Book Review: YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE by Harris Orkin

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE by Harris Orkin (Black Rose Writing, February 2022) Paperback, 215 pages. ISBN # 1684339626 / 9781684339624 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

James Flynn believes he's an expert shot, a black belt in karate, fluent in four languages and irresistible to women. He’s also a heavily medicated patient in a Los Angeles psychiatric hospital. Flynn believes his locked ward is the headquarters of Her Majesty’s Secret Service and that he is a secret agent with a license to kill. 

When the hospital is acquired by a new HMO, Flynn is convinced that the Secret Service has been infiltrated by the enemy. He escapes to save the day, and in the process, Flynn kidnaps a young Hispanic orderly named Sancho. 

This crazy day trip turns into a very real adventure when Flynn is mistaken for an actual secret agent. Paranoid delusions have suddenly become reality, and now it’s up to a mental patient and a terrified orderly to bring down an insecure, evil genius bent on world domination.

Editorial Reviews

“A brilliant homage to everyone’s favorite super-spy, and a hilarious, action-packed, made-for-the-movies thriller about a man suavely dancing along both sides of the thin line between heroism and madness.” —Matt Forbeck, New York Times bestselling author of Halo: New Blood

"Orkin skillfully manages to create a story that is genuinely amusing, tenderly moving, and decidedly thoughtful. A manically funny farce both delightfully absurd and strangely plausible." - Kirkus

“Pacey and unrepentant fun, Haris Orkin’s You Only Live Once takes the James Bond mythos, gives it a swift kick in the backside and steals its wallet.” —James Swallow, New York Times bestselling author of Nomad 

“Fill shaker with ice. Add equal parts Ian Fleming and Quentin Tarantino. Shake (do not stir). Garnish with Douglas Adams, and you get You Only Live Once.” —Dan Jolley, USA Today bestselling author of the Gray Widow Trilogy

“A sexy, slapstick, razzle-dazzle, rock’em-sock’em re-imagining of Don Quixote as James Bond emerging from deep cover in a mental hospital to save the world." Charles Harper Webb, award-winning author of Brain Candy

Orkin’s twist on the spy narrative is fast-paced and exciting, packed with thrilling action and close calls. This novel is incredibly well written; the action sequences are finely crafted and the descriptive passages are lovely. - Publisher's Weekly 

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     Escape is the essential word here in describing this novel. A delightful return to a more innocent time, recalling those classic 1960's - 1970's secret agent movies, with a more modern protagonist who exhibits all the moves of James Bond but just might be insane, or at minimum, mentally challenged.

     James Flynn is a quirky patient in a mental hospital who believes and/or imagines he's a licensed-to-kill member of Her Majesty's Secret Service and the hospital is actually MI6's headquarters. 

     Fast-paced and easy to read, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE is a funny and entertaining introduction to this series. Writer Orkin manages to keep readers guessing right up until the very end - - - are these adventures a pure product of Flynn's imagination or are they occurring in real time? Is he really that skilled, athletic, and intuitive or just a mental patient replaying his fantasies in his waking daydreams? 

     I just decided to treat this like I do many science fiction, fantasy and horror novels - - put that disbelief in suspension and just go along for the ride.