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Book Review: Litani by Jess Lourey

cover art for Litani by Jess Lourey

Litani by Jess Lourey

Thomas & Mercer, 2021 (release date: Oct. 19)

ISBN: 9781542027014

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, compact disc, MP3   ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

 

 

Set in the mid-1980s, Litani is a mystery/thriller dealing with the unpleasant subject of child molesters, but the book is couched into language that will work for younger readers.  While written for adults, it has value as a “crossover” title to the young adult crowd. Fourteen-year-old Francesca “Frankie” Jubilee moves in with her mom after her dad’s untimely demise.  She is quickly beaten up by three 10 year old girls. The girls allude to The Game, something many kids know about and fear.  Frankie finds her town to be one with an unpleasant past that centers around children that have gone missing over time.  The story follows a fairly predictable path, with Frankie trying to find the truth, and getting it in bits and pieces.  There’s a minor story thread of Satanism, but it’s really just window-dressing and could have been left out.  There’s a big reveal at the end to explain it all, and everything ends up okay, more or less.

 

The writing is simple and to the point, and the plot devices are familiar: Frankie’s past may have secrets, she makes one friend with a troubled past of his own, she doesn’t get along with her mom due to her being absent from her life for years, etc.  The Game itself is no big mystery, and most of the characters act in a pretty predictable manner. The predictability and basic nature of the writing may not be enough for adult readers to get caught up in the story, but for high school kids, it’s perfect. Entertaining enough to keep teens enthralled, there’s mystery, some excitement, a dead body, characters that kids will understand, and nothing too violent or graphic.  Example: while some of the characters are child molesters, the author wisely doesn’t use any graphic firsthand descriptions of molestation.  Same goes for the Satanic angle: no elaborate ceremonies or sacrifices, just a few pentagrams and candles.  It takes skill to write about vile subjects for a younger age bracket, and Jess Lourey does it extremely well.  The violence is also mild: a couple fights, a rock to the head, nothing over the top.  All of the above and the straightforward nature of Litani make it a good choice for teen readers.

 

 

Recommended for high school readers.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on October 10, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: The Between by Ryan Leslie

cover art for The Between by Ryan Leslie

The Between by Ryan Leslie

Parliament House, 2021

ISBN: 9798741008720

Availability: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook ( Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )

 

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…and what you’ll find in this book is a wildly original story that’s also a homage to the 80’s computer games, when text-based ASCII games like ZORK were all the rage.  Combining adventure, horror, mystery, and a touch of nerdiness, The Between is one of the year’s best so far.

 

Mild-mannered health care executive Paul Prentice discovers a large iron door set in the ground while digging in his Texas backyard.  He and his carefree, wisecrack-a-minute buddy Jay wrestle open the door and descend the ladder underneath.  They find themselves in a maze of identical rooms, which eventually leads to other worlds of existence containing things like hellhounds of ash, killer robots made of scrap metal, and a vengeful god, Kosmaro, who imprisons souls.  Jay and Paul later learn that the world they entered is based on The Between, an old text-based computer game.  They try to escape, but eventually have to decide…do they want to escape?

 

The Between is a fast paced read, with a high level of depth and creativity.  With multiple different world levels and all of them having different entrances and exits, there’s no shortage of adventure for Jay and Paul.  The book does a good job tying back into the whole “computer game” theme; if you used to play those games, you may see where some of the inspiration for the worlds and characters in the book came from.   What made text-based games fun was that they allowed you to become another individual entirely, and The Between does a good job inserting that theme into the writing.  Many who enter The Between take on actual roles that exist in the computer game, and they keep the role until they escape, or are killed.  This allows for intriguing personality shifts within the characters, such as the “failure in life,” Jay, transforming into a murderous assassin, the stelisto.  The story occasionally flips back to Texas, providing a nice contrast to the insanity of The Between.  It’s a multi-layered story, and a true original.

 

A good setting is nothing without good characters, and in addition to Paul and Jay, the other players in The Between do a good job driving the story and keeping it focused.  The two female leads, star athlete Supriya, and the cold-hearted former ballet queen Corienne, provide good counterparts for Paul and Jay, and there’s enough backstory to fill out the characters and allow the reader to feel a connection to them.  Jay is particularly memorable; his “no worries” attitude helps give the story a dash of humor at times that helps lighten the mood.  It’s a wild ride from beginning to end, and one that readers won’t want to miss.  Highly recommended.

 

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Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on September 3, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

cover art for Whisper Down the Lane by Clay Mcleod Chapman

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

Quirk Books, 2021

ISBN-13: 9781683692157

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, Audible audiobook ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Whisper Down the Lane, a true-crime based horror novel inspired by the McMartin preschool trial and Satanic Panic of the 1980s, is the second book by Clay McLeod Chapman I have read and it just makes it clear that I should find more of his work.

 

This story is told from two points of view in two different time periods. Richard Bellamy is married to the woman of his dreams, has a chance to raise a family, is employed as an art teacher…and doesn’t have a past. One morning, the discovery of the body of a ritualistically murdered rabbit appears on the school playground with a birthday card for someone named Sean. Richard’s blood runs cold and he tries to track down the sender.

 

The date shifts from 2013 to 1983. Sean is a five-year-old boy who has moved to Virginia with his newly single mother. She’s worried about the typical adult things like coping with her new role as sole caregiver to her son, money, childcare, and putting food on the table, as well as the threat of something happening to Sean. After Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that his favorite teacher is under investigation, the child tells a little lie that turns into something much bigger, stirring paranoia and suspicion in the minds of the local community and eventually the nation. Allegations of child ritual abuse and Satanic murder capture the nation’s imagination and unleashes a witch hunt on an epic scale. Thirty years later, someone knows Richard’s secret, and wants him to pay dearly for his sin.

 

Paranoia is explored in several aspects. Early in the novel, Sean’s mother is a nervous single mother. Discussion of the large scale paranoia of the public is alluded to, and since the story is told from the perspective of a young child it would be realistic that it be told in this manner. Richard’s paranoia as an adult with the past rearing its ugly head in his direction is a significant representation of this theme. Interestingly, it is the adults in the story who experience the ever increasing paranoia of the world gone mad. Between the police, the therapist, and even his own mother at times, Sean ultimately tells the adults what they want to hear, what the pressure him into telling really. Sean, wanting to appease the grownups around him, makes a false accusation that he doesn’t realize has horrible effects for innocent people. Richard’s paranoia increases as his past catches up with him, effecting his family and employment.

 

The story is fast-paced and compelling, especially for readers interested in the disturbing period of US history that was the Satanic Panic. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on July 9, 2021 by , Reply
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