Strange Things Have Happened Since I Started Reading Rob Wells

by Julie Coulter Bellon

Strange things have been happening since I started reading Rob Wells' books. Before I tell you about them however, I have to give you a little review of Wake Me When It's Over.

Wake Me When It's Over is the story of Eric, a normal guy, who sees his sorta, kinda, girlfriend maybe kidnapped. That event starts an incredible mystery that includes college friends and shady characters---most of whom seem straightforward, but some that seem trustworthy aren't---and the reader can never be sure who can really be trusted or not. It's amazing plotting and an original storyline that is really hard to put down and kept me guessing until the end. I also liked how real the main characters were. They're just ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events and they bumble through. Wells' humor shines through and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the one-liners. I also liked that the religious element was there, but it wasn't obvious, and the main characters were so layered and flawed, it was just like you were going through the whole thing with old friends. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. I've just started reading The Counterfeit and I am loving this one even better than Wake Me. But I have to put a little warning on it, because here's what happened to me when I started reading these books.

I was on the last page of Wake Me When It's Over, feeling happy with the resolution we got, sadness that it was over, relief that it was a happy ending sort of, and well, kind of mad at the cliffhanger, when all of the sudden a little black bug landed on the page. Not only landed there, but promptly died. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. I didn't know what to do. Do I scrape the little dead carcass off the beautiful white page? Pretend it's an extra period? Shut the book and entomb him forever in this fine LDS literature? Why would he choose that moment to die? Is the book really to die for? Did he have any last thoughts?

Then, when I started reading The Counterfeit (which has an amazing setting so far by the way. I love Washington). There was a car explosion in the book (I don't know how exactly to explain Maurice so I'll just say car) and that very day I dropped my daughter off at school and a teacher's car mysteriously exploded in the parking lot. Not a movie-type car explosion, but a small explosion and fire that caused the police department to come out, evacuate buildings, students, and generally cause a lot of excitement over the fire.

That same day, I found a few more moments to read The Counterfeit and I got to the part in the book that has a description of a door that had a big fat owl on it. Just as I was reading that line, the phone rang and it was a friend of mine. She wanted to share a story with me. (Before I continue I have to warn you that there is some gore and eww factor here so you may not want to go on). She was driving down the road at 4:00 a.m. and an owl crashed into the grill of her truck. Her and her husband got out to look at it and there was blood everywhere. She looked at the poor little owl and asked her husband if they could take him home and have him stuffed, but her husband reminded her that was against the law. Before they could think too much about it however, the owl flapped back to life, scared the living tar out of them, and flew away. The blood all over the truck was from the mouse that had been in the mouth of the owl.

I'm almost frightened at the things that have been happening since I started reading Rob Wells' books, but I can't resist it. I have to know what happens. Just because Rob Wells is that good of a writer, I will risk any future danger (to a point) to finish the book. But if you don't hear from me for a while or if you dare to read the books yourselves, don't say I didn't warn you.