Jack of Spades

Theft. I had the sense that Joyce Carol Oates had a lot of fun writing her novel titled, Jack of Spades. Protagonist Andrew Rush writes popular mystery novels, and in secret his alter ego writes noir under the pseudonym Jack of Spades. Andy is accused of theft by C.W. Haider and his life turns inside out. This is a short novel by Oates’ standard, and when I finished my initial reaction was this is Oates-lite. After a short while, I realized how finely constructed the novel is, and its efficiency added to how it all works so well. Readers who like well-written fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Jack of Spades from amazon.com.