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Riding in Front
Gino is a Vietnam Vet picking up jobs as a limo driver for a funeral home. One day, he is called for a last minute job to drive a hearse for a US soldier who has made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. While driving to the memorial at the national cemetery in Saratoga, NY, he is stopped in traffic. The passenger door opens, and a strange man places a young boy in the front seat for the trip to the cemetery. The traffic clears so Gino has no choice but to drive ahead with the young boy at his side. As Gino drives on, he learns more and more about his uninvited passenger. With every mile and every light they pass, the boy grows before his eyes. The further he drives, the older the boy becomes. Gino drives the limo, but he becomes a passenger to many of the best experiences in this young man's life. He must drive head on into the thrilling but tragic destiny of an American hero. Gino experiences the courage and valor of one man who has made the ultimate sacrifice, as he discovers deep truths about his own life.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2016
4 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Carl
57Ìýbooks2ÌýfollowersJeffrey Carl holds an MBA from Union Graduate college in Schenectady, NY. Born and raised in the Northeast US, he has traveled to many areas of the world, most recently to New Zealand. He started writing 2 years ago, Gliders of Enlil is his first book. He's currently starting work on a sequel of sorts, and enjoys learning more and more about writing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 8, 2016
Riding in Front presented an intriguing premise but unfortunately its execution fell flat.
The story of Gino reads like a love letter to military service and while there is nothing wrong with patriotism, a story does require more than just that to maintain reader interest. As any writer will tell you “thank you� requires only two words and two words does not a story make.
While I admire the motivation behind what Carl is attempting to do here, I cannot rate the book high on account of his lackluster execution of the idea. Riding in Front is essentially three, maybe four scenes during which as a reader I asked myself repeatedly when something—anything—was going to happen.
The book began with promise, the first scene was well written, realistic, and engaged me as a reader. It drew me in and made me believe that what followed would be a terrific read. But that was it…what followed was unfortunately anything but terrific. Once Gino is placed in the driver’s seat of the hearse for his trek to deliver a soldier’s body to its final resting place, the story grinds to a halt. We spend the rest of the book on this journey where Carl describes for us seemingly every minute detail of the car and surroundings yet fails to provide us with any explanation for the occurrences that Gino goes through. Is he hallucinating everything or is he being haunted? Is there another explanation for his conversations with the dead?
As much as the plot fails to enlighten, Carl’s characters failed to grab this reader’s interest. I found the dialogue to be forced for the most part and certain character’s reactions (Q’s mother) to be unrealistic. Q himself as one of the central characters of the story should’ve been able to engender strong feelings in me and yet as Gino contemplated whether or not he could save him, I found I cared neither way as my interest had already been lost by that point.
It’s a shame that I didn’t enjoy this book more, because the idea is sound and executed properly it could be a four star read. Honestly, one of the major hurdles with this book though is the length; it’s just too short to accomplish what Carl is trying to accomplish. I would like to see this story expanded so that the characters of Gino and Q can become more fleshed out and the reader can come to know them better. With more narrative away from that final journey (through flashbacks or whatever) this reader at least would be able to care more about them and be more invested in the outcome—dare I say be brought to the edge of my seat.
Riding in Front is however misplaced in the thriller genre. This is not a thriller but is rather more suited to a dramatic genre complete with hints of poignancy.
The story of Gino reads like a love letter to military service and while there is nothing wrong with patriotism, a story does require more than just that to maintain reader interest. As any writer will tell you “thank you� requires only two words and two words does not a story make.
While I admire the motivation behind what Carl is attempting to do here, I cannot rate the book high on account of his lackluster execution of the idea. Riding in Front is essentially three, maybe four scenes during which as a reader I asked myself repeatedly when something—anything—was going to happen.
The book began with promise, the first scene was well written, realistic, and engaged me as a reader. It drew me in and made me believe that what followed would be a terrific read. But that was it…what followed was unfortunately anything but terrific. Once Gino is placed in the driver’s seat of the hearse for his trek to deliver a soldier’s body to its final resting place, the story grinds to a halt. We spend the rest of the book on this journey where Carl describes for us seemingly every minute detail of the car and surroundings yet fails to provide us with any explanation for the occurrences that Gino goes through. Is he hallucinating everything or is he being haunted? Is there another explanation for his conversations with the dead?
As much as the plot fails to enlighten, Carl’s characters failed to grab this reader’s interest. I found the dialogue to be forced for the most part and certain character’s reactions (Q’s mother) to be unrealistic. Q himself as one of the central characters of the story should’ve been able to engender strong feelings in me and yet as Gino contemplated whether or not he could save him, I found I cared neither way as my interest had already been lost by that point.
It’s a shame that I didn’t enjoy this book more, because the idea is sound and executed properly it could be a four star read. Honestly, one of the major hurdles with this book though is the length; it’s just too short to accomplish what Carl is trying to accomplish. I would like to see this story expanded so that the characters of Gino and Q can become more fleshed out and the reader can come to know them better. With more narrative away from that final journey (through flashbacks or whatever) this reader at least would be able to care more about them and be more invested in the outcome—dare I say be brought to the edge of my seat.
Riding in Front is however misplaced in the thriller genre. This is not a thriller but is rather more suited to a dramatic genre complete with hints of poignancy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2016
I received a free copy of this book for an honest and unbiased review.
