Chisholm’s 2nd book reads like a whirlwind

Don’t let the title fool you.

The words “The Considerate Jackass” generally don’t bring to mind things like intrigue, murder and twisted public servants.

But that’s what it’s all about.

“The Considerate Jackass” is a novel by John Chisholm of Levant. It is the fourth book to be published by the Levant Heritage Library, with all proceeds from the sale benefiting the library. It is the second book by Chisholm, who is the library’s treasurer, to be published as a library fundraiser.

The novel is set in Maine, although at times it is a Maine painted with a note of desperation, which is not surprising when the title character is struggling for his life in more ways than one.

The main character, Jim, bumbles into a situation – involving a woman, of course – that turns his life upside down in record time. He ends up in jail, witnesses a shooting, loses his job, faces a rap from the district attorney – and that’s in just the first few chapters.

Things only go downhill from there for our hapless protagonist, who finally begins to realize that something just ain’t right in Dodge, er, Bangor.

And that’s when he decides he isn’t going to be so considerate anymore. At least, not when it means he might end up dead if one rotten scoundrel has his way.

The path to the truth is littered with dirty laundry and violence, but Jim gets his revenge, leaving the streets of Dodge, er, Bangor, safe again.

The novel is for sale at BookMarc’s in Bangor, at the Levant town office and at the library. It costs $13.86 plus tax. The Levant library, on Route 222, is open 5-8 p.m. Monday and Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. For details on price and shipping costs, call the library at 884-8988. Inquiries also may be sent to Levant Heritage Library, P.O. Box 1, Levant 04456. Janine Pineo is the BDN systems editor. She also edited the manuscript for Chisholm last year, offering a few comments on commas, a few more comments on capitalization and then some pithy comments about the state of the main character’s love life and idea of commitment. Despite that, her name ended up in the acknowledgements.