Robert Goolrick (1948–2022)

Heading out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick was a book I purchased for my kindle by mistake and thought what the heck will give it a go as the process of retuning it just seemed like too much bother.

I was pleasantly surprised after reading the first chapter of this novel as the prose, the characters and the plot had me totally hooked.

The novel is set in the small town of Brownsburg, a quiet and sleepy town in the valley of Virginia. In the summer of 1948 a stranger arrives in town by the name of Charlie Beale who recently returned back from war in Europe. Charlie's few possessions include two suitcases containing a set of butcher knives and case full of cash. Charlie keeps himself to himself and gets a job at the local butchers and it is here Charlie encounters the beautiful wife of wealthy Boaty Glass and instantly becomes obsessed with this young woman and from this first encounter the story becomes a wonderful suspenseful read which was hard to put down.

I found heading out to wonderful a captivating read with well formed and interesting characters and a wonderful suspenseful plot. Although this is a story which has been told over and over, Robert Goolrick's ability to write with passion and imaginary that is seldom found in books like this make this book such a passionate and compelling read with twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
There are certainly unanswered questions in the novel but I always applaud a writer for this as it makes the reader think for themselves and makes books like Heading Out to Wonderful great discussion reads for book clubs.
Really enjoyed this novel and will add more of this author's books to my library.… (more)