Jan Phillips series by Michael Halfhill – Book 1: Whatever Happened to Jan Phillips?; Book
2: Sons
I read the first of the “Jan Phillips” books a couple years
ago. Just finished the second one, and
there’s a third, “Sparkles” just out a month ago on my TBR list. The first two books are rather different stories, and I’m
going to break this review into two sections (in case anyone doesn’t want
spoilers for Book 2).
Whatever Happened to
Jan Phillips?
That’s a good question!
From Jan’s beyond-humble beginnings - a desperate young man, turning to
hustling on the corners of Philadelphia because his mother cannot afford to
feed and house him along with his siblings – to a world of wealth, power, and
literally global responsibility far from anything Jan could have ever imagined,
rather a lot happened to Jan Phillips, actually.
From the windows of his redoubtable flat, Tim Morris spots
painfully vulnerable Jan down on the street and finds he fancies a bit of
rough. Tim is able to help Jan out of
his dire straits, and gets a live-in lover to boot. It’s all very convenient for both of them,
but Jan has has the cagey streak of a vulnerable street kid who’s never really
had the luxury of being able to figure out who he is without considering
someone else’s needs and wants. There’s
a lot of tension between Tim and Jan because of that, but also because Tim is
not exactly able to be 100% above-board with Jan.
Tim, you see, is the North American head of a worldwide
secret society known as Mundus. Think of
something like the Knights Templar.
Behind-the-scenes international intrigue. They get done by sub rosa guile what more
conventional diplomacy and muscle cannot.
There’s no small amount of danger in a line like that, as Jan quickly
finds out.
Ultimately, though, Tim comes to see the value in taking Jan
into his confidence. It helps that Jan
is also being groomed to follow in Tim’s footsteps as the head of the massively
powerful law firm, Templars of Law. Meanwhile,
Jan is starting to feel like his life is being decided for him, yet again, and
begins to buck. Jan’s idea of bucking
breaks Tim’s heart, a fact Jan will have to live with for the rest of his
days.
After losing Tim, Jan comes to grow into his mantle as North
American head of Mundus and top man at the law firm. He finds love again with Michael, the
proprietor of an Asian imports shop. All
seems to be going Jan’s way at last…. Which
is always when you’ve got to worry! No
spoilers here, though.
Whatever Happened to
Jan Phillips? is a very well-crafted blend of high-intrigue and deep
character study. A fantastic, highly
satisfying read that I wholly recommend.
Jan Phillips has something to
offer just about every literary taste, the only thing it being light on is
fluff.
The second Jan
Phillips installment is quite a different offering. Whereas with Whatever Happened… I was left with much more the impression of
international intrigue, Sons was much
more character-driven. Jan and his role
in Mundus is still very much in evidence, but the focus this time around is the
re-emergence of Jan’s past – in the form of Colin, the son Jan did not know he
had until his ex-sister-in-law abandons Colin with Jan on New Year’s Eve.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the apple and Colin isn’t at
all unlike Jan as a teenager – cagey, desperate for independence, driven, not
always very sensitive to the feelings of others. Colin’s drive has a way of making him oblivious
to the pitfalls of a plan. Being the son
of an extremely powerful man, but also being a not-so-street-smart kid makes
for a very dangerous combination.
It’s a good thing for Colin and his girlfriend that Jan has
the resources that he does at his command!
But again… no spoilers.
This is another beautifully written selection from the
Phillips series, quite different to the first story, but also very much true to
the original spirit and feel of Book 1. I was quite glad to find there is a third installment, because Sons definitely left me wanting more - again. Mr. Halfhill has a subtle hand with the connecting details, not
rehashing everything but giving the reader enough reminders to make the
connections – and to make you want to go back and re-read Whatever Happened to Jan Phillips?
Which might just be what I do before picking up Sparkles.
