It's very rare that I read self-published books. The main reason is that when you even hear about a self-published book, it's usually because you know the author -- Barnes & Noble and other brick-and-mortar stores just don't have the shelf space to dedicate to books that are more an exercise in ego for the author than presenting a good story for the reader.

Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by Bob Guess' "Waiting for the Green Flash." (Guess is a friend of the elder Hoy, and that's how I got the book. You can get the book at Amazon.com.) The book is probably best described as a coming-of-middle-age novel about a Marine officer named Choppy who finds himself out of the Corps after a pretty serious jeep accident. The majority of the story takes place in and around San Diego, and locals will recognize many of the places and events that occur throughout the novel.

Guess is a good storyteller, and he does an excellent job of making you care about this broken-down 39-year-old Marine -- a lifer -- who is adjusting to life outside the heavily regimented boundaries of the military. The supporting characters also help breathe life into the story -- who wouldn't be interested in the Steroid Brothers or the Latina Lovelies?

Guess also displays a knack for dialogue and weaves some pretty funny jokes into the story. I found myself laughing out loud on occasion at some joke or humorous incident, something that I don't often do.

There are a few times reading the book when the fact that it is self-published does stand out. These problems probably strike me more because I've worked as an editor than they would to most readers, but there are places where the writing could be tightened up to help with story flow and some redundancies here and there that could be removed, but these are minor and don't have a serious impact on the story.

"Waiting for the Green Flash" is one of the better novels I've read this year, and is certainly worth your time and money. And I'm not just saying that because the elder Hoy said: "Be nice, he's my friend" -- after all, when's the last time I did what elder Hoy told me to?

*A question to the author:* Was referring to the NCIS as the Navel Criminal Investigative Service a misspelling, or was it some Marine Corps slam at the swabbies? Just curious.