Goodbye Bobby
by J.J. Harrigan
Style: Historic Fiction / Thriller
ISBN: 9781949357790
Print Size: 354 pages
Reviewed by Tomi Alo
An exhilarating journey by means of some important historic occasions in 1968
A intelligent spin on American historical past, Goodbye Bobby is an emotional tribute to nationwide chief and icon, Robert “Bobby” F. Kennedy.
On this historic retelling, we’re taken on a fast-paced journey of political intrigue, patriotism, private battle, loss, and sacrifice. The story follows Charles Parnell, a profitable fund supervisor and former Military veteran, over the course of 4 intense months—March to June 1968—as he’s recruited to carry out a harmful mission on behalf of Bobby Kennedy.
His mission? To behave as a secret messenger between Kennedy and Ho Chi Minh, the chief of North Vietnam, the place the contents of this message have the potential to finish the Vietnam Warfare. The stakes couldn’t be larger. If Charles is caught, he may very well be arrested for treason or be killed by the enemy for being a spy.
At first, Charlie is reluctant. Together with his spouse’s latest passing, he’s the one one left to take care of his adopted daughter Angelita and finds it mindless to danger his life for one thing so harmful and pointless, consequently leaving Angela to fend for herself.
Nevertheless, when he witnesses Bobby Kennedy’s highly effective speech within the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, it turns into not possible to disregard the gravity of the state of affairs and the function he may play to vary issues.
With poignant characters and a propulsive plot, Goodbye Bobby captures the chaotic interval of 1968 the place political beliefs, private beliefs, and nationwide pursuits collide. It’s a tense, thought-provoking story that creatively blends historical past with fiction.
Regardless of being based mostly on actual outstanding figures, writer JJ Harrigan doesn’t simply present a one-dimensional portrayal of historic characters; he crafts them with complexity by means of private struggles and their very own distinctive traits. Bobby Kennedy just isn’t merely a political determine; he’s a person grappling with the tasks of constructing issues proper, the lack of his brothers, and the hope of ending a brutal battle.
Charles Parnell is not only a secret messenger or a cash supervisor. He’s a father grieving the lack of his spouse, coping with the guilt of shifting on, and discovering the time to take care of the sweetest, smartest little one. Regardless of the chaos of all of it occurring, Charlie all the time tries his greatest to make sure Angela isn’t uncared for and is well-cared for, even when which means bringing her on a few of these high-stakes journeys as he continues to construct a bond together with her. I adored their relationship and all the time seemed ahead to spending time with this father-daughter duo.
Just by figuring out American historical past, we all know how issues will play out, however Harrigan nonetheless manages to maintain the stress alive. There’s urgency within the story as we’re drawn into Charles’s mission and left with questions on how he’ll navigate the scene as an unofficial, under-the-radar political diplomat and what it is going to finally value him. By this cautious build-up, we’re reminded that whereas historical past is perhaps mounted, the feelings, fears, and sacrifices of those that lived by means of these defining but tumultuous occasions have been something however predictable.
Total, Goodbye Bobby, the second installment within the Goodbye collection, is a great, gripping historic thriller that entertains and re-educates its readers on pivotal moments in American historical past.
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