The Whim-Wham Man
A complex and intriguing story, The Whim-Wham Man takes place in Husted, Colorado, just north of the city of Colorado Springs in May of 1940. It’s a coming-of-age and murder mystery . . . it’s a tragedy about the tearing apart of two families, the effect of the Great Depression, homelessness and mental illness, serial killers and vigilantism . . . as well as the looming inferno of World War II and redemption of sorts in the form of patriotism and heroism. Lastly, it’s about deep, unrelenting, unremitting guilt. Follow the narrative of young Jamey McGoran as he lives through the last day of his childhood. A day of unspeakable horror, criminality, and depravity, it’s a day in which one fateful decision will determine the direction of the rest of his life . . . and a handful of others as well. The Whim-Wham Man is a story that has it all . . . A crime you can’t forgive, a plot you couldn’t imagine, and a character . . . You’ll never forget.
August 2012
ISBN# 978-0989676397
178 pages, softcover
$15.00
Rhyolite Press is proud to announce that local author John Dwaine McKenna’s The Whim-Wham Man has won a coveted CIPA EVVY award for the second consecutive year.
Get to Know the Author
John Dwaine McKenna is the author of four novels, two of which have been awarded EVVYS for excellence in fiction by the Colorado Independent Publisher’s Association, or CIPA. Colorado Noir has been awarded a silver medal by the Independent Publishers Book Awards 2014 (IPPY) as well as gold for best Mystery Fiction, a silver for Literary Fiction, and a bronze for Print Layout & Design by CIPA. “This makes Colorado Noir the most honored, thoroughly judged and well-vetted publication in our company’s history,” said Lora L. Brown, spokesperson for Rhyolite Press LLC. He also writes a weekly newspaper column called the Mysterious Book Report for the Tri Valley Townsman in Sullivan County New York where he was born and raised in the beautiful southern Catskill Mountains. During his career he was a salesman, serial business owner, an investment advisor, and a compliance officer for a nationwide investment firm headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. He retired in 2000 and reignited his writing talents, which had lain dormant since his college days.
Book Reviews
“It’s a helluva yarn.”
Dick Kreck, Author of Murder at the Brown Palace and Smaldone
“It was like eating popcorn . . . I couldn’t quit. Congratulations. I am looking forward to more Jake McKern novels.”
Bill Calls, Scottsdale, AZ
“Great Job! It got my blood boiling! Then it got my mind thinking.”
Linda Comando, Publisher and Editor of The Tri-Valley Townsman
“This short book with the odd title is the hard-to-put-down story of a 15 year old youth who grows up in a hurry when a grisly tragedy strikes his family.”
Mary Jean Porter, The Pueblo Chieftain
“Well written, so compelling I couldn’t stop reading until the last page.”
S.M. Albany, NY
“The Whim-Wham Man is the most thought provoking novel I’ve read in a long time. Thanks for writing it.”
Kathy Hare, The New Falcon Herald
“. . . and the silver award winner for fiction is The Whim-Wham Man.”
19th Annual CIPA EVVY Awards, Denver Co
May 10, 2013