Lyin' Like a Dog---review

New review from a top Amazon reiewer:

I Ain't Lyin'... I Love This Book..., July 1, 2010
By Betty L. Dravis "BettyDravis@gmail.com, author of DREAM REACHERS, Toonies Invade Silicon Valley +"

This review is from: Lyin' Like a Dog (Paperback)
I'm a mother and grandmother who enjoys all reading--from mystery, horror, thriller, romance and sci-fi to kiddie lit in all its many forms. Since this book appears to be geared for young boys, I didn't think I would enjoy it very much. However, I liked the title and the tintype photo on the cover, so decided to give it a try.

And surprise of surprises--I loved it!

Less than a minute into Lyin' Like a Dog I found myself transported back to my childhood in Ohio and the fanciful daydreams I used to have... I couldn't help but think of the childish capers my brothers used to pull, our daddy threatening them with his belt, etc. (Well, to be truthful, my BFF Jane Smith and I used to have some whopping adventures ourselves. Being girls, we weren't supposed to admit them, but that's another story...) Granted, we lived in the city, so there were no swamps or moonshiners, but there were plenty of factories, swimming holes and gravel pits to lure us youngsters, not to mention the lonely train whistles to fire our imagination and whisk us off on fantasy adventures of our own.

Anyway, it was nostalgic fun to join these mischievous, but kind-hearted and lovable boys in their riotous capers. I found myself laughing one minute, then holding my breath the next as they went off on their most dangerous daredevil exploits.

I couldn't believe the trouble Richard and John Clayton got into... Whether they were being "Indian scouts" in the swamps, finagling money to buy comic books, spying on some moonshiners, hurrying through Richard's newspaper route, witnessing illegal crimes, out-bullying the school bully, playing a vicious game of tug-of-war, or getting their first crush on girls, somehow they always managed to make it humorous.

I felt like I knew the cast of characters from the parents to the teachers to their friends; characters with such amusing names as Ears, Swampy, Homer Ray and Curly. Rosalie is the pretty little rich girl, Connie is Richard's special friend, a girl called Freckles is John Clayton's, and Uncle Hugh is their oldest friend. He's a "colored man" whom the boys help by doing small tasks and visiting to keep him from getting lonely. Hugh tells the best stories and frightens them to death with his ghost stories. He plays a pivotal role in the book.

I particularly enjoyed their Tom Sawyer-like adventures told in the childish vernacular of the narrator, Richard Mason (patterned from the author's life in rural Arkansas). It's all about Richard and his best friend John Clayton Reed during the eleventh year of their lives. The time period is from December 1944 to September1945 and some scenes depict the family listening to Walter Winchell report the dramatic events of WWII.

Author R. Harper Mason certainly seems to understand a young boy's mind because the speech pattern is spot on and the action and characteristics are realistic. He must be a natural-born storyteller because he relates this tale in an easy-to-read, chronological order with excellent pacing. The questions that form in the readers' minds are answered in all the right places. He certainly transported me to another world with ease and efficiency. The ending was warm and satisfactory; no loose ends here.

I'm still smiling as I recommend Lyin' Like a Dog to young and old alike. This is the second book about young Richard's life. The first was The Red Scarf and I can't wait to read it. I hope he continues this series.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, July 1, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books