{Book Review} TOMORROW WENDELL by R.M. Ridley

Book Title: Tomorrow Wendell, The First White Dragon Black Novel
Author: R.M. Ridley
Publisher: Xchyler Publishing
Publishing Date: June 28, 2014
Length: 267 pages
Source: Author for honest review

Book Blurb:
When predictions tell Wendell Courtney he’s going to die, he turns to the one man he hopes can help. Jonathan Alvey’s no stranger to the strange. But, unlike the private investigator’s run-of-the-mill zombie cases, he can find no trace of magic around Wendell, and no hint of an adversary. Alvey certainly has magic and wits enough to solve the mystery, but is his offering to the insatiable dragon black sufficient? Or is Wendell truly destined to die?

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 I can already hear the comparisons that people will be making in regards to R.M.Ridley's TOMORROW WENDELL. Paranormal Private Investigator is all they would need to hear before making that jump. And while I understand, please don't! 

Once I started reading, I could not put this book down. The story is fluid and fast-paced, the characters nuanced, everything shown as opposed to told. Jonathan Alvey is a magic-wielding paranormal private investigator, a functioning alcoholic, a magic addict who is constantly fighting down the addiction with other addictions, a good man who is struggling with a past, and hellbent on helping others. It's not for a paycheck, although of course that's nice as a guy needs to eat. It's because he CAN help and therefore feels he SHOULD help. 

I think what I liked best about this was its realism. Yes, yes, I know. Magic ain't real, kid. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm referring to the fact that this world is encumbered with nightmares from our fairy tales, legends, and myths. Perhaps if we all took a step to the left, we'd cross that barrier and see the things that Jonathan sees. 

Wendell Courtney is Jonathan's newest client and the title character. On an impulse, Wendell visits an antique shop near his dentist, slides a coin into a fortune telling machine, and receives a death sentence. He turns up in Jonathan's office, begging for help. As Jonathan begins to investigate, nothing makes sense. There are no magical traces of malicious intent. Completely puzzled, Jonathan is determined to save his client. 

With characters that are relatable, action that will have you rubbing your own stomach and ribs in sympathy, quirks that make him utterly likable, and an ending that will blow you away, this was one hell of a start to a series. I eagerly await the next installment and hope that Author R.M. Ridley writes fast!