Shadowchase by Martin Blank

I continue on my quest to read every book that Maureen and I own. This project will take me many decades.

Next up was Shadowchase by Martin Blank. On the cover is a sticker "Encore Books  14.95 Discount Price 2.98". So I must have picked this up from the clearance rack at Encore. Published in 1989, I suspect I bought this book shortly before moving out of my parents' house in July 1990, which was near the only Encore Books I recall shopping at. If so, I have owned this book for 22 years and it has moved with me four times. Thanks to this project I have finally read it.

And I'm very glad I did. I loved reading it so much I decided to look up other Martin Blank books. The Googles surprisingly had little to offer me. It took some searching to discover that this was the only book Martin Blank ever wrote.

After a successful career as a businessman, then as the head of his local Chamber of Commerce, Blank released this book and then retired to supposedly pursue writing. I found a article from 1990, announcing his retirement from the Chamber. He had a very successful run there, greatly increasing membership and expanding the Chamber's scope of operations. I say "supposedly" above due to the other article I found.

The other article was his obituary from 1998. He died after suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease for many years. If you are only going to get to have one novel to your credit, you couldn't do much better than Shadowchase.

I won't spoil it by giving too much detail. Great characters, great story, funny, smart, time well spent. 

With shades of David Goodis, there supposedly was a French movie made from the book. I say supposedly again since despite heavy googling, I can't find any evidence of any such movie.