R M Clarke

Drones, magic and ghosts launch this book into a very exciting adventure.

Devin doesn't consider himself normal, but he has no clue how right he really is. When the drone he received for his birthday crash lands in a cemetery, he swallows his fear to get it...until he hears and sees ghosts talking nearby. It doesn't take long for him to figure out that it's part of a talent, handed down for generations thanks to the necromancers in his ancestery. Going with the flow, he does his best to cope show more with this new reality. When a classmate discovers what he can do, she begs him to help her. She's convinced her dead grandfather is trying to tell her something. But it's not as simple as it seems, and Devin soon finds himself in over his head in all the wrong ways.

Devin is a character packed with personality. His fears (and he has several of them) mixed with a little awkwardness make him easy to sympathize with as he does his best to steer through every problem thrown at him. And he has a lot to deal with. This is a shorter read but it packs quite the adventure. The author has made sure to use every moment to move the secrets along and let the tension build. There were a few times, which jumped a bit too fast, but with so much happening, these breezed right on past with barely a notice. The writing is clever, the clues well-laid, and every moment has the reader wondering what will happen next.

These characters come across with natural flair. The back-and-forth between Devin and his younger sister rings true to sibling relationships, but then, family remains a theme throughout the read. It adds a wonderful foundation, especially when the family of his classmate and their wonderful restaurant comes into play. The scenes add depth to the characters and relationships without straying away from the main plot.

It's a quick-paced, which keeps the pages turning from beginning to end, and holds more than a few surprises along the way. show less

With ghostly moments, mystery, and enough quirkiness to draw smiles, this tale flies along in surprising and spooky ways.

Devin won a free golf lesson...not that he's sure how since he didn't enter a contest, but he could improve his game and decides to try it out. At the golf course, he finds a girl from his school, who happens to know about his ghost-communicating abilities. And she needs his help. A ghost is haunting her family's new house, and he's the only one who can help her figure out show more why and, maybe, get rid of it. The ghost (or rather, ghosts) has other plans. Soon, Cassie is in danger, and Devin is going to have to find a way to save her.

Devin receives the letter about his win the moment the story starts, and the adventure races along the entire way through from there. There are descriptions, and these build the world just enough to create the foundation for the quick-paced plot. Something is always happening, and every moment feeds into into the mystery and tale. So, it's a quick read and hard to put down.

Still, there is enough character depth and small side-plots to add to the mystery and make Devin and others sympathetic. Devin is easy to understand, holds a tiny amount of awkwardness to make him likeable, and yet, shows determination and assurance to make him easy to stand behind and root for. His special talent gives a nice edge, which also adds the same balance of sureness with a teeny touch of uncertainty. Even the forming friendship with Cassie isn't perfect but grows stronger with every page.

This is part of a series, but each book is written to stand on its own. Fans of mystery and paranormal, who enjoy going from one moment to the next, will want to take a peek at this one. show less

R. M. Clark's debut adult novel, Center Point, is a charming mystery embroiled in history. Dennis Kozma is a charming young man, given a quest by his dead father to clear his name. Soon, it becomes apparent that there is more to the story than just his father's good name.

The secondary characters are both charming and diabolical. Dennis' stepfather, Stan, particularly, is a piece of work.

Clark's voice is wonderful and make the story a very fast read. If I had one complaint, it was that in show more areas there seemed to be a little too much Dennis telling us about things when the reader would rather be in the middle of the action.

This is a story not to be ignored though. Full of charm and wit, Dennis is a lovable character. show less

Dennis (Koz) Kozma was celebrating his 25th birthday at O’Reardon’s sports bar with his two best friends, Jed and Tom. Gene Clausen introduced himself as Norm Kozma’s attorney. Norm was Dennis’ father who had passed away fifteen years prior. Clausen had been instructed to present a package to Dennis on this 25th birthday. The package contained an old map of the town with cemetery plots shaded in; a charcoal drawing of Native American Komaket; drawings of a necklace and staff; and a show more photocopy of old planning and zoning docs. One of the documents was incomplete. Koz’ mother and his Uncle Russell held the other two. Several months before Norm became ill, he had been forced to resign in disgrace as the town’s Tax Assessor. As Dennis began to piece clues together, he realized he may be able to clear his father’s name and solve a historical enigma at the same time. Unfortunately, Dennis had become known as someone, like his dad, who had trouble completing anything. Will he get this mystery solved – and will it be solved in time?

At the beginning, I had trouble ‘liking’ Dennis. He was immature and had a smart mouth. However, as the story moves along, we can see Dennis’ attitudes change. He begins to ‘grow up’ and focus on what his dad wanted and needed. The characters were very vivid with real life issues. I was somewhat confused when ‘master numbers’ – numbers with double digits like 11 and 22 – were supposed to represent something. Ultimately, I didn’t see the connection. The entire story was intriguing to me; the pace became faster within the last third of the novel. There was a bit of mysticism and magic and I enjoyed every minute of it. I rated Center Point at 4 out of 5. show less