Title: Hell in a Handbasket
Author: Timothy J. Amerine
Publisher: Olympus Story House
ISBN: 978-1968069261
Pages: 574
Genre: Action & Adventure / Historical Fiction / Erotica
Reviewer: Michael Penn
Pacific Book Review
Ideas of destiny and what that means to different people have been a topic of discussion across countless civilizations. Is destiny truly a cosmic certainty, or are people the instruments of their own destiny? For some, their futures are laid out by their parents or family members who seek to continue a long-standing tradition or trade, while others seek destiny in a lifelong passion or drive towards a particular craft. Finding one’s destiny is what drives so many along the trajectories of their lives.
Heading west and making a life of adventure for himself was the drive of protagonist Billy White in author Timothy J. Amerine’s Hell in a Handbasket. The novel follows Billy after he finds himself determined to head out west and into the mountains, in spite of his family’s long history as farmers. Between his passion for women and his lustfulness in life and the wanderlust that drives his journey westward, Billy meets people from all walks of life, gets into several different scenarios, and even experiences romance along the way.
This novel does an excellent job of crafting a detailed, immersive reading experience that audiences can instantly feel. The cinematic storytelling and the raw language the author captures hones in on the way of speaking in that era of history, including some harsh language that showcased the ignorance towards racism, as well as the attitude and hostility towards indigenous people and the violence this often bred, and the challenge of gender roles as well. The level of detail and depth of character development this honest depiction of the era allowed me to connect with and experience this moment of history with honesty and thought-provoking insight. The tension which this allowed to build in each scene elevated the narrative overall.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction novels, especially literary genre novels that use action and adventure as well as romance genre storytelling with more adult-themed language to tell the story, will completely love this story. The slow pacing allowed these characters to develop naturally and get readers invested in their story, while also giving the more heated and passionate scenes their moment in the narrative to add spice to the historical setting and fully flesh out these characters. The imagery this created, along with the constant influx of new characters and plenty of action, kept the narrative moving and will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
