Doug Lucas

The Doug Servant tells a small-town American story of a pretty good guy, with pleasing self-deprecating humor and a very genuine, believable voice. Eli, the narrator, grew up in a small and comfortable place, going to church, making friends and falling in love, all before joining the Marines. He is nicely wise, both about his upbringing and about lessons learned along the way. “I learned in recruit training that God’s peace does abide within,” he says, though he voices God’s peace in show more the earthy “potty-mouth” language of his fellow recruits, until growing older and wiser.

Lessons learned in childhood, in Vietnam, in marriage, in parenthood, in joy and in sorrow, all fall nicely to the page. The story is convincingly told and reads like listening to a beloved grandpa’s musings. There are clever lists of things to remember, wise ponderings on mortality, zany escapades, animal shenanigans, war stories, and more, all enjoyably gathered in a comfortably long package. But the highlight is an incredible funeral scene, and the book’s worth reading just for this. When you reach it, you’ll know what I mean.

By the end of the this tale, Eli seems a very real person who the reader might almost have known. He’s convincing. He’s flawed. He’s a great speaker, a born leader, and a fascinating character. It’s a long slow read, but it’s worth it and I’m glad to know I’ll learn more by reading the Good Servant’s Wife next.

Disclosure: I bought this when it was free. show less

Doug Lucas’ Good Servant Series is a set of independent novels tied together by a theme of service. Of the five, this is definitely my favorite, and, once I’d started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The narrator’s voice is consistently convincing, digressing from the buzz words of police work to the trials of marriage and diet to the wonders of his beloved car and back, always back, to the closed case files now reopened in small-town America.

Some places are just too small to afford show more expert video technology (or modern bullet-proof vests). But the people who work there are just as eager to see those lost crimes solved. And when a curious connection appears between two unsolved murders, this mystery spirals into something so much more. But it all stays grounded in a man denied the privilege of donuts, his matchmaking, dinner-making wife, and a cool cast of fascinating characters.

From NASCAR to golf, from bullets to bombs... people die, pain is real, and times have changed. But the time spent with Buzz Words’ protagonist will be time well-spent, meeting a truly memorable character, taking a fascinating journey through mystery and detection, and getting what certainly feels to me like a genuine feel for the real team-work of detectives chasing their case.

Filled with shifting focus and human distraction, yet never losing direction or pace, this novel’s a treat, and not even the occasional editing glitch could spoil it for me.

Disclosure: I bought it when it was free and can’t remember why it took me so long to get around to reading it. show less

Conversations with a Dead Man by Doug Lucas

Is a story of a man who reached 91 years 7 months and 5 days of life before dying. He is buried and even in death we connect with our loved ones and he knew this. So he is reaching out to a youngster telling him with a witty dry sense of humor about his life and his war experiences. .

This story brought memories back to me of sitting on the stoop of my grandfather's house located in the Bronx. In his Irish brogue he could relay stories of his life show more and experiences in World War I. I would sit there enthralled imagining the scenes in my mind so it was refreshing to read about another’s experiences during the birth of a nation.

This tale was written about the riches and sacrifices he John Wesley Elder and others who lived through during the birth of the American Nation. He was a man of many talents and enlisted in the militia and mingled with the great forefathers of our nation and expand on their actions. He described in vivid details his experiences of fighting the British, the French and the Indians and how it was an emotionally and physically exhausting battle but he'd do it again to be a free man and he believed everyone deserves the right to have authority over their own life, no master or king should be dictating their freedom.

The character, John Wesley Elder chats graciously about his victories and losses in life and how it affects him and everyone he loves. He even after death, is a teacher and reminds the youngster that he needs to respect, help and have dignity for everyone and strangers in our lives. He believes that paying forward there would be rewards and he does receive the greatest reward of all his children, his boys and girls visit his grave and they play pranks on each other. In all it was a colorful, witty tale and gave the reader a glimpse into American's birth, the hardship and love the colonists survive through. It ends with his dream of being united with his love once again. There were tears in this reader's eyes.

Here is an excerpt from the story; dry humor and warm but some graphic details about the first pioneers of this great nation.

John Wesley Elder

"Aged Ninety nine years, seven months and five daysDeparted this earthly life on the 22nd day of May 1834Servant of God and PatriotI'm dead now, so leave me alone.On the back of my marker, I had my son Seth carve:I helped you when I could, I can't help you now.You will have to do it on your own.Good Luck"

This is a biography of a witty and charming Irish lad that came to America to help her become a free nation and win in the fight against Mother England aiming for everyone's freedom; to become their own person and was the catalyst to create a powerful nation for future generations. Cheers to John Wesley Elder for being a warrior and gentleman in the times of creation of the good old USA and sharing his story life. In all it was a delightful tale reliving the days of being pioneers in a harsh nation, John shared his memories and history of a birth of a nation with a youngster and help him find insight to life.5 ravens

Read more:http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=history&thread=1033&page=1#ixzz1kbRdMO2C show less

The Good Servant’s Wife tells the missing scenes from Doug Lucas’ novel, The Good Servant, from the viewpoint of Eli’s long-suffering and wonderful wife. Some scenes are repeated, and well worth repeating, with the different point of view convincingly portrayed. Some scenes become complete when the other side of the story’s told. And some tales were simply missing from the previous book.

The voice is convincingly different in this novel, and Eli’s wife's sense of humor is pleasing show more and wry. She tells a story of faith and romance, where neither comes easy, and she proves, while improving her husband’s language, that genuine humor doesn’t have to squeak to be clean. The novel offers a most vivid depiction of war’s consequences in the “mummy ward,” with honest humor and sorrow. There’s a lovely wedding scene too, and the novel moves on with faithful vows, unflinching and uplifting wisdom and honesty, and a hilarious story of Eli not using his “potty mouth” while berating a junior. It all builds up into a genuine and pleasing image of a life well lived.

Best of all, for me, was Eli's ministry interview questions and answer session, but different readers will each have their own favorites in a novel that’s filled with real people living the real recent history of the USA.

Disclosure: I bought it when it was free, and read it straight after reading the Good Servant. show less