Gas Card

by Roxanne Fredd

Reviewed by: QB Wells
September 2009

Roxanne Fredd’s prophetic novel Gas Card is an urban sci-fi investigative tale that provides a bleak vision of the future and a hopeful view for the present.

In the year 2024, the gas shortage has become so desperate that people must receive a gas card in order to fuel their vehicles.  The need for gas cards leads to a black market and the opportunity for several mob-like figures to prosper through the stealing of gas trucks and the printing of illegal gas cards. A gas task force is hired to find the culprits of the black market gas cards and bring the crime to a head.  Mcafee heads the gas taskforce and four handpicked cops are beneath him to help solve the case and shape the novel –Annie Potter, Gibson W. Goodwin, J. Charley Woo and Booker T.

Of the gas task force, Detective Rodney Mcafee is the most memorable of the characters.  He is at the center of the investigation that leads to a gas card conspiracy. The plot idles when it is revealed Mcafee is unknowingly involved in a love triangle with his lover and another detective.  

The majority of the novel tells the reader what is happening and what they should understand about the main characters, leaving little to the imagination.  Near the end, the story revs up when describing the criminals and their downfall but as a result of the telling and quaint character development, the main characters seem distant, the story feels rushed and the narrative runs out of gas.

The Gas Card ends with the hint at the sequel, The Case of the Five Million Dollar Horse.  With Detective Mcafee heading the case and revenge on his mind, The Case of the Five Million Dollar Horse is sure to refuel the tank in the areas that the Gas Card fumed.

What did you like most about the book?
I liked that the author set a novel in the future and used a newsworthy topic to make it relevant.  At the time the book was published, gas prices were sky high.

What did you dislike about the book?
I didn’t like that the author used so few scenes to develop her characters.  With more concrete descriptions and setup, Gas Card could have been an exciting read.

What can the author do to improve the book? 
More character development and scenes to experience the story and the world she created.  Another round of editing to make a cleaner reader. 

Comments page 0 of 0:

Click Here to Add a Comment

Your Name:


Image verification:



Message:

 

There are currently 0 comments to display.

<>