Review: Jake Saves the Day, But Who Will Rescue the Dog?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2014
Raunchy guy, rough around the edges. The average American guy? One would hope not, but this single, hard-drinking, McDonald burger man from a one room cabin in Colorado goes to Missouri to help out his sister from the tight spot she's found herself in following the death of her husband.  The house sits on a bluff overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks--gorgeous view--hence the title, but underneath the beauty of the home and the humidity of the land lay a chorus of characters caught in a multi-plot of intrigue and felonious activities. Jake owns Fred, his Golden Retriever, who is rapidly having his liver ruined by the beer and burger diet of his owner, but loves Jake and doesn't realize dogs are supposed to have food of their own. Jakes sister, Megan, is not only looking at a possible homicide charge in the death of her husband but is apparently in the process of defaulting on the loan of that gorgeous house on the bluff and seems to handle it with an abundance of alcohol as well. Jake and Megan must prove that she neither killed Mike, nor that he committed suicide--a serious obstruction to collection the much needed insurance money. Megan has a son, Kevin, whose best buddy is Travis, both of whom seem to personify today's teen generation and might be enough to make a barren couple feel better about the situation. Thrown into the mix is a cast of characters adding to the twists and turns of the plot. Jake struggles mightily with each twist and turn and eventually triumphs. Returning to Colorado, however, Jake discovers the fat lady had not yet sung. Interesting and different, a bit of Americana. Men might identify better with this novel and I could recommend to anyone with mid-western origins.