and doesn't appreciate the nuances of the upcoming digital news age as much as his editor wishes he would. As the Star-Gazer newspaper transitions toward a paperless future where Jock will no longer "report" the news, but merely "facilitate" discussion between (unpaid) bloggers and Internet users, Jock struggles to complete his one last, real news assignment. Unfortunately, the missing race horse Sea of Fire just refuses to turn up; his owners can't even commit to admitting he's been stolen, and the #1 suspect is Jock's on-again-off-again girlfriend, last seen leaving Jock's house without her little black dress. Then, there's the murder ...

First of all, I have to say that you shouldn't read this book for the mystery. I couldn't summon much concern for a race horse that may or may not have been stolen, and I never had any doubt about the mastermind behind the murder. The pleasure in reading this book is in the humor - rather in the vein of Joan Hess's Maggody series. Junction City is full of quirky, laughable characters whose daily activities are more interesting than the central mystery, and Jock Stewart's wise-cracking persona provides, even in third person, an enjoyable narration full of puns and word play. Whether it's Officer House, who, after accidentally shooting off his left nut (to be clarified as his sole remaining nut), no longer "has what it takes" to be a patrolman - or local author Cane Molasses who was roughed up by an unidentified woman for making the naughty slut in his novel "just like me" (to be clarified as the unidentified woman and not me) - Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire is full of fun, chuckles, and belly laughs.