Review of, The Last Drive, by John Howell

Ah! Sweet Sunday! The last of the smoke from the wild fires burning North-West of here has cleared out, and we’ve had some much needed rain.

If you’ve read my last post, you’ll see that this is the second book in a series by John Howell. Here’s a link to that one: Review of Eternal Road.

A bit of an intro:

In the sequel to Eternal Road – The final stop, Sam and James are reunited to look for two souls, Ryan and Eddie. Ryan was killed in Afghanistan, trying to avoid a schoolyard with his crippled plane. Eddie Rickenbacker, Ryan’s hero, is to guide Ryan to his Eternal Home, and now both are missing.
The higher-ups believe that there has been some interference in Ryan and Eddie’s journey by Lucifer, so Sam and James have the task of finding Ryan and Eddie to get them back on the road despite the evil interference. Unfortunately, the machinations designed to prevent Ryan and Eddy from completing their journey takes the pair to horrifying testing grounds. The places visited represent the best work of the Devil. They are the trenches of World War I in France, gladiators at the Roman Coliseum, the sinking Titanic in 1912, Hiroshima 45 minutes before the bomb, and the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1943.

This book is for you if you like plenty of action, strong characters, time travel, and a touch of spiritual and historical fiction. So, join Sam and James as they try to find the missing souls while staying one step ahead of the Prince of Darkness, who is determined to destroy all that is good.

My Take:

If I’m to be honest, then it’s fair to say that I enjoyed this book more than the last. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the last one. The addition of Ryan and Eddie brought increased depth and branched the plot line into a more diverse path.

I was always amazed by the boldness James displayed when dealing with Lucifer, and it was nice to see a wingman for him in Ryan.

With each failed attempt to own Ryan’s soul, Lucifer countermoves, using the ugliest historical events like pawns in a sadistic chess game. I often found myself wondering if the victims had to relive their tragedies repeatedly when this occurred. I’d like to think that wasn’t the case.

Though the story touches on various dark parts of history, and in spite of Lucifer’s obsessive drive to spread rot and chaos, he is no match for God. The Eternal Road may not have guardrails, but it has plenty of Guardians!

If you’d love an exclusive road trip of a thousand lifetimes, replete with side road adventures and supernatural encounters of the ‘in your face’ kind; witnessed from the comfort of your favorite reading nook, this book’s for you.

Come and meet John. Don’t be shy! Oh, and please grab a copy!

John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the tension. The final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016 concludes the thriller series. John’s fourth book Circumstances of Childhood, launched in October of 2017 tells a different thriller story of riches to rags, football, Wall Street, brotherly love, redemption, and inspiration with a touch of paranormal to keep you riveted. The fifth book is a collaboration with the ​award-winning author, Gwen Plano titled The Contract. Heavenly bodies become concerned about the stability of the Earth and send two of their own to risk eternal salvation in order to save the planet. The Contract achieved number one status in its genre. John’s latest book is titled Eternal Road – The final stop and launched in September 2020. In search of their eternal home, Sam and James discover a threat to human existence. They also encounter the prince of darkness. The question is; can they save humankind and their eternal souls. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

John lives in Lakeway, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.

Grab your copy!

Amazon.com

Website

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markbierman

Born and raised on a farm near Brockville, Ontario, Mark Bierman's childhood consisted of chores, riding horses, snowmobile races across open fields, fishing trips to a local lake, and many other outdoor adventures. He was also an avid reader of both fiction and non. Transitioning towards adulthood also meant moving from the farm and into large urban areas that introduced this country boy to life in the big cities. After a short stint as a private investigator, he moved into the role of Correctional Officer, working at both Millhaven Institution and Kingston Penitentiary, until it closed.

66 thoughts on “Review of, The Last Drive, by John Howell”

  1. So glad the smoke has cleared, Mark. I love your review for John’s latest. It is such a perfect blend of history and spiritual lessons. Thank you for sharing and congrats to John!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Wonderful review, Mark. You’ve captured the heart of the book well. Congratulations, John. Another great acknowledgment.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Reblogged this on Fiction Favorites and commented:
    Mark Bierman has written a wonderful review of The Last Drive. Even though I’m on a break until Monday, I think Mark’s review deserves to be shared. A reminder too, that Mark’s book Vanished is a thrilling read. Thank you, Mark, for taking the time to read and write such a terrific review of my book. I have closed comments here so you can leave your thoughts with Mark.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. What a beautiful review, Mark. Thank you so much for the level of detail you considered in your discussion. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the story, and it is gratifying that the second in the series performed even better for you than the first. I can answer the excellent question about the victims. The victims of the horrific events do not have to suffer twice. Lucifer places the characters in harm’s way in real-time. That is the only way he can tempt them to mistakenly alter the future to their own detriment. I’m sharing this review and want to thank you again.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My pleasure, John. As I’ve mentioned, I was glad that you added Ryan and Eddie. My youngest daughter actually just finished reading a book about Eddie Rickenbacker, so that was quite neat. I’m glad those poor souls were not repeatedly subjected to their torment. This review, like the other, has been placed on Amazon.ca. (I am not able to post on Amazon.com)

      Liked by 1 person

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