cover image Hearts of Gold

Hearts of Gold

James Magorian. Acme Press, $0 (222pp) ISBN 978-0-9629880-1-1

Relying on a wide array of comic scenes that are often far more ridiculous than sublime, Magorian's third novel revolves around a madcap quest for gold that brings together a band of UFO chasers, an FBI agent and a pair of loan-sharking thugs. William ""Easy Street"" McShane is the starry-eyed protagonist, a small-time gambler and a lover of get-rich-quick schemes who joins the Omaha Flying Saucers Spotters Club when he learns that the love of his life, Amelia Stennerflit, is a charter member of the organization. When the club discovers a treasure map that points the way to the ""Lost Dutchman Gold Mine"" in rural Nebraska, McShane helps steer the group toward what he hopes will be pay dirt. While trading comic jabs with the wacky club members, McShane is trailed by a pair of loan sharks trying to ""persuade"" him to repay his gambling debts and by a renegade FBI agent who gets wind of the potential gold strike while conducting wiretaps on the two thugs. Magorian, an author of children's books and poetry, is a breezy storyteller with a knack for quirky dialogue. But his contrived plot quickly falls flat, and what's left is an equally formulaic and sappy romantic subplot and the sophomoric antics of the oddball cast of characters. (May)