Shadow Season by Tom Piccirilli
With Shadow Season, Tom Piccirilli shows that he is a master who is comfortably at the top of his game. Shadow Season takes elements of gothic horror and the haunted house story and mixes them with a crime story, coming up with a sure-fire end of the year top 10 book. Piccirilli revels in the challenge of the situations that his blind protagonist finds himself in, using sensory details, mental imagery, and memory in wholly unique ways that double down with an extra emotional resonance. I would even go so far as to say that one of the chapters, where Finn meets his wife for the first time, is perfectly written. The chapter is as carefully written and deeply felt a showcase of skills as you are likely to find anywhere, making astute observations with a clarity of vision that cuts right to the heart of the characters and situation. In many ways it’s a microcosm for his skill set at large and proves that he has an O’Nan-like ability to willingly turn and face emotional confrontation rather then avoid it or simplify it like a lot of other crime fiction does.
Not only does Tom Piccirilli have a fierce imagination, but he also has the skills to back it up.
Jump by Tim Maleeny
I was hard on Tim Maleeny’s last effort, because I saw his skills being squandered and knew he could do better. Well, with Jump he has done better. A lot better. Jump is a great read. A damn good mystery told with panache that will entertain anyone who reads it. The characters and the writing are infectious and very funny. There are even some fairplay clues littered about.
Tim Maleeny is back, baby!
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick is a very cool morality play that takes place at the Arctic Circle during the turn of the 20th century, like an Arctic Circle western almost. A boy’s father dies on the ice, and he is left alone with the body while the others go for help. In their absence a violent stranger appears at the door looking for the father and willing to hold the son responsible for the sins of the father. The boy has to decide whether or not to use the father’s old revolver that is in the storage room. The battle with self and the decision of whether or not to use violence is ballasted by his dead mother’s religious beliefs. The father’s past is told in a concurrently running storyline that explains the dangerous man’s presence. The ending manages to navigate both of his parent’s mindsets in a satisfying way.
I really didn’t know what to expect with this book, so I just jumped right in and came away with an entertaining, thoughtful read.
Editor’s note: Currently Revolver is only available in the UK; it is being released in the US in March from Roaring Brook Press and marketed as a YA book.
