Crystal Blue by John H Cunningham

One of the perks of having a book review blog is that I occasionally get emails from publishers or agents asking me to review a book .   Recently an agent from Get Red PR out of New York asked me to review another John H. Cunningham novel.    If you’re interested you can read  my reviews of his first two books, Red Right Return and Green to Go.

Crystal Blue is his newest book (I’m not sure if he is doing primary colour titles or just colours in general but it seems to be a theme).  This is the third in his series of Buck Reilly Adventures.  Mis-adventures might be a better term as his is definitely a good luck/bad luck story.  Buck’s ability to make strategic friendships is a continuing theme and it’s entertaining to see who he will connect with next.

Buck is the owner of Last Resort Salvage and Charters.  His latest customer has frayed his last nerve and he resolves to give up the charter part of the business.  However on his return to base he’s coerced into a well- paying gig flying celebrities around the Caribbean for a charity concert.  This seems to be the good luck part of the story.  The bad luck part comes when the husband of the couple planning the party is kidnapped.  Buck commits to helping  the wife (yes her name is Crystal) find her husband.  The adventure story unfolds with the lines between the good guys and bad guys often getting blurred.

This is a fun adventure story with likable characters continuing from the previous two books.   It’s an easy , entertaining read and I highly recommend this colourful series.  

GREEN TO GO BY JOHN H CUNNINGHAM

This is the second in the Buck Reilly series by John H Cunningham. It is an e-book so you can only get it on your computer or e-reader.     Buck is a seriously down on his luck ex-corporate type, current treasure hunter living in Key West, Florida.  Trouble seems to follow him around.  In this book a friend is kidnapped and Buck is commissioned to find him. 

This is an adventure/mystery story with lots of twists and turns.  The story takes place in Florida and Cuba and has Buck again facing some seriously bad guys.  I started reading it in a walk-in-clinic where I was waiting to get a prescription; it was a two hour wait and the time flew by as I got absorbed in the story and the chase.

Buck is a cliché name for a character who is not at all a cliché.  Sure he’s flawed but he has a definite sense of right and wrong; an ability to make good friends and has a strong sense of responsibility.   In my last review (Red Right Return)  I complained about the language and it wasn’t an issue in this book.  Buck is a likeable character. The story is told in the first person so we have the benefit of his thoughts and feelings.  This isn’t just an adventure story; it’s a story about the ability to move on with life even when bad things happen to you; it’s evolving into a love story and above all it’s a good story. 

Red Right Return by John H. Cunningham

Red Right Return is set in Key West Florida and is the beginning of a new series. The main character is Buck Reilly. He is a treasure-hunter, pilot and bankrupt. He hides away in Key West after his company files for bankruptcy among some rumours and allegations of wrong-doing. During the investigation, he loses his parents and his only brother is estranged. He goes to Key West to lose himself and eke out a living as a charter pilot/salvage operator.

This is a fast-paced adventure story. It reminded me a bit of Clive Cussler and his character Dirk Pitt in the pace of the story. It’s definitely a page-turner. The timing is good and if the plot seemed a bit over the top sometimes that might just be the nature of adventure stories.
Buck Reilly is a flawed character who is beginning to figure out his flaws. He is a bit more introspective than most action heroes and I think that it will be interesting to watch him develop in future stories.

This is John H Cunningham’s first novel and it’s a very good one. I should mention that I hope he cleans up the language a bit in the next books although it was appropriate for the setting. I should also mention that it's only available as an ebook. But if you’re looking for a fun adventure story to read then buy this book, you won’t be disappointed.