The Conspiracy Kid

A sonnet is penned and, lo, the Conspiracy Kid Fan Club is born. Beware. To read this sonnet is to join the Club. Membership is automatic and irreversible.
This is the story of the earliest unwitting Conspiracy Kid Fan Club members: Edwin Mars (poet), Joe Claude (billionaire), Walter Cornelius (werewolf), Muriel Cohen (chef),
to name but a few.
Or, as Edwin Mars, being a poet, puts it:

This is the story of Joe Claude and me,
And of my son and the sisters he loved,
And of their father, how he came to be
In a graveyard - naked and uni-gloved;
Hamburgers, hurricanes, murder and string,
Werewolves and waiters and barmen and cooks,
From Maine to Biloxi, Mayfair to Pring,
Furniture, ketamine, golfing and books;
Marriages made and broken and mended
Under the shadow of loved ones who died.
See how the grieving billionaire ended
Up in that prison where laughter’s proscribed.
Will he be rescued then? Read and find out
What The Conspiracy Kid’s all about.

*May Contain Spoilers*

E.P. Rose unites a motley crew of characters in his novel, The Conspiracy Kid. Whether read on accident or on purpose, The Conspiracy Kid Fan Club will welcome anyone as a member when all fourteen lines have been completed. 

There are an abundance of characters that coalesce to create the Conspiracy Kid network. And though, the Conspiracy Kid doesn't actually exist, he is, essentially, the main character. All other characters revolve around his fantastical nature. Readers, therefore, have the opportunity to relate to one supporting character of their choosing, or to a number of characters. The fact that every reader of this book is automatically in the Fan Club helps to create an initial connection to the characters, preceding the sonnet's story.

Edwin is the poet who is dealing with the loss of his beloved. Joe, the billionaire, struggles to discover what his life is missing, also dealing with the pain of his daughter's death. Iris and Muriel are estranged sisters who not only have just lost their mother, but are also about to lose their father. Richard, son of the poet, wants to run his own business. Connected by these five characters, the cast grows quickly as the membership count of the Fan Club steadily rising. 

The plot of the novel begins with Edwin writing the Conspiracy Kid sonnet and ends with a public production. Readers witness each character overcome their obstacles after becoming a club member, as if the Conspiracy Kid had something to do with that. Through death and life, success and failure, acceptance and learning, readers will connect with at least one character. Though the strength of the connection will be questionable, it won't stop readers from enjoying the novel's wit and unique writing style.

Rating: 3/5 Cups