C. Kelly Robinson, The Strong Silent Type

The Strong Silent Type

C. Kelly Robinson

NAL, Jan 2005, $13.95, 288 pp.

ISBN: 0451210379

Not quite thirty, Deacon Davis failed in his attempt to leave behind his glory days as a Pittsburgh Steeler star defensive back to direct the American Dream Party when he stuttered on Fox TV News. His beloved cousin tells him that "George Bush sounds more articulate." Feeling depressed for his recent string of failures including a divorce that culminated with the on-air fiasco, Deacon still has one obsession that keeps him fired up. He wants to foster the civil rights legacy of his renowned late father who died in a mysterious DC hotel fire.

He knows he must work on his stuttering problem when he has difficulty speaking at a school meeting involving his high-school-aged son Dejuan who is in trouble for dissing females. Deacon meets speech therapist Maria Oliver at the adult Speech Recovery Clinic. As she helps him with his impediment, an attraction explodes into a one night stand that breaks ethical rules. Yet both want more, but will either risk the chance of rejection?

THE STRONG SILENT TYPE is a terrific, contemporary tale that grips readers with its deep cast, especially the title character who struggles to enhance his father's legacy, but feels somewhat helpless of achieving this objective due to his stuttering. Deacon is a fabulous protagonist whose woes to include falling in love make for a fine novel; Maria is his ideal counterpart with her own baggage, especially her need to tell her biological son, raised in love by a married family member and his wife, who she is. The lead couple's relationship is THE PERFECT BLEND for fans who appreciate a poignant insightful modern day character study.

Harriet Klausner