What does a scandal-ridden movie star, a bellicose politician, a small-town cop, and a 15-year-old cowgirl have in common?
Answer: They are characters in Mark R. Hunter’s new novel The Notorious Ian Grant. Mark brings these characters together in the first chapter, with the politician deservedly getting tasered by the cop. We know more action is coming. And it is.
Ian Grant temporarily leaves the glamor of Hollywood to attend his sister’s wedding in Hurricane, Indiana. He brings a load of trouble to this sleepy town, as someone(s) is trying to assassinate him.
Ian has had a colorful life. The list of possible suspects is rather long. And every one of them has an alibi. So who was trying to assassinate the nortorious Ian Grant? Ian and his friends devise an elaborate plan to find the assassin. The novel keeps this secret right to the end.
This novel has multiple genres. It is a mystery. It is action. It is romance. It is redemption of a tragic figure.
Then to add to the genre-laden story, Mark throws in a few more sub-genres. It gives us Mark’s Midwest humor, somewhere between chuckles and groans. It is a salute to volunteer firefighters. It is a tourist brochure for Mark’s home town of Albion, Indiana. Methinks Mark had fun writing this book.
And with excellent dialogue and just enough interesting characters, Mark’s writing keeps us in the story without much effort on this reader’s part. Plus a few chuckles and groans.
Sometimes we need great escape literature. This novel and other works from Mark R. Hunter give us a little reading respite from this crazy world.
And, maybe, just maybe, we just might want to check things out in Albion, Indiana. Rumor has it that a soon-to-be-famous writer lives there.
Published on Medium 2025
