Title: A Habit of Mind
Author: Jim Newman
Publisher: North Star Press
ASIN: 978-0878398188
Pages: 240
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: John Murray, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Doug Pepper, a camera man unsatisfied in his job, is shaken to his core after a series of unfortunate events. As he grows more and more disconnected from his job and the people around him, a horrific event puts in motion an unlikely adventure. While filming a standoff on a municipal water tower, a man falls to his death. Despite the tragedy, Doug focuses on his job and attempts to capture the interviewing reporter’s reaction instead of the accidental death. The station manager fires Doug, sending him into a booze-soaked spiral down. After stealing and crashing an expensive news van, Doug Pepper becomes a fugitive on the run. However, a rival station offers Doug a unique job, guerilla reporter. He travels the nation searching for stories, filming them on his smartphone, and reporting back, all while avoiding the clutches of the law and the angry station manager. What he finds on the road knocks him out of the deeply entrenched self-absorbed tendencies.In addition to Doug’s story, “A Habit of Mind” follows the trials and tribulations of a floundering news station and its employees. As the station scrambles to deal with the slow decline of viewership, it begins to crumble from within. An obsessive station manager latches onto Doug and instead of focusing on reviving or selling the station, he sends a reporter on Doug’s trail. The reporter struggles to catch up with Doug, but Doug is busy discovering bizarre stories in America’s under visited areas. One example involves a run-down wig store in a ghost town run by an old man eager to rob graves, an adventure Doug hesitantly joins in. Doug’s journey ends in an unexpected, strange, but hopeful spot as the station itself deals with the ramifications of both Doug’s antics and the employee’s ambition.
Jim Newman created a fascinating character study in “A Habit of Mind.” While the main character is obviously the fugitive reporter Doug Pepper, the supporting cast is equally, if not, more engaging as the story progresses. Despite some minor formatting/editing issues, this is a fairly well polished novel. The writing flows nicely, the dialogue snappy and realistic, and the characters really shine. “A Habit of Mind” is a unique love story, in which Doug Pepper has to break free of his ego, and learn there is more to life than booze and pick-ups.
