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by Larry W. Stout

Everyone is asking-"Who is Tyler Jackson?" The year is 1970, and a mysterious teenage patient at Keystone Psychiatric Hospital in Alvira, Pennsylvania displays incredible intellectual gifts and uncanny predictive powers-yet there is nothing in his background that explains where they came from. After Tyler's surprising release from the hospital, Dr. Alice Weis, the young, idealistic. female psychiatrist assigned to treat him, is determined to solve the mystery, even if it means losing her job in the process. Through a series of unexplainable encounters on a journey with Tyler across the United States, Alice at first feels like she is looking through the looking glass, but in the end discovers that it is really the hourglass. Dr. Paul Steinberg, the doctor who could solve every problem before he met Tyler, suspects Alice may be in danger, and hires a tough, street-savvy investigator named Jimmy C to guard and protect her-no matter what. The stunning secrets are unveiled through one adventure after another, with a shocking conclusion that changes every life involved.

ISBN: 143897728X
ISBN13: 978-1438977287
Category: Mystery
Subcategory: Mystery
Author: Larry W. Stout
Language: English
Publisher: AuthorHouse (April 17, 2009)
Pages: 356 pages
ePUB size: 1158 kb
FB2 size: 1588 kb
Rating: 4.5
Votes: 919
Other Formats: lit lrf mbr txt

Abandoned Electrical

Looking for an exciting read? How about a mystery novel about a team of psychiatrists trying to solve the mystery of what makes a young catatonic patient tick? How about an adventure story where we follow one of these psychiatrists on an around-the world tour with the patient, engaging in philosphical discussions the whole time?

Sound boring? You're wrong. This book is an absolute page-turner. One finds oneself unable to put it down, compelled to read another page or two to see how things would play out. I'd read at night until I fell asleep, come home from work and immediately pick the book up again.

It is hard to give a coherent plot summary that makes any sense without giving away the surprise ending; in fact, it is that quest to get things to make sense that holds the reader's attention. Suffice it to say that this is like no other book I've ever read, part mystery novel, part philosophical treatise. The philosophical discussions do not bog down or detract, but are woven into the plot as part of the mystery's unfolding solution. In the end you've been presented with a compelling case for the author's own philosophy of life, but not in a preachy way, but as the solution to a mystery.

While the book is more engrossing if you don't know the surprise ending, if someone has already told you the secret, that won't ruin it. I was given a preview of some excerpts to read last fall, including the ending. But when I got the full book, I still couldn't put it down, wanting to see how the details played out. It's written from the perspective of those who don't know the ending, and even though you do, you find yourself wanting to see how things come together for them.

Bradeya

This author has caught me with this novel like no other. When asked what I like to read, my response is almost always, "anything with an index." But I couldn't put it down. My wife, who is the director of a library and reads about two novels a week, couldn't believe it. She read it after me and bought two copies for the library. She said Hourglass hasn't taken up any space on the shelves. In fact, she hasn't seen those copies in months. As soon as it is returned, it's gone again.

Mr. Stout has written something so unique that it is challenging to describe without telling the entire story. It is full of mystery as the main character is developed. Then, just as you get to understanding what this character is about, the author takes you to another level of complexity. Stout's book is woven with threads of suspense that ultimately transcend history, all the while blended with a masterful grasp of philosophies that place this book in a category all it's own. A MUST READ.

Yozshubei

I made the mistake of starting this book late one night. The driving pace and my desire to learn "what's next?" kept me reading until after 3AM, when I finally forced myself to set the book down, only to finish it the following day. While the suspense and mystery contained in "Hourglass" make it a book that is hard to put down, it is more than just a page-turner.

"Hourglass" contains suspense, mystery, and humor but it is the way the author made me feel like I knew his characters that drew me in. The characters are rich, compelling, and---best of all---intelligent.

We follow young Tyler Jackson as he wrestles with the "bigger issues" of life. Tyler shares his thoughts with Dr. Alice Weis while taking us down a road of philosophical discussion, which includes everything from Calvin to Camus, Plato to Pascal.

Even street-smart Jimmy C---the private investigator hired to keep an eye on Tyler and make sure Alice is safe---is described as a man who as a teen had a "brilliant mind, but hated school and everything about it" and later "spent his extra hours at the library because he honestly enjoyed reading and learning new things."

These characters are thinkers, and we are challenged to think, too. As the author exposes us to writings as diverse as Karl Marx, St. Augustine, and Friedrich Nietzsche, he continues to weave in personal details about each character, helping us to discover what makes them tick.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys intriguing mysteries and suspenseful stories. Be prepared for a head-throbbing, heart-pounding read.

Joni_Dep

There are lots of different kinds of emotions that one might feel upon completing a book. I just finished "Hourglass" and I feel a certain kind of fear. Let me explain...

I fell upon this book by word of mouth, the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend. Although I started it during the work week, I finished it in 2 days. What a compelling book.

The fear comes from thinking about how many good books exist that no one ever hears about. Since this book has only 3 reviews, I assume that it has not been widely read. And I doubt that many will even note what I will write.

But this book is an exceptionally good read, and if it is indeed Mr. Stout's first novel, then he is a writer of great promise. His book is a philosophical-action-adventure-mystery novel. It reminded me very much of an American version of "Sophie's World", where one receives a well rounded philosophical education while trying to figure out what is happening to characters you care for.

Some times in this novel the author overdoes it, and some of Tyler's discourses sound like "set pieces" that the author probably uses in some sort of formal or informal teaching. At times it felt like I was reading the greatest hits of Larry Stout. On other occasions I felt that the some of the key incidents where not internally consistent even with the unique and creative premise that provides the surprise ending. However, I may be too picky.

But my greater point is that the intelligent reader needs to know that books like this exist, and we need to encourage intelligent authors like Larry Stout, Dan Brown, and others to keep writing and challenging us. I know that I will spend some time meditating about the life of Tyler Jackson, and I am concerned about how close I came to missing out on such an extraordinary book.

Download Hourglass epub

by Larry W. Stout

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