Fun with Dick


Fiction - Humor/Comedy
184 Pages
Reviewed on 01/25/2020
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

"Makes a living by travelling, talking a lot and sometimes writing stuff down. Galericulate author, polymath and occasional smarty-pants."

John Dolan hails from a small town in the North-East of England. Before turning to writing, his career encompassed law and finance. He has run businesses in Europe, South and Central America, Africa and Asia. He and his wife Fiona currently divide their time between Thailand and the UK.

He is the author of the 'Time, Blood and Karma' mystery series and the 'Children of Karma' mystery trilogy.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Fun with Dick by John Dolan is a gripping psychological thriller with a quirky protagonist. From the start, the reader meets the protagonist, twenty-five-year-old Richard Blackheart whose life is dull. But there is more to him than that. First, he hates his name, even though it has a royal ring to it. Second, his friends call him, “Dick,” so his name becomes Dick Blackheart from Hampstead. His father is a marine insurance specialist and his mother “a gin drinker and social butterfly.” He has an older and only sibling who is the beneficiary to the family largesse. He wasn’t bullied in school because his friends tend to be losers like him. But then, something awesome happens when he meets Mr. Henry Browne, an editor for Bright Sparks Publishing. For lack of what to talk about, he shares his idea of How to Die, Alone, Smelly and Unloved. That alone is the one thing that would make him a hero, and the journey to accomplishing that dream begins in this novel. How it ends is for the reader to find out.

This is a wonderful book, but it is disturbing. The protagonist has been seeing a shrink, Dr. Finkelstein, who has had a great impact on his life and who has also inspired his idea of writing the ultimate non-self-help book. The writing works well in the first-person narrative. The voice is strong and absorbing. The way the protagonist talks about himself and about his work and colleagues creates the quirkiness that elevates the writing. This is a hugely entertaining and delightful read that explores self-pity and looks at a character’s struggle to get out of anonymity and obscurity. It’s a page-turner that is well-crafted with engaging dialogues and strong streams of consciousness.