My size up of Everyone Burns by John Dolan

Dear Johnny Dolan, what a great chap. Though he has never graced this ol shed with his infectious charisma, I still loves ’em. Sure, he has a dungeon where he chains preferred guest to a rack(he since lost the electric chair) and interrogates them, using the torture device to get his information. I think dear John John was a detective in another life. That’s why he does such a great job with David Braddock, his P.I. MC in Everyone Burns.

I read it, I loved it and here is my take on it.

What really burns me is when I see endless bookshelves containing the stereotypical chiselled, shiny, size zero beauties. Characters so tragically one dimensional that they might as well be oil paintings. That is why John Dolan’s Everyone Burns is so refreshing. David Braddock is the central character of this intriguing, gripping story. David lives in exotic Thailand a lush, beautiful country filled with interesting characters(to say the least) that John Dolan captures so vividly that I felt as though I was there, living David’s adventures with him.  David makes a living officially as a counsellor, who specializes in mending broken hearts, minds and souls. Unofficially, David is a P.I. who has a large varied case load that could see him spending nights in his car, taking pictures of a cheating spouse to catching a car thief. However, is when the chief of police asks him to become involved in the mysterious case of tourists being found beaten and burned, David becomes immersed into a dangerous world that puts his life on the line and forces him to deal with his painful past.

John Dolan weaves a tale so real, so captivating that I easily became immersed, and then emotionally invested in David and the world around him. David isn’t your typical dashing hero. Yes, he is charming and charismatic with old world good looks, but David is also flawed. His personal life is a mess. He and his wife are barely on speaking terms and his mind is so scattered at times you wonder how he gets dressed in the morning. John’s vivid descriptions of Thailand both beautiful and ugly allowed me to transport myself there. I promise once you take this book up, you will never want to put it down.