Friday, April 13, 2012

What to do when you have a midlife crisis: Buy a gold mine!



A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar
Author: Daniel Pyne
Lee Garrison is bored and needs a definite diversion in life. Teaching is his primary career but some excitement and fun at his age would really get his motor running and engine restarted. Lee decides to do something many do and that is see what is out there on EBay. But, most buy jewelry, bid on various items, IPODS, phones and more but Lee is different. He decided to buy something everyone would love to have if it really was real, yielded the profits you might want. No, you won’t guess what it is so I will have to tell you: A GOLD MINE! Yes, you read it right. This man decided to find his new found adventure and fun in searching for the one thing everyone wants GOLD! But, there is much more as we meet Lee, understand his frustrations in life and what he needs to do to find the one purchase he made that he cannot seem to locate even with the map that supposedly gives him the location. So, teaching is not what he finds fulfilling although some do as I did. The mine has a dual fold purpose. Lee’s brother was just released from prison and hopefully this venture will increase his earning capabilities and keep him out of jail. Where would you find this outstanding acquisition: Colorado. But, would you buy it without seeing it first and finding out if there really is gold? Lee did! So, the author begins with his brother’s release from jail and the waitress he meets and wants to snag for his own purposes. Then we meet Rayna who Lee seems drawn to from the start and who helps him with his cuts and bruises when he falls into a deep hole. Finally, she explains to him where he can find the real map, the updated information and this is where the hilarity begins when we meet the clerk who is supposed to just give him the information but instead drives him to where he thinks the mine is and what happens requires another bottle of mercurochrome. But, before he moves on the author provides the reader with lots of history about the mining industry and how one goes about finding a mine.

So, what do you do when you buy a gold mine and reopen it? Of course you start looking for the gold! But, Lee is not haphazard about what he does and wants to make sure the location is safe, but his new and unwanted partner Doug plunges in headfirst hoping to find the mother lode but what happens next is hysterical as the mayor of the town Barbara O’Brien in need of their help. Explaining to this Mayor that he opened up the mine blew out the opening and that Doug almost drowned did not temper her mood or her responses.
Reconnecting with his brother would prove interesting as they discuss the mine, the other members of their team and their roles in possibly wanting a piece of the action or shall we say the gold. But, there is much more as the man who Grant attacked and crippled is protesting his release in a letter, the Mayor of the town wants in on the deal and Doug needs to come up for air before the oxygen level in the air goes and so does he. Each time they brought something out of the mine or work was started or completed Doug gave a dissertation on its origin, use and method of employment definitely irritating more than just Grant and Lee. Stating that he is a shareholder and gets 10 percent of any output much to the chagrin of Grant. Then Lee hooks up with Grant’s ex-wife Lorraine and the man who sold Lee the mine winds up dead and the investigation leads right to his front door. The characters are definitely unique, not your usual group that blend together. Each character having his or her own agenda in life and each wanting a piece of the gold that has yet to be found. The Mayor who seems quite bent on getting things done her way and the other three just fumbling around in the mine hoping to strike it rich while each seems to be having their own brand of mid-life crisis or adventure. Rayna seems attracted to him and his brother Grant is really not so bad when you get it know him. Lee is after something but is it really the mine or something to make him feel fulfilled in life?         
The man who sold him the mine winds up dead and the truth about him comes out as one police officer questions Grant without Lee’s knowledge. But, Lee did not want his fun spoiled so Lee never learned about the detective that came to question him. He did not even tell him that the man was dead or how it happened. Fate takes a nasty hand and offers are made to buy the mine and when he refuses things happen to change his mind. His house is burned down the players get too greedy and things get more than out of hand. But, what does happen and if there really is gold you won’t know until the last chapter and until you read the book for yourself. A Hole In the Ground Owned by A Liar : Just who the liar is and who owns what and the end result I won’t tell you because then I would have to lie because I would never give away the secret and reveal the ending. Where does everyone wind up and what happens to Lee, Grant and the motley crew? Find out when you learn the true meaning of treasure and gold. With the book replete in the history of mining, and quirky characters that will keep you guessing and two Pakistani twins, several corrupt businessmen, one ex-wife, one brother and many others you won’t believe the ending. Friendships and loyalties tested and one author, Daniel Pyne who created this face paced thought provoking book: Just how far will you go when things get dull and you need a mid-life diversion.

Fran Lewis: reviewer


No comments:

Post a Comment