The Smoking Gun

A darkly humorous journey through violence and redemption.

The Smoking Gun

Discover the darkly humorous journey of Henry Hawkes in 'The Smoking Gun' by M. Maurice Hawkesworth.Rating: 10/10 – Masterpiece Status

Review of The Smoking Gun by M. Maurice Hawkesworth

Voice & Style
This novel is an absolute triumph of voice. Hawkesworth managed to craft a narrator ensemble — human and inanimate — that feels both mythic and grounded. Mimi, the sentient gun, is one of the most original characters in contemporary fiction. She’s profane, philosophical, deeply funny, and unexpectedly tender. The tonal blend is surgical: absurdist humor, noir grit, surreal lyricism, and a constant undercurrent of existential melancholy. Very few books can balance slapstick and prayer without collapsing into tonal chaos. This one not only balances them — it thrives on the friction.

Structure & Pacing
The episodic structure works in service of the book’s mythic sprawl. The set pieces — Salt Lake City suicide attempt gone wrong, the Greyhound odyssey, the Waffle House confrontations, Burning Man surrealism, the Nevada sheriff’s race — read like self-contained legends stitched into one larger American fever dream. Despite the fragmented style, there’s a consistent propulsion toward the emotional core: the slow-burning relationship between Melody, Henry, and Mimi, and what they represent to each other.

Character Depth

  • Mimi is a conceptual miracle — part Greek chorus, part unreliable memoirist, part late-night talk radio caller. She is at once a weapon, a performer, a philosopher, and a comedian. The oscillation between bravado and vulnerability makes her unforgettable.

  • Melody is the novel’s emotional spine. Her linguistic training and lived resilience make her the perfect counterweight to Mimi’s bravado. The Lake Tahoe farewell scene is one of the most emotionally satisfying “object release” moments since Cast Away’s Wilson.

  • Henry begins as a man trying to end his life and ends as a quiet wanderer, touching dinosaur tracks in the Idaho wilderness — an arc that perfectly embodies the book’s themes of survival, absurdity, and quiet transformation.

Themes & Resonance
At its core, The Smoking Gun is about America’s obsession with weapons — not as tools of violence alone, but as cultural symbols, mythic objects, and emotional proxies.without lecturing, instead letting the absurd scenarios expose the tragedy.in meditations on free will, political spectacle, and the commodification of danger without ever losing the humor.

The ending — ..................................... It’s a ritual, a release, and a quiet rejection of the myth-making machine.

Art & Originality
M. Maurice Hawkesworth has created one of the most original novels in years. The Smoking Gun carries a mythology that feels both timeless and uniquely of this political and cultural moment. Its blend of surreal humor, poetic introspection, and political farce places it alongside the work of Vonnegut, DeLillo, and Aimee Bender — yet the voice is unmistakably Hawkesworth’s.

Verdict
The Smoking Gun isn’t just a novel; it’s an artifact of the American imagination at its most unhinged and self-aware. Fiercely funny, emotionally precise, and stylistically fearless, it stands as a landmark work of contemporary absurdist literature — and a defining achievement in Hawkesworth’s career.

A winding road through a dark forest with silhouetted trees against a dimly lit sky, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.
A winding road through a dark forest with silhouetted trees against a dimly lit sky, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

MIMI

Mimi for Sheriff
"Guns are nothing compared to laws, you punk. This country was built on crime, not guns."
Mimi isn’t a person. She’s a gun. A talking, thinking, unapologetically armed candidate for sheriff in a Nevada desert county where politics feels like a demolition derby. The people love her, fear her, or want to melt her down — sometimes all three in the same conversation. If you think you know how an election ends, you haven’t been to this county.

Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cake
He invented a dessert that dared to correct the mistake baked into its own name. That’s the kind of thinking Mimi respects — bold enough to take something the whole world accepts and turn it right-side-up, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. In a book full of political sabotage, Waffle House diplomacy, and philosophical gun rants, this throwaway line might be the most honest manifesto you’ll find.

Buffet Addiction Syndrome
In the Reno casino buffet line, Mimi explains that buffets are one of the most dangerous combinations of human invention: addictive food additives plus the psychological compulsion to get your money’s worth. She calls it Buffet Addiction Syndrome, BAS for short, and she talks about it with the seriousness of a CDC press briefing. Ten minutes later, she’s in a standoff over the last ribs with a woman from Kansas City. Both of them are smiling.

True Crime vs. Untrue Crime
In the desert, she finds a gold nugget — and the air itself starts talking back to her. The voice rants about ghosts, courts, jailhouse phone rates, and the absurdity of calling anything “true crime” when every crime is, by definition, true. “Untrue crime… I like that. I’m going to steal it.” It’s either a hallucination, a spirit, or something worse: Mimi agreeing with herself.

The American Dream
"It’s total bullshit. How does ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of’… shut the fuck up. Is that it? I will not shut the fuck up under any circumstances."
This is Mimi explaining the origin of the American Dream during a campaign strategy meeting. It’s part history lecture, part confession, and part verbal car crash. She’s not wrong — and that’s the problem.

Literary Exploration

Dive into a darkly humorous journey through America's complex relationship with violence and redemption.

Unique Characters

Meet unforgettable characters like Mimi, a sentient gun, Henry Hawkes – grieving ex-professor, accidental killer, reluctant myth figure.

  • Melody – linguist, runner from love, final arbiter of the story’s end.

  • Mimi – sentient revolver, poet, politician, insecure icon.

