Jono Riley is a struggling actor/bartender in NYC but instead of being a fresh young face, Jono is 51 years old, divorced, and definitely only off off Broadway caliber. He recieves a letter from a childhood friend, Cubby D'Agostino, informing Jono that Cubby's sister Marie had recently passed away. The letter sends Jono down memory lane and eventually back to East Providence, RI, where he grew up with his 3 best friends, Cubby, Bobby Fontes and Billy Fontarelli. Marie, just two years older than the 4 boys, was the first girl that Jono ever had feelings for. He recalled the day when he was 12 and Marie 14 as they walked home from the skating pond. The fields were covered with fresh snow and the two impulsively made side-by-side snow angels. As Marie rose to her feet a bullet slammed into her left shoulder. In the emergency room at the local hospital the D'Agosino's are told that the bullet is too close to a major artery and it would be much safer to leave the bullet in place. Forty years later the bullet had become what the doctor's called a 'traveler' and Marie has now officially been murdered by an unknow assailant. As Jono revisits his childhood town, as well as Cubby and Bobby, he begins to feel that there is something about the day that Marie was shot that he needs to remember in order to let his first love have the closure she deserves and bring the culprit to justice.

I really enjoyed this story especially Jono's memories of his teenaged years with his three friends. The time period is the 1960's and, since I grew up during that time period myself, so much of Jono's story rang true. I didn't care for his forays into acting quite so much because he seemed a bit too old to be still pursuing something that is not going to happen. He has a lovely woman who is ready to move forward with their relationship but he is mysteriously dragging his feet. By the end of the book his reluctance to commit is understandable. It is a satisfying story with great characters, a good mystery, and an ending that makes sense.
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"Traveler introduces Jono Riley, a fifty-something part-time actor and bartender living in Manhattan and specializing in one-hander (one-character) plays, usually performed in run-down theatres where the attendance averages only a handful of people at night. Traveler begins with a letter from Cubby D'Agastino, one of Jono's buddy's from back home informing him that his sister Marie, a girl to whom, as Jono asserts, "I have compared all women since," has died. The news propels Jono to travel back in time and revisit the old working-class East Providence neighborhood where he grew up. McLarty brilliantly weaves scenes between past and present, and takes his readers on a rich and heartrending journey through the story of Jono's coming-of-age in the early 1960s with his three best friends Cubby, Billy, and Bobby, to the shocking narrative that unfolds as he returns forty years later to uncover the cause of his first love Marie's death."
This is just the book I needed to read to distract my tired mind. Ron McLarty has created a wonderful credible cast of characters. The chapters alternate and move fluidly between past and present providing a gripping read. ( )

A heartwarming and thoughtful novel in which real characters confront real-life problems: All of us are familiar with the time-worn adage "Don't quit your day job." After reading Ron McLarty's second novel, TRAVELER, one is tempted to turn that advice on its head and suggest in the strongest possible terms that McLarty consider quitting his day job and devote himself completely to writing novels. He is that good.

While the name may not ring many bells, a glance at McLarty's photo on the dust jacket of his novel is all that readers will require to recognize an actor they have seen in numerous dramatic endeavors. In addition to "Sex and the City," "Spenser for Hire" and "The Practice," McLarty has appeared frequently on "Law and Order," portraying the belligerent Judge William Wright, the bete noire to prosecutor Sam Waterston. The arrogance of this character stands in stark contrast to the novelist of TRAVELER, who has written a heartwarming and thoughtful story that is equal parts coming-of-age and mystery. While TRAVELER is in many respects a much different work from McLarty's first novel, THE MEMORY OF RUNNING, it is equally beguiling and enjoyable.

TRAVELER is the story of Jono Riley, part-time actor and full-time bartender living in Manhattan and currently dividing his time between working behind the bar at Lambs and performing in a wildly unsuccessful one-character play far off Broadway. The novel opens with Riley receiving a letter from a boyhood friend in Rhode Island informing him that his childhood girlfriend, Marie D'Agostino, has passed away. The news of Marie's death stirs various memories for Riley. Foremost of those recollections is the evening when Marie was wounded by a seemingly wild gunshot discharged in the old neighborhood by an unknown shooter.

Marie's passing is the catalyst for a return visit to the old neighborhood and the friends of Riley's youth. TRAVELER commences an intriguing journey that mixes remembrances of his younger days with the unsolved mystery surrounding what was believed to be a random act of violence, but now appears to be a serial shooting. Through a series of flashbacks expertly woven into the narrative, Riley's youth is recreated for the reader. The journey between youth and middle age introduces readers to many deep and intricate characters. In addition, they probably will experience the delight that a great novel can often produce --- the reawakening of a memory from their own personal earlier life, be it one of sadness or glee.

There is obviously a little of Ron McLarty in Jono Riley. Rhode Island is McLarty's home, and acting is his profession. TRAVELER offers a view of acting and actors that is hopeful and uplifting, and is shared by its author. THE MEMORY OF RUNNING gathered dust in a desk drawer until it was discovered by none other than Stephen King. While TRAVELER may be his second published novel, McLarty has several previously rejected, unpublished works that are now being considered by publishers. In addition, he is working on the screenplay for THE MEMORY OF RUNNING.

TRAVELER is reminiscent of the works of the late author George Higgins. Real characters confront real-life problems in a straightforward and honest style that readers will identify with. Jono Riley is the kind of fellow you would like to join for a beer and burger; McLarty also seems to be that type of man. Perhaps one day this opportunity will arise. If it does, we will have two great novels and countless incredible characters to discuss over our brews.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

I enjoyed this as a quick summer read; a book where I didn't want or need to get more involved with the characters. As a almost life-long Rhode Islander, I recognized the terrain and some of the names brought back some old memories. There were a few name/location errors, but most wouldn't realize that. ( )

I listened to the downloaded audio version via my public library. I loved McLarty's reading voice(s) and his setting - East Providence, RI. As far as I can tell, the book is quite autobiographical. I actually got on Google maps to try to find some of the places he mentioned. ( )