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Boomerang
Ted Hogwood's beloved guitar is in the window of Topp Dollar Pawn. The only way he can get the money to rescue her is to accept an assignment from the AABC, a not nearly official branch of the US intelligence community. He is partnered with Jerry Kwiatkowski to steal a boomerang containing secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover. It would be simple if they knew what they were doing.
312 pages, Nook
First published January 1, 2009
30 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Alan L. Hutcheson
5 books15 followersWhoa, a biography. Well, I'll have to work on that one. For now, I'll say that I was born in Michigan and through the good graces of my most wonderful parents, made Arizona my home at the tender age of five. With the exception of one year in California while attending college in Malibu! I've been here ever since.
Boomerang is my first novel, but it is the second version of the thing. The first one went by the title Close Enough for Government Work and I do believe it can still be had by folks who have the inclination to collect such novelties. But I do think Boomerang is the superior product, and I feel privileged that it has original cover art by Laura Lakey.
The Baer Boys is the story of Darin Baer, a forty-two year old who left home twenty-five years ago to make his way as an actor. It would be charitable to say he never quite made it, the truth is he never came close. Neither did he come close to figuring out relationships with women. Now Darin is back home, living with his recently widowed father, Art, and the newest addition to the household, a longhaired dachshund named The General. A job teaching theater at his old high school, an old flame, an unexpected new love, and the slowly dawning realization that he has at long last found where he needs to be all add to the question of "Can Darin make a decision that doesn't involve running away?"
Boomerang is my first novel, but it is the second version of the thing. The first one went by the title Close Enough for Government Work and I do believe it can still be had by folks who have the inclination to collect such novelties. But I do think Boomerang is the superior product, and I feel privileged that it has original cover art by Laura Lakey.
The Baer Boys is the story of Darin Baer, a forty-two year old who left home twenty-five years ago to make his way as an actor. It would be charitable to say he never quite made it, the truth is he never came close. Neither did he come close to figuring out relationships with women. Now Darin is back home, living with his recently widowed father, Art, and the newest addition to the household, a longhaired dachshund named The General. A job teaching theater at his old high school, an old flame, an unexpected new love, and the slowly dawning realization that he has at long last found where he needs to be all add to the question of "Can Darin make a decision that doesn't involve running away?"
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 3, 2012
In order to save his pawned guitar, Ted Hogwood accepts an assignment from a branch of the government that isn’t even official. His partner on this assignment is Jerry Kwiatkowski and their mission is to steal a boomerang that contains secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover. What stands in their path? A crossbow wielding assassin, two unemployed Australian women, the director of Central Intelligence and an ex-cheerleader!
Got your attention yet? Is your eyebrow raised? It should be! This book was a really fun read and Alan’s writing style reminded me at times of the late Douglas Adams. The deeper into the plot you get, the more you can tell the characters are in a situation that’s way over their heads. It’s quirky, funny and really hard to put down. I found myself wondering how this all would come together and then when it did I was highly amused. It was really sad when this fun trip ended and I do hope to see these characters again somewhere down the road.
Got your attention yet? Is your eyebrow raised? It should be! This book was a really fun read and Alan’s writing style reminded me at times of the late Douglas Adams. The deeper into the plot you get, the more you can tell the characters are in a situation that’s way over their heads. It’s quirky, funny and really hard to put down. I found myself wondering how this all would come together and then when it did I was highly amused. It was really sad when this fun trip ended and I do hope to see these characters again somewhere down the road.
April 3, 2020
I have to admit I lost track of the MacGuffin pretty quickly in this book, but that’s what MacGuffins and boomerangs are for, right? Who cares. The colorful cast of characters kept me entertained all along the way to the grand finale in suburban Phoenix. And being that I’m a sucker for anything labelled Gibson, Ted’s reunion with his L-5 CES was just deserts.
August 3, 2010
Boomerang is a tongue-in-cheek "thriller" of sorts, more akin to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World than anything by Tom Clancy, sorta-kinda Carl Hiaasenish with a cast of outcasts and misfits in pursuit of a boomerang containing secret files on J. Edgar Hoover.
Hutcheson has a wry eye that seeks out irony and humor in every situation, and he conveys his observations with professional quality prose. The story ambles sometimes, where it should run, getting mired in detailed descriptions of mundane actions that are amusing but not quite worth the time devoted to them, and the author lapses occasionally (not too often) into a "dear reader" self-awareness that I personally find distracting.
Still, I've paid much more for books I've enjoyed much less! I had a good time with Boomerang and hope that Hutcheson is working on another novel.
Hutcheson has a wry eye that seeks out irony and humor in every situation, and he conveys his observations with professional quality prose. The story ambles sometimes, where it should run, getting mired in detailed descriptions of mundane actions that are amusing but not quite worth the time devoted to them, and the author lapses occasionally (not too often) into a "dear reader" self-awareness that I personally find distracting.
Still, I've paid much more for books I've enjoyed much less! I had a good time with Boomerang and hope that Hutcheson is working on another novel.
October 27, 2010
I loved this book! Alan Hutcheson is a very talented writer. I am amazed at how he set the stage for this story. Each chapter of the book details the events of different characters that in the beginnning seem unrelated. However, as the story unfolds, each character or set of characters are drawn from places as far away as Australia to a little house in Arizona. Once each party involved in this tale find their way to a dark, soggy Arizona backyard in their pursuit of a handcrafted boomerang, the conclusion of their quest is delightful, entertaining, and satisfying . The characters are funny - some are wonderfully likeable, and some you just like to hate. I plan to read this book again sometime soon!
