King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: A Jolly Good Fellow

author: Stephen V. Masse


published: 2008

pages: 203

genre: fiction

first line: He's out there hitchiking.

rated: 3 1/2 stars

Two weeks before Christmas, Duncan Wagner gets into his car for another attempt at kidnapping the son of his most despised enemy, State Representative Win Booker.
When he drives into the wealthy Boston suburb, he is surprised to find the boy hitchhiking. So begins Wagners quest for revenge as he finds himself face to face with a real boy, and without a clue about how to run a kidnapping. Wagner, a self-styled charity Santa Claus, comes to realize that eleven year old Gabriel Booker is truly a runaway, much more curious than scared. Gabriel has no idea who Duncan Wagner is or could be.

In an old apartment in downtown Boston, the odd pair makes an unforgettable team, providing each other with what they have been missing in life. Author Stephen V. Masse captures the friendship with a blend of suspense and humor, showing that love is a resource which can bring redemption to the most damaged souls.


A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW received the Silver Medal in the 2008 Independent Publishers Book Awards, Best Fiction Northeast Region.

I received a copy of A Jolly Good Fellow to read & review. This book begins with a man called Duncan Wagner, kidnapping the son of his enemy, State Representative Win Booker. Gabriel Booker is 11 years old, and has run away from home before, he has an unhappy home life. Duncan is kind of a con man, he dresses up as Santa Claus and
stands on the street corner collecting money for charity, but the charity case is himself.


Gabriel is not your typical kidnapped victim, he doesn't want to go home and doesn't mind that Duncan has kidnapped him. He prefers to stay with him.
He has plenty of chances to escape and he doesn't.


When Duncan first makes the ransom request to Booker, Booker refuses. So Duncan begins to get anxious, wondering if he really will pay the ransom, or not. Gabriel begins to wonder what will happen to him if his parents don't pay. Duncan assures him he won't hurt him, he can leave if he wants to.



A Jolly Good Fellow was a quick and interesting read. I didn't like Duncan much, but I did like Gabriel. The author keeps the story going with plot twists.




about the author:
Stephen V. Masse was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Educated at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he studied writing and historical biography, and was the author of a weekly column, Out of Control. His first novel, Shadow Stealer, was published by Dillon Press in 1988. When not writing, he restores and renovates homes in the Boston area, and serves as an ambassador in the Santa Claus Anonymous fundraising benefit.