REAP THE WIND
by
Joel Burcat
Action-Adventure / Suspense / Climate Change / EcoThriller
Publisher: Milford House Press, an imprint of Sunbury Books, Inc.
Date of Publication: February 6, 2024
Number of Pages: 215 pages
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THE PERFECT STORM meets THE FIRM.
Reap the Wind is a thrilling action/adventure novel that follows three lawyers as they embark on a treacherous journey from Houston to Cincinnati during a catastrophic hurricane. Josh Goldberg is on a mission to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their child. Along the way, they’ll face terrifying obstacles like tornadoes, hailstorms, and driving rain. But the real danger may come from within as they struggle to survive each other’s company. His two travel companions—his best friend, a drug-addicted lawyer, and his conniving boss who has her own agenda.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable odyssey that might just be a suicide trip.
PRAISE FOR REAP THE WIND:
“Reap the Wind is a bold, bracing and blisteringly original take on the legal thriller form. Joel Burcat has fashioned a seminal tale focusing on the nightmare of all road trips in which a storm raging outside the car is matched only by the storm raging within. Burcat dares to tread on the hallowed ground of John Grisham and Scott Turow and ends up blazing a fresh, daring literary tale of his own. Not to be missed!”—Jon Land, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
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The prologue in Reap the Wind is filled with dramatic, exciting moments as it sets up the massive storm, the effects of which prove to be a pivotal part of the plot and challenge everyone in the story. The author has a knack for writing vivid description that puts the reader in the midst of the buffeting of a super-storm that burst out of a Cat 1 hurricane. The tension is intense, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the people in that storm-tracker helicopter. I thought they would be the main players in the story, but they weren’t. There was only a brief mention in a weather report about the weather watching team that went down and a comment or two by other characters wondering if anyone on the team survived. It’s only until the epilogue that the reader finds out what happened to the people in that helicopter.
Framing a story between an engrossing prologue and satisfying epilogue is a good writers tool. However, it didn’t quite work for me with this book because after reading that exciting prologue, I was let down by the discovery that the people were only bit players.
The storm certainly does connect to the other characters and drives the plot through some harrowing moments. The combination of the threat of the storm and the ticking-clock element in the story is a good one. It keeps a reader engrossed and eager to read on to discover how things are going to work out. Will Josh make it through the hurricane, and then the blizzard, to get to his girlfriend Keisha who is in the hospital with complications of her pregnancy? Will she make it through the next few weeks to be able to give her baby a better chance at survival? Will they work out their relationship? What will Josh decide to do about his growing unhappiness with the legal work he is currently doing?
Those are the questions that kept me reading despite the fact that I found some of the characterizations uneven. At times, Josh and his friend, Geoff come across as mature adults able to handle themselves in challenging situations, like driving through those horrible storms. Then there are times they become too much like young teenagers in their antics and bantering.
Even though some of the bantering and childish impulses are fun to read, and understandable due to the stress of the precarious position the harrowing drive put them in, they don’t always come across as professionals at a law firm. Neither does their boss Diane. And the way Keisha’s former boyfriend, Anthony, interacts with her at the hospital crosses a doctor’s professional bounds.
The last chapter in the book is the best portrayal of Josh as a grown up. I really like the way he steps up to being a responsible father and the choices he makes for his future as an attorney. That chapter also offers a wonderful resolution of the love triangle. Not going to say what. You’ll just have to read the book to find out. It’s worth it.
Joel Burcat is an award-winning author of three environmental legal thrillers: Drink to Every Beast (illegal dumping of toxic waste), Amid Rage (a coal mine permit battle), and Strange Fire (a fracking dispute). His most recent book, Reap the Wind, is about three lawyers trying to drive from Houston to Cincinnati in a climate change-induced hurricane.
He has received a number of awards, including the Gold Medal for environmental fiction from Readers’ Favorite for Strange Fire, and as a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Amid Rage. He has written numerous short stories. Burcat imbues his novels with facts to educate his readers about critical environmental issues while they are being entertained by the story.
Burcat’s books are infused with realism developed over a forty plus year career as an environmental lawyer.
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THREE WINNERS:
Signed copy of REAP THE WIND
(US only ***** ends midnight, CDT, 03/15/24)
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It sounds like despite the things you didn’t enjoy, in the end, you were glad to have read it. I’m intrigued! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this book, Mary Ann. I, too, loved seeing Josh grow up and be responsible for his child. Congrats to Mr. Burcat on a winning story!
Thanks for stopping by, Jan. There for a while I’d started to despair that Josh would step up, just like his girlfriend was wondering, but the decisions both made at the end were so satisfying.