Publisher: Dead Tree Publishing
Publication Date: April 2, 2018
Number of Pages: 249
A town has gone dry, and the general manager of a water district is found dead, presumably a suicide. His crazed widow is in denial and recklessly loose-lipped. Texas House District 100 is again in turmoil, and the interests of the landed class against urban sprawl are at odds.
Enter John David Dothan (The Representative). The world’s hippest legislator is back, but he is a changed man. Post-stroke Dothan dons an eccentric cane and is married to his former chief of staff, Tryphena Taylor. The two lovers reside peacefully tucked away in a country cottage with their rescued cat. But they are swimming against the tide.
Caught between the past and the future, the rural and the urban, the representative is trapped in a no-win situation both politically and emotionally. When a constituent brings to his attention a mysterious ‘retention pond’ things grow increasingly murky. The waters turn completely dark when Dothan learns his forbidden first love, former State Senator Rachael Logan has been hospitalized.
Armed with only his cane and sidekick, Mason Dixon (The District Manager), who serves as his new Chief of Staff, Dothan sets aside the ambiguities of politics and love in search of clarity and righteousness. But the cost of doing the right thing might not just be his young marriage…but Tryphena’s life.
Clueless Gent’s Rating
When I read The Water Lord, I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction. The story seemed quite real! Matt Minor encapsulated the very essence of Texas politics – at both the state and local levels.
When a town literally runs out of water, we all know who people will blame: the government! But who’s fault is it really? State representative JD Dothan is determined to get to the bottom of it, regardless of who owns the toes he might have to step on. However, he has no idea just how dangerous that quest will be for both himself and his new bride.
Although many politicians – even in Texas – are long on rhetoric and short on action, there’s nothing boring in this gripping drama. It is well paced with enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing.
The Politics of The Water Lord
I thought the politics in this story were right on point. We get a first hand perspective of how JD Dothan deals with district constituents – both individual and corporate, as well as Texas legislative leadership. We become privy to JD’s process of deciding whether to do what is easiest or what is right. Regardless of which decision he makes, there will be ramifications that need to be faced.
I was quite interested in the unique relationship between JD and his Chief of Staff, Mason Dixon. They were friends, they had to work closely, yet each had to speak his own mind.
I don’t think Tryphena Taylor was the typical legislative wife. However, as JD’s wife she has an important role in the story. The author frequently changed the POV between JD and Tryphena, so we had the opportunity to see how each of them observed and processed the events of the story.
Technically Speaking
There were very few SPAG issues.
The pacing was great, and the character arcs were well defined. However, they didn’t all go where I thought they’d go, but that’s a good thing.
The author included a subplot about JD and his former love interest. It only had minor interaction with the main storyline. I’m guessing this relationship was created in a prior story. I think a little more backstory about this relationship should be included in this novel for that subplot to be more meaningful to the reader. However, it didn’t take too much away from my overall enjoyment of the story.
I plan on reading other stories by Matt Minor, and I wholeheartedly recommend this one!
Matt Minor resides on his ranch property in Wharton County, Texas. He lives in Austin during legislative session.
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