Darryl Wimberley

It’s a post-factual world, and all the more so for narrator Clara Sue Buchanan, recently retired from big-city journalism to her childhood, small-town home. Being her own boss doesn’t set her free to print what she chooses after all; now she’s obliged to avoid offending those who might pay for her newspaper ’s life with ads. Freedom to follow her instincts is curtailed by the realities of graying hair. And freedom of speech falls prey to keeping secrets. In Florida’s tiny, fading community, there are lots of secrets.

History and scenery blend in hauntingly evocative prose. Space aliens and Mexican laborers evoke both mysticism and biting humor. Trust invites disbelief. And even the blend of first person, hard-hitting narration with third person scenes works perfectly, maintaining that sense of space between fact and whatever the facts are made to mean. In the end, it all boils down to trust. Do we trust the scientist, the visionary, the history…? Will trusting her instincts lead Clara Sue to truth? And does truth really have to be spread on the front page?

Post Facto reveals a post-factual world, gently pokes fun at it, revels in a scarily believable blend of action and mystery, offers laugh-out-loud headlines as chapter headings—each accurately told, in some sense of accuracy—and threads its way through small-town politics, haunted by big-town memories, till that wonderful understanding… “even in a post-factual world there is a difference between true believers and those who truly believe.”

Clara Sue is “only the reporter,” but the tale she tells draws readers deeply into a cool blend of mystery, reality, intrigue, and oddly unsettling common sense. It’s highly recommended!

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition to read and I love it!… (meer)

An addiction to Speakeasy's & Gambling lands Jack Romaine in hot water! In more trouble than he can get out of, Jack ends up being recruited by a Cincinnati gangster to retrieve said gangsters stolen money & railroad bonds. Jack is not the only one after the loot though! This wild adventure ends up leading him to Kaleidoscope, FL, a town for the freaks to live during off season of the carnival. In Kaleidoscope Jack is the odd man out. It being a town full of dwarfs, Siamese twins, sword-swa ...more An addiction to Speakeasy's & Gambling lands Jack Romaine in hot water! In more trouble than he can get out of, Jack ends up being recruited by a Cincinnati gangster to retrieve said gangsters stolen money & railroad bonds. Jack is not the only one after the loot though! This wild adventure ends up leading him to Kaleidoscope, FL, a town for the freaks to live during off season of the carnival. In Kaleidoscope Jack is the odd man out. It being a town full of dwarfs, Siamese twins, sword-swallowers & many other types of odd people. Can he convince all of them that he is genuine while trying to hide his true meaning of being there?

I loved this book! It's full of twists & turns, ups & downs, humor, discovery & more! I was laughing one minute while in the next it would be tugging at my heartstrings. Kaleidoscope was an entertaining, rather quick read while at the same time will make you stop & think while taking a look around at the end. I would hig… (meer)