Point Deception by Jim Gilliam is action packed with excellent character development throughout. The tale follows Tim Kelly, a spunky Irish kid who is befriended by some diverse characters: a pair of scrappy brothers; a drug cartel overlord; and a local deputy. Through these friends, Tim sees both sides of the law.  He is a hopeless romantic and is ready to take on the world…on his own terms. We follow Tim as he leaves home at sixteen to make it on his own. This is where the real story starts to unfold. Being sixteen, on your own during the 60s was a dangerous adventure which Tim sees first hand. Even though he is challenged through the trials and errors of youth, it is not until he experiences intense action in Vietnam on a Coast Guard patrol boat that the reader starts to see the man evolving from the boy. Tim, now years older in experience, is still battling youth and its impulsiveness. Impulsiveness that has him fall in love, be kicked out of the Coast Guard and betray a life long friend.

Point Deception is a quick read and has surprising depth of character and plot for a short novel. Gilliam's personal experiences shine through in the novel, but the writing style with extra spacing read almost like a screenplay. That being said, I read it in one sitting wanting to know what would happen next to Tim. I was a bit disappointed that it ended so quickly with no closure on his love interest.  The author is working on a sequel and left me wanting to know what will happen next in Tim's life.