Hemingway Jersey Shore Thriller
 
 

Richard C Hemingway and the novel Past Twilight: Mainstream fiction stirred with Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Action/Adventure and more than a smidgen of Science Fiction and humor. And yes, all served up by a hard boiled detective.

Please I need your feedback:

Contact Richard Hemingway at:

Email address:  
 
  Please I need to hear what you think of this novel. I might not like some of the responses I receive, but I will give careful thought to every criticism I receive. But if you like the novel, please let me know what you feel. I am neither a famous celebrity nor novelist. I have to build my buzz one person at a time. The odds are against me, but in the end, I have to know whether there is a market for my novel or not. I am not a professional writer, so I am not going to churn out another novel if this one fails. 
 

 
3/22/11

 

 

 

 

 

4/09/11

 

 

 

9/08/11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/01/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/5/13

 

 
   Past Twilight is one of those surprise first novels that like THE KITE RUNNER and THE LOVELY BONES immediatly grabs the readers' attention and makes you want more. Then magically a movie is produced and your prayers are answered. It is a compelling story of past, present and future and how the decisions we make effect our life journey. Heminway's style of writing is reminiscent of early detective stories by Mickey Spillane and includes all the action, sex, and mystery associated with a classic who dunnit story. This book is a must read and possibly read again for anyone that wants a novel that not only entertains but makes you think what IF?
 Liz B, Fort Pierce, Fl 
 
     I read the novel as soon as I got it. I read it on the beach in San Juan, which is where I do a lot of my reading. 
I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a terrific novel. It is a brilliant display of story telling, wit, wisdom, and just the right amount of sex. 
 Robert Panzararella, professor 
Dept of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College, NY, NY. 
 
 
  Time travel has always been an intriguing idea. Many of us have had one pivotal moment that seemed to turn the rest of our lives in one direction or another. If that moment had been a mistake that could have been avoided and you were given the chance to change the outcome, would you go back in time to change things? To complicate things even more, what if you died or somehow ceased to exist and could never return to the present time? Of course, the answer would probably depend on how satisfied you are with your present life.

In Past Twilight, the main character is Jack Turner, a 59-year-old barhopping drunk who is sour on women, sour on life, and has pretty much given up on humanity in general. We get the feeling that he is disgusted with life and doesn’t care if he lives or dies. For years he has been obsessed with a beautiful young woman who was brutally murdered.

The story takes on a supernatural twist when Jack meets a stranger who seems to know everything about him – his past, present, and his future. This odd stranger seems to know even his most intimate thoughts and feelings, including those about this young barmaid whose murder seemed to turn his life in the wrong direction. Lending a supernatural twist, this stranger admits to being an alien and offers Jack a chance to travel back in time to change what happened during this pivotal period of his life, giving him a chance to save this woman’s life and alter the downward spiral of his own life. Unfortunately, this travel to the past will be permanent; he can never return to the present. Jack at first is unbelieving and scoffs at idea. It is only when the alien accurately predicts that Jack will be diagnosed with terminal cancer that he becomes a believer and decides to go back in time to stop this murder.

As Jack travels twenty-six years back in time, he retains some, but not all, of his memories of past events and people. The alien has also helped him by giving him clues, “Find the mother and father and you will find your answers,” and the monetary resources, through a lottery win, to stop these tragic events from happening.

The story is centered primarily around a bar in Jersey Shore. From Hemingway’s writing, we can see that he has a great deal of background in law enforcement. There is a mystery to solve, murder, a terrible hurricane, greed, and political corruption. In the beginning of the book, Jack is an unlikely hero. He is a drunk, a racist, a sexist, and has a very negative attitude on life and people. Yet as the story progresses he changes into a very different person whose moral values have changed and is more likeable and optimistic.

Past Twilight is much more than a police/detective novel. The author includes many philosophical thoughts on racism, politics, religion, and personality. For example, the alien, in an effort to get Jack to change, instructs him in the four dimensions of personality: the first - how we view ourselves, the second - how other people see us, the third - who were really are, and the fourth - who we can be.

Hemingway is a very talented writer. Past Twilight is a fast-paced read that will keep you turning the pages. My only suggestion would be to give the alien a larger role in the book. I recommend it for those who enjoy light fantasy, mysteries, or police/detective novels. And does the guy end up with the girl of his dreams to live happily ever after? You’ll have to read the book to find out. 

 Rickey Bray, author of Rendezvous Rock,
 

Past Twilight by Richard Hemingway is an excellent read overall.  

 

There is plenty of drama, a convoluted plot, well fleshed out major characters, some steamy sex and a minimal amount of  science fiction, which is used as a vehicle to make the story workable and provide a way for the author to get the protagonist to a pivotal crossroads of his own life.  It is a story of obsessive love or lust or, perhaps, a combination of both. There is greed, dishonesty, criminality, aggression and murder; each being counterpointed by its opposite and examined philosophically by the author using his own morals in addition to those of society. Past Twilight could easily be rewritten as a screenplay and would make an excellent motion picture. The hero goes from a down-in-the-dumps, amoral, alcoholic to a temptable, imperfect savior of multiple lives by his own  conscious decisions which generally move him toward his own salvation. Families that fit together like a rubik’s cube are pressed toward realignment while a narcissistic succubus tries her best to destroy most of the normal relationships she encounters. 

 

Since the book’s storyline has been generally outlined by another reviewer, I will refrain from giving any more of the facts away. You, dear reader, are to be left with no choice but to read the entire book for more details, a worthwhile endeavor and a pleasure. 

 

In addition to the book being a dramatic action novel set in the Northeast seaside, we are provided with our own philosophical quandaries by imagining ourselves in situations similar to those of the main character. I found myself asking questions that you may well ask yourself: Can I look at all four of my “selves”? The external persona I project to others, the internal me I try to convince myself  by rationalization that I am, the “real” me with all facades stripped away and the person I should be and with heroic effort, focus and honesty could be. 

 

There are some technical difficulties in the first edition, most of which should be cleared up in the second printing. These may occasionally derail a proofreader’s train of thought in the first printing but for most readers of the newest run of the book the train should stay trackbound and flow quite well, while providing an entertaining, introspective and enjoyable sojourn from a busy day. 

Bill B, Fort Pierce, FL

 


This novel is a combination of science fiction (time travel) and mystery as the hero attempts to redeem his past and save the lives of others. The author uses a variety of settings to create a good pace to the story and to give complexity to the characters and their motives. I was around in the era in which the story unfolds (the 70’s) and Hemmingway portrays this well, including the racism and the emotional context of that decade. The novel starts with the words “Storm’s brewing” and I found that the slow revelation of exactly who the hero is and what motivates him works well with the imagery of a gathering storm.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a time travel mystery and I look forward to more novels by this author.
 
Brenda McCreight

 
 
 
I automated the process, would love to hear your comments, even the bad ones are better than no comments.

If you have a web site please list your site's url. It is a good way to improve your SEO via links from other sites. Also if people like your content they may click on your site and like your site's content. If you are a author, maybe they might even buy a copy of your novel.