Review: Hauling Through

 

Synopsis:

The small community of Kestrel Cove is pretty much the same as any other fishing town on the Maine coast – a tight-knit group of hardworking and hardheaded characters living within the ebbs and flows of a life dedicated to catching lobsters. But there is one thing that is unique: The residents of Kestrel Cove believe that a Russian spy satellite cruises overhead every night at 8 pm. And even though they know that they should behave while they’re being watched, they’re unable to stop themselves from being who they really are.
Enter Jamie Kurtz, an underachieving graduate from a nearby private college. After disappointing his father and getting cut off from any financial support, he is forced to get a summer job with a recently injured lobsterman in Kestrel Cove. And while Jamie is able to handle the physically demanding work of lobstering, he struggles to find his niche in the social fabric of the community. No matter how hard he tries, he remains an outsider who is closely watched and talked about, but not entirely included.

Eventually, after sharing moments of happiness and sadness with them, he’s accepted as one of their own. In the process, he not only finds true love but feels the warmth that comes from belonging to something bigger than himself. When his former college professor comes to him with an offer that’s too good to pass up, he’s faced with a difficult choice. A decision of this magnitude might be out of his control – perhaps the satellite should just decide what is best!

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Hauling Through by Peter Bridgford is an exciting novel with a lot of adventure, suspense, and intrigue. Readers will be lured deeply into this brilliantly well-written piece. Peter Bridgford’s talent shines through on every page. Hauling Through offers readers a mixture of what the life of fishermen in Maine is like and how the small-town life can be difficult. Living in my own small town, where people either make it or break it the acceptance levels is not easy at all. The variety of characters inside this quirky read will keep readers turning the pages. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Peter Bridgford has captured the reality of life into his amazing world of fiction. Once readers get past the introductions and know what’s going on, the plot speeds up from there.

Inside Hauling Through by Peter Bridgford, readers are introduced to the small-town way of life. If readers knew what lobster work was like for those living in Maine within this novel, readers would appreciate their lobsters a bit more. Life, of lobster catching and crazy town folk, is everything you would expect in Kestrel Cove. It is here that we meet the main character, Jamie Kurtz. He isn’t an insider of this community until close to the ending. His journey of the ups and downs that he has experienced in this fictional town is a lot for one man, a man who felt closer to a town than his own family. But what really will entice readers is the offer that Jamie receives and what happens from there. Spies, romance, and trouble lurk ahead waiting at every readers’ fingertips. I enjoyed reading this tale and following Jamie as his journey builds up and comes to a close. Peter Bridgford’s novel has what every reader wants in a novel, with realistic characters that readers won’t forget. Overall, I highly recommend this title to readers everywhere.