A Flash of Green by John D. MacDonald

A Flash of Green by John D. MacDonald

Finally finished this book, and I have to say, it ended strangely. Jimmy Wing, local newspaper reporter, falls in with Elmo Bliss, local mover and shaker. Elmo is trying to put together a big land development deal and wants to Jimmy to nose around, find out what the opposition is up to, and maybe discourage them a bit. Things are all going along smoothly, but then we start getting some small annoyances, trash being dumped, harrassing phone calls, that sort of thing. And then there are couple of incidents where some thugs get rough with some people and one woman ends up in the hospital. Well, Jimmy doesn't cotton to this kind of thing, so he writes a story denouncing Elmo as a thug and grifter, but he can't get it published in the paper on account of everyone is lining up behind this big new development that is going to make everyone a bunch of money. So Jimmy beats up the publisher and kidnaps him and slides his story into the paper.

Jimmy loses his job, as he expected, but it has no effect on the project. It does make a bunch of people angry with him. So now he is deflated and he just lies around the house for a week or so. Everyone, including me, kind of expects him to pack up and move on, but he doesn't. Instead he starts going out to bars where Elmo's supporters congregate and denounces Elmo. As you might expect, he gets the snot beat out him and ends up in the hospital, not once but thrice. Finally Elmo comes to see him, he wonders what Jimmy thinks he's doing, what is he going to do, what is he thinking? Jimmy? Jimmy is going to be Elmo's life long enemy. He wants his job back at the paper, and he knows Elmo can arrange it, and here's the kicker -  Elmo does. The explanation makes a certain amount of sense, but just barely. It's just weird man.

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