February 1, 2010
Well, of course this is my own creation. I hope it is okay to lift one of the nice reviews Boomerang has received over at Smashwords to share here at Goodreads.
From reader "bill".
Alan Hutcheson has writen a wonderfully fun tale that will keep you reading all night. Ted and Jerry make a unique team on the hunt for a strange relic once owned by a super powerful Washingtom lawman; and if thats not enough they have a crossbow wielding albino after them to keep them from slowing down. The characters are weird and entertaining they will make you laugh. I can't wait for Alan's next book.
From reader "bill".
Alan Hutcheson has writen a wonderfully fun tale that will keep you reading all night. Ted and Jerry make a unique team on the hunt for a strange relic once owned by a super powerful Washingtom lawman; and if thats not enough they have a crossbow wielding albino after them to keep them from slowing down. The characters are weird and entertaining they will make you laugh. I can't wait for Alan's next book.
April 28, 2021
What a rollicking good time! Hutcheson introduces us to a lively bunch of "characters"(in every sense of the word!) and sweeps us along on their adventures from the Australian Outback to the Pacific Northwest to Martha's Vineyard to Phoenix, AZ! If you're a fan of laughing during thrill rides, this book is for you!
April 10, 2023
I was really surprised by this, but it was a great, little page turner. Really funny in parts, very tongue in cheek, short and sweet. Got through it in a couple of sessions, which tells you all you need to know I think.....
August 23, 2010
That Alan Hutcheson is a writer who can make me laugh out loud - a rare gift.
March 12, 2011
Quirky and fun, in the spirit of a lot of British humour, eg Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
February 3, 2015
I'm not sure I read the same book as the other reviewer here . I just couldn't finish this book. The story just got too complicated.
December 8, 2019
This was my first time out reading anything by this author. At first I wasn’t sure if I loved the book or hated it. There was so much going on and so many characters doing wild and crazy, crazy stuff. But there was something about the story and I had to find out what exacting was going on. Well all these crazy characters wind up in the Valley of the Sun, where I live. And believe or not it got crazier! If you want to make fun of the weather this is the place for it. But seriously, or not, because this is really a funny book. Laugh out loud funny. All because of a boomerang! Get it read it. Enjoy it!
October 16, 2024
I've just noticed that I haven't left a rating or review for this fantastic book. I enjoyed it so much. Definitely a laugh-out-loud book which is much needed in these difficult times. Highly recommended.
September 3, 2016
It took me quite a while to get through this novel, largely because I had to keep going back and re-reading sections in an attempt to make more sense of what was happening. It jumps around a lot, from continent to continent, and from character to character, never really giving a good grounding with any one person or place, so there’s no real depth. It doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to be – does it want to be comedy or serious? It veers between the two without anchoring on either – not quite funny enough to be a comedy, but not quite serious enough to be otherwise.
With all the jumping around, I quite literally lost the plot, and I found having so many characters (none of whom were employed to their full potential, or given enough oomph and personality to grab me fully) rather jarring. It’s a shame, because I think the story had a lot of potential – it just wasn’t given a chance to really shine.
With all the jumping around, I quite literally lost the plot, and I found having so many characters (none of whom were employed to their full potential, or given enough oomph and personality to grab me fully) rather jarring. It’s a shame, because I think the story had a lot of potential – it just wasn’t given a chance to really shine.
May 17, 2011
I think the storyline was too light and that there were too many characters. As a result the book never caught my interest. The entire story was that this group of unrelated characters was trying to get their hands on a boomerang which contained hidden objects; some were aware of these objects others were just interested in the money they understood it would draw. That is it, nothing more to it. I will not spoil the story by saying what these objects are, but to be honest it doesn’t really add anything to the storyline either. We learn that some of the characters lives are actually related through complete and sheer coincidence, again not really adding anything.
I feel bad giving this a bad review; it is a better book than I could ever write. But I think the author put in too much quirkiness in and not enough substance or texture as he himself alluded to.
I feel bad giving this a bad review; it is a better book than I could ever write. But I think the author put in too much quirkiness in and not enough substance or texture as he himself alluded to.
March 13, 2015
I can’t say I overly enjoyed this book. There were too many interlocking characters which meant very little time was spent on any of them – maybe only 3-4 chapters, and some of which didn’t really fit with the idea of the story. The conclusion was very short and made limited amounts of sense. You never really find out what happens to anyone other than Ted and he again features minimally despite the blurb being around him. Overall I find the idea of major items of intelligence being inside a boomerang quite silly and while I’m not bothered by the implausible I just found the whole idea of this one farcical. It was not funny, didn’t have enough depth or excitement to be a thriller Not one to recommend.
January 22, 2013
Wacky and kind of fun, but overdone: way too many characters and too much irrelevant info. (The whole first chapter about Ted, for example, was unnecessary - could have been handled in a two-sentence flashback.)
December 26, 2010
Excellent, funny. Loved the characters! Great story.
June 16, 2011
An entertaining, funny thriller. The characters were great fun, especially the Australian sisters. I'll be watching out for more by this author.
November 9, 2014
A fun satire about spies, conspiracy, bureaucracy, and jazz. Just don't expect plausibility.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews