Following eight decades in show business and open heart surgery in 1998, 93-year-old Ebsen (The Other Side of Oz), best known for his TV role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies,
delivers his first e-book, "about a girl searching for Mr. Right in today's world." The tale traces the travails and travels of stagehand Kelly Ryan, who becomes disenchanted with L.A. men and the city's sexist attitudes. Driving north in search of a new way of life, she has further troubling encounters with men. When the breakdown of her Jeep in Montana brings her together with hard-muscled Gary Hunnicutt, she soon plans to lasso the chiseled cowboy. Misspellings, inconsistencies and unnecessary quote marks surrounding familiar slang crop up, along with predictable passages and overly sentimental moments, but they don't slow down the action and romance. Ebsen is a smooth and assured storyteller, populating these fast-paced pages with convincing characters and several subplots. Many readers already await Ebsen's next, a novel about soft-spoken private eye Barnaby Jones, the character he brought to life as an actor 28 years ago.
FYI:In May, this title leaped to number 3 on the
L.A. Times bestseller list. 1stBooks Library currently offers it in three formats (hardcover, paperback, e-book). An excerpt is available at www.1stbooks.com/cgi-bin/1st?partner~1st|type~6|Data1~4678.