Riding in Front is a short tale that spans the length of a car ride from a funeral home to the cemetery, with the down-on-his-luck driver sharing the hearse with the ghost of the young soldier (Q) in the back. In the beginning, the soldier is just a child, but as the journey continues he grows up and gives a little insight into the pivotal moments of his young life, transporting the driver (Gino) to the places where those moments took place. The story culminates in the skirmish in the Middle East that ended the soldier's life, with the driver Gino somehow witnessing the event as if he was part of the small squad.
This story did not do it for me. The writing style is bland, with too much detail and attention given to unnecessary things - such as routes and the actions of driving - while lacking in other places. The dialogue is stiff and often awkward, or unrealistic, which takes the reader out of any immersion that they might have managed. I never felt connected to the characters and as such, the ending comes off as slightly melodramatic. Also, I think that the book could have done with another round or two of edits, as there are lots of instances of repetition, with the same words being used over and over in a paragraph or a page, which can jar on the reader.
All that being said, I did like the premise of the driver getting to witness the life of the soldier through snapshots of important moments in the boy's life. I just felt that the execution left something to be desired.
Riding in Front is a short tale that spans the length of a car ride from a funeral home to the cemetery, with the down-on-his-luck driver sharing the hearse with the ghost of the young soldier (Q) in the back. In the beginning, the soldier is just a child, but as the journey continues he grows up and gives a little insight into the pivotal moments of his young life, transporting the driver (Gino) to the places where those moments took place. The story culminates in the skirmish in the Middle East that ended the soldier's life, with the driver Gino somehow witnessing the event as if he was part of the small squad.
This story did not do it for me. The writing style is bland, with too much detail and attention given to unnecessary things - such as routes and the actions of driving - while lacking in other places. The dialogue is stiff and often awkward, or unrealistic, which takes the reader out of any immersion that they might have managed. I never felt connected to the characters and as such, the ending comes off as slightly melodramatic. Also, I think that the book could have done with another round or two of edits, as there are lots of instances of repetition, with the same words being used over and over in a paragraph or a page, which can jar on the reader.
All that being said, I did like the premise of the driver getting to witness the life of the soldier through snapshots of important moments in the boy's life. I just felt that the execution left something to be desired.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2016
Riding in Front is the story of Gino, who while driving a fallen hero to the cemetery, gets to experience some of the previous life of this soldier killed in Afghanistan.
It is important to me in this review to distinguish between the theme of the book and the execution of it. To me, the book has a 5-star theme � honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. What the author is attempting to accomplish is honorable and praiseworthy.
But notwithstanding the good intentions, most readers will not truly feel this debt of gratitude because the execution of the story could be improved. The characters and motives are not fully developed. Gino seems quite dissatisfied with his life, but for reasons that are not easy to understand. Descriptions and dialogue are often strained and artificial. For example, Gino continues to protest actions long after it is clear that they could not be real. And the story does not flow. It seems to meander from details of automobile interiors to battle fields with little transition other than each block driven needs to usher in the next chapter in the soldier’s life.
While I admire the author’s intent, I believe most readers will not experience the emotion the theme of this book might elicit with better execution.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, nonreciprocal review.
It is important to me in this review to distinguish between the theme of the book and the execution of it. To me, the book has a 5-star theme � honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. What the author is attempting to accomplish is honorable and praiseworthy.
But notwithstanding the good intentions, most readers will not truly feel this debt of gratitude because the execution of the story could be improved. The characters and motives are not fully developed. Gino seems quite dissatisfied with his life, but for reasons that are not easy to understand. Descriptions and dialogue are often strained and artificial. For example, Gino continues to protest actions long after it is clear that they could not be real. And the story does not flow. It seems to meander from details of automobile interiors to battle fields with little transition other than each block driven needs to usher in the next chapter in the soldier’s life.
While I admire the author’s intent, I believe most readers will not experience the emotion the theme of this book might elicit with better execution.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, nonreciprocal review.
July 23, 2016
This review is based upon the Kindle edition downloaded via KU from Amazon.co.uk on 29th July 2016.
As a warning for any potential purchasers or borrowers of this book please note that it is not a final version. If you check the 'Look Inside' option and move to the first page of Chapter One you will see deletion/addition markings similar to those used in Word's Track Changes for Gino's wife's name in Paragraph 2 and another set in Paragraph 3. These markings occur throughout this Kindle edition, and in Chapter 13 (Location 1235 66%) there is a whole page of them.
This edition of Riding in Front available through Amazon is not fit for purpose therefore I am unwilling to provide any rating other than One Star.
I have read the full book, and if the author is able to submit a clean version to Amazon I will edit this review.
As a warning for any potential purchasers or borrowers of this book please note that it is not a final version. If you check the 'Look Inside' option and move to the first page of Chapter One you will see deletion/addition markings similar to those used in Word's Track Changes for Gino's wife's name in Paragraph 2 and another set in Paragraph 3. These markings occur throughout this Kindle edition, and in Chapter 13 (Location 1235 66%) there is a whole page of them.
This edition of Riding in Front available through Amazon is not fit for purpose therefore I am unwilling to provide any rating other than One Star.
I have read the full book, and if the author is able to submit a clean version to Amazon I will edit this review.
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