Joe Clifford

The beginning of this book is a bit weak. There is this man doing a shitty job, has a life of shit and a family of shit. His parents died in a mysterious accident when he was eight years old and he has never recovered from their absence and how his life has taken the wrong track. The only real affection he has is his older brother, who is kind of crazy drug addict to the core, and just because of this brother, his girlfriend is gone, taking away their child and finding another man, a piece show more of shit but more reliable.
So rather boring. Then, fortunately, just before the middle until the end the book takes off and starts to fly, not allowing close until the end.
Not that the shit is suddenly swept away, but it takes to make sense, and, finally, the protagonist begins to give due weight to the situations and people that gravitate around him.
Thank Oceanview Publishing and Netgalley for offering me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

L'inizio di questo libro è un po' debole. C'è quest'uomo che fa un lavoro di merda, ha una vita di merda e una famiglia di merda. I suoi genitori sono morti in un misterioso incidente quando lui aveva otto anni e lui non si è mai ripreso dalla loro assenza e da come la sua vita abbia preso i binari sbagliati. L'unico vero affetto che ha è per suo fratello maggiore, che è una specie di pazzo drogato fino al midollo, e proprio per colpa di questo fratello la sua fidanzata se ne è andata portandosi via il loro bambino e trovandosi un altro uomo, un pezzo di merda ma più affidabile.
Insomma piuttosto noioso. Poi, per fortuna, da poco prima della metà fino alla conclusione il libro decolla e prende a volare, non permettendoti chiuderlo fino alla conclusione.
Non che la merda venga improvvisamente spazzata via, ma prende ad avere un senso, e, finalmente, il protagonista comincia a dare il giusto peso alle situazioni e alle persone che gli gravitano attorno.
Ringrazio Oceanview Publishing e Netgalley per vermi i offerto una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta. show less

Sometimes a book is just a quiet little thing. It sneaks up on you while you are reading it and when you are done, you close it and sit for a minute before realizing “Hey, I really, really liked that story.” This is one of those books. It is not long. I read it in one sitting.

Although this is billed as a mystery story, I think that label is misapplied. This is more of a character study of two brothers and the different roads they have traveled after the untimely death of their show more parents.

The main character, Jay, is kind of spinning his wheels in his small New Hampshire hometown. He has a child with a woman who moved out and is now living with another man – an ex bikie. Jay seems kind of unmotivated to make changes though he clearly expresses the thoughts that he needs to do something to engage the gears and move his life forward. He is working in a dead end job for a nice guy but the money is irregular and seasonal.

His brother is a former high school athlete, several years older than Jay with a troubled past and present. His dropping in and out of Jay's life has caused friction with his ex and Jay is no longer willing to either trust or believe his brother who has basically become a drug addicted and addled street person.

The local police contact Jay to assist them in bringing in the brother. What follows is not so much a mystery as an unraveling. In small towns, secrets are often the stock and trade of families. Because everyone knows everyone, there are always disruptions that lie just below the surface and if they erupt, they have a tendency to rewrite the town's history.

This is a slowly unfolding story bringing the actions of people in the past to meet their consequences in the present. These actions will either propel the individual characