I have been a fan of Grey’s Dick Hardesty series for some time, so I was very interested in seeing what Elliott Smith was like. I’m pleased to say that I like him and enjoyed this book very much.

Elliott is from one of those disgustingly rich families in Chicago who belong to all the right clubs and go to all the right places. Elliott and his sister, Cressy, however, have chosen to be different.

Cressy is married to a homicide detective of the Chicago Police Force and lives the life of a cop’s wife with three children.

Elliott has become a restorer of landmark buildings. He buys them, restores them to as close to original condition (with modern luxuries) and then either sells them or keeps them as rental properties. And he’s not one of those landlords who buys something and stands back and dictates what should be done - he gets right in there and works with the craftsman he’s hired. He truly loves buildings and the history of his hometown and is doing his part to preserve what makes it special.

One night, Elliott is struck by a car while crossing the street. When he’s brought into the emergency room, another man is there who’s been shot and is dying. Elliott survives his injuries, albeit after having been in a coma for a bit. When he awakes in his hospital room he is very aware of a presence. That presence is John, the man who died of gunshot wounds in the emergency room as his life was being saved.

John has attached himself to Elliott and wants Elliott to find out who he is and why he was shot. He doesn’t remember anything other than that his name is John.

So as Elliott returns to his life, he has company. Fortunately, John is generally an unobtrusive visitor, and with Cressy’s husband being a cop, Elliott stands a decent chance of helping find out who John was and how he came to die.

This storyline is neatly tied into the story of Elliott’s current building project. He buys an old apartment building, thwarting the plans of Alphonse Collina. Collina lived near Elliott when he was a child and was always a bully. Now he buys old buildings and tears them down to build new condos. He wants the building Elliott bought and is not above some damn dirty tricks to get it.

The revelations of who John is and how Elliott finds both his name and who killed him is done slowly and blends into the story of Elliott’s battle with Al Collina extremely well.

Nicer still is watching Elliott’s life, his loving relationship with his sister and her family, and the development of his new relationship with an artist named Steve. There’s a lot of love in Elliott’s life, in spite of his rather distant parents.

There’s also a sense at the end of the book that perhaps John will remain in Elliott’s life. It could certainly prove to be very interesting if he did, as a man with a curious mind and an inability to let things lie never knows when a ghost just mind come in handy.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Zumaya Boundless (May 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934841048
• ISBN-13: 978-1934841044

To purchase a print copy of His Name is John from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of His Name is John from Barnes & Noble click here.

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

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