Book Review: “Running” by Dave Milbrandt
The most recent novel by political science teacher Dave Milbrandt, “Running,” is the third installment in the Jim Mitchell series. Milbrandt created a fast paced political thriller that I couldn’t put down. Chaos follows former journalist Jim Mitchell as he is propelled into a vacant assembly seat after an assassin guns down his boss.
This suspenseful story effectively engages the reader, but at only 204 pages it felt rushed. The story explores the political process, gun violence’s effect on communities and domestic terrorism. It doesn’t shy away from difficult real world subjects like shootings, which have been more and more common in the news.
The family dynamic of Jim’s funny, endearing relationship with his pregnant wife Melissa and niece Rebecca provided a nice balance to the otherwise dramatic novel.
Photo by Alana Daly
Professor Dave Milbrandt shares his newest novel in the Jim Mitchell series with students before class on May 30, 2018.
Milbrandt’s passion for politics comes through in his writing, especially in the second half of the novel. Having taken his political theory class, I can definitely see how the teacher’s humor with his students influenced Jim Mitchell’s relationship with his niece and high school social science teacher Terry Gould.
Milbrandt himself has been a teacher at San Dimas High School for 13 years and an adjunct professor of political science at Citrus for seven years.
A large portion of “Running” focuses on Gould, a character Milbrandt originally created while working on a short story. “Since I also have taught high school social science classes, writing the scenes between Jim and Terry in the book sort of felt like me having a conversation with myself,” he said. I enjoyed Gould’s perspective and wish Milbrandt spent more time building these scenes.
He was clearly inspired by his own experiences during the writing process. Prior to teaching, Milbrandt was a journalist at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. “Like Jim, I have been a reporter, a college professor and worked on political campaigns,” he admitted.
As a non-religious reader who hadn’t read the first two books, I felt isolated from the story when many of the characters prayed before or after major events. I asked Milbrandt about the series’ Christian theme in an email.
“After the worst happens (in book one “Chasing Deception”), Jim has to come to terms with the fact that he isn’t the most important person in the universe and that it might be time to believe in something higher than himself,” he said.
Milbrandt currently has five books available exclusively for sale on Amazon print and Kindle formats. Pick it up for an exciting summer read and stop by Classic Coffee in Glendora to order the “Jim Mitchell,” a frozen hot chocolate.
