Review: Adult Adventure with a Side of Double Entendre
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 14, 2013
"Knight's Big Easy" by Gordon Kessler is an adult adventure novel that, despite its brevity, does not lack action or humor. Narrated in the first person by former Marine Force Recon Ethan (his first name is later given as Ezekiel, one of only a few typos evident in the Kindle edition) Zachariah Knight, who is aptly called E Z, the story is presented as an account to be given to his parole officer, Tamara White Cloud, and it revolves around an energetic plot from page one. E Z is a vigilante Indiana Jones who has no squabbles over killing "for the right reason," especially given his colorful and tragic past. He now wants to quietly retire and spend his time sailing in southern California, but his plans soon change.Trouble seems to follow E Z. During the initial meeting with Tamara, the parole officer and a detective are fired upon, unleashing a cascade of events which entangle E Z in a nefarious scheme that leads him to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras festivities. Tamara's son Billy, a Marine Lance Corporal, is AWOL and his life is in danger, prompting his mother to grant E Z permission to travel to the Big Easy in an effort to rescue him and uncover whatever conspiracy is underway.The wild antics of Mardi Gras cannot compare to the situation in which E Z soon finds himself, however. Amidst human trafficking, voodoo, hoodoo, and corrupt law enforcement personnel, E Z lives up to his paladin namesake as he targets one villain after another, remarking that "They didn't call me `The Mule' in the Marines for just the one reason!" With the help of a cast of colorful characters, including Black Zack and Poodoo, E Z attempts to bring justice to the swamplands of Louisiana, but when he comes under the power of a voodoo spell, nothing is certain, and the line between reality and hallucination becomes blurred."Knight's Big Easy" contains frequent adult language and content which some readers may find offensive. There is plenty of violence, some of which is briefly graphic, and the text is heavily interwoven with humorous double entendres, beginning with the play on the title character's name. The story is an easy and quick read, with comical titles given to each of the short chapters, and the first-person narration by E Z lends a realistic, matter-of-fact tone to the novella. That being said, this story is best suited for a mature audience who appreciates adult humor and fast-paced drama. Although I would normally not read a story of this type, I was surprised to find it interesting and funny; I did not think that it was excessively vulgar, and although it did have crude moments, Kessler proficiently maintained an amusing and rollicking tone throughout the story.I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.