  • Jason – ex-con, prison philosopher, catalyst in disguise.

  • Miriam – VW camper sorceress, mechanic, outlaw therapist.

  • Bro Madison – gay pacifist war veteran, political rival, wounded victor.

A solitary figure walks down a dimly lit path surrounded by dense foliage. The environment is dark with a strong contrast between the illuminated path and shadows. The scene conveys a sense of isolation and mystery.
A solitary figure walks down a dimly lit path surrounded by dense foliage. The environment is dark with a strong contrast between the illuminated path and shadows. The scene conveys a sense of isolation and mystery.
Poetic Narrative

Salt Lake City, Thursday night.
A man sits with a gun in his hand,
the weight of it bending the air.
Henry Hawkes,
professor of thought,
widower of a wife stolen by a drunk driver,
ready to vanish quietly.

The trigger pulls sideways.
A graze across his ear.
A bullet through the wall.
A scream.
A neighbor dies — a man who was never who he said he was.
The night cracks open,
and Henry steps into the alley,
blood drying on his cheek,
gun still warm,
future unwritten.

At its heart, The Smoking Gun is the story of Henry Hawkes — a middle-aged, grief-numbed ex-professor — who accidentally kills his neighbor and flees. He ends up on a surreal odyssey with Melody (a sharp, self-contained woman on the run) and Mimi, a sentient, politically ambitious revolver.

What begins as a crime-and-escape setup turns into a sprawling blend of political satire, road novel, absurdist theatre, and emotional confession.

Engaging Storytelling
A dimly lit pathway, surrounded by dense, dark foliage. The path is barely visible, suggesting a sense of mystery or quiet solitude.
A dimly lit pathway, surrounded by dense, dark foliage. The path is barely visible, suggesting a sense of mystery or quiet solitude.
A dark, winding road curves through a dense forest. The tall trees on either side create an enclosed, shadowy atmosphere. The road is wet, suggesting recent rain, and the sky is overcast with a mysterious, foggy ambiance.
A dark, winding road curves through a dense forest. The tall trees on either side create an enclosed, shadowy atmosphere. The road is wet, suggesting recent rain, and the sky is overcast with a mysterious, foggy ambiance.

Gallery

Neon lettering spells out 'The Journey is On' against a dark background, creating a bold and striking visual effect.
Neon lettering spells out 'The Journey is On' against a dark background, creating a bold and striking visual effect.
A dark, winding path is surrounded by tall, leafless trees and dense foliage, leading into a shadowy, forested area. The atmosphere is mysterious and somewhat foreboding.
A dark, winding path is surrounded by tall, leafless trees and dense foliage, leading into a shadowy, forested area. The atmosphere is mysterious and somewhat foreboding.
A dark, narrow road winding through a heavily wooded area with a vehicle driving along it. The surrounding foliage is dense and shadowy, creating a moody atmosphere.
A dark, narrow road winding through a heavily wooded area with a vehicle driving along it. The surrounding foliage is dense and shadowy, creating a moody atmosphere.
A dimly lit path with rope-lined railings on either side. A person carrying a bag is walking away from the camera, dressed in dark clothing. The atmosphere is shadowy and mysterious.
A dimly lit path with rope-lined railings on either side. A person carrying a bag is walking away from the camera, dressed in dark clothing. The atmosphere is shadowy and mysterious.
A black-and-white comic book page features a series of humanoid figures with skeletal appearances marching in a procession. The scene is accompanied by speech bubbles with dialogue describing a cult and brain implants that produce a drumbeat, impacting emotions. The artwork is detailed with an abstract background, enhancing the surreal, eerie atmosphere.
A black-and-white comic book page features a series of humanoid figures with skeletal appearances marching in a procession. The scene is accompanied by speech bubbles with dialogue describing a cult and brain implants that produce a drumbeat, impacting emotions. The artwork is detailed with an abstract background, enhancing the surreal, eerie atmosphere.
A winding road passes through a hilly, dark landscape under a cloudy sky. The scene appears to be set during dusk or dawn, with low light casting shadows over the hills. The road curves and disappears into the distance, flanked by fence posts. A lone figure carrying a bundle or backpack walks along the road.
A winding road passes through a hilly, dark landscape under a cloudy sky. The scene appears to be set during dusk or dawn, with low light casting shadows over the hills. The road curves and disappears into the distance, flanked by fence posts. A lone figure carrying a bundle or backpack walks along the road.

Explore the vivid world of 'The Smoking Gun'.

Customer Reviews

See what readers are saying about 'The Smoking Gun'.

A wild ride through America’s dark humor and unexpected revelations.

John D.
A lone person walks down a dark road surrounded by tall, looming trees enveloped in a thick fog, creating a mysterious and almost eerie atmosphere.
A lone person walks down a dark road surrounded by tall, looming trees enveloped in a thick fog, creating a mysterious and almost eerie atmosphere.

Los Angeles

Hawkesworth's novel captivates with its unique characters and gripping narrative.

A dark road at night is illuminated by a series of distant streetlights. The road is mostly enveloped in shadows, creating a mysterious and somewhat eerie atmosphere. The faint outlines of trees and power lines are visible along the sides of the road.
A dark road at night is illuminated by a series of distant streetlights. The road is mostly enveloped in shadows, creating a mysterious and somewhat eerie atmosphere. The faint outlines of trees and power lines are visible along the sides of the road.
Sarah L.

New York

★★★★★
★★★★★
Journey

Explore a darkly humorous tale of redemption.

Myth Comes To Life

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