Confessions of a Knight Errant is a comedic, picaresque novel in the tradition of Don Quixote with a flamboyant cast of characters.
Dr. Gary Watson is the picaro, a radical environmentalist and wannabe novelist who has been accused of masterminding a computer hack that wiped out the files of a major publishing company. His Sancho Panza is Kharalombos, a fat, gluttonous Greek dancing teacher, who is wanted by the secret police for cavorting with the daughter of the Big Man of Egypt.
Self-preservation necessitates a hurried journey to the refuge of a girls’ camp in rural Texas. Then a body turns up nearby that is connected to Middle East antiquities, and they are on the run once more.
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ONE WINNER!
This book has a hodgepodge of eclectic characters and settings that kept me turning the pages just to find out what debacle would occur next.
Dr. Gary Watson is a college professor with an innate passion for the environment. He’s dedicated years of his life to writing about the pollution of the Nile River. But now, he’s on the Interpol wanted list for sabotage, and he must travel incognito to avoid arrest. He is the narrator of this tale.
The story opens with him and his friend, Kharalombos, a fat, gluttonous Greek dancing teacher, arriving in Cairo, Egypt, on a mission. It seems that Dr. Watson’s manuscript, his life’s work, is missing, and the only backup copy on a flash drive was lost when he dropped it down an elevator shaft. There is only one hard copy left, and it is in Cairo. Kharalombos just wants to see his son, Nunu, conceived after an affair with the daughter of the ruler of Egypt.
The opening scene at the Cairo airport sets the tone for the rest of the book. A German lady, Gudrun, and her traveling companion arrive at the same time as Watson and Kharalombos. But there is no transport to be found. There is a revolution in Egypt, and the city is on lockdown. The immediate attraction between Gudrun and Kharalombos had me laughing.
Outrageous situations, scenes, and characters appear throughout this book. Add a cast of animals to the scenarios, and you have nothing short of total chaos at times. I would have a hard time picking a favorite character, but Kharalombos is definitely unforgettable.
From Cairo, Egypt, to a Christian summer camp in Schulenberg, Texas, the story escalates and intertwines. At times I wondered how the author would connect all the dots, but she does, and the story draws to a satisfactory conclusion.
If you are looking for a story designed for pure entertainment, with an array of characters and settings, with a few laughs along the way, you will enjoy this book, as I did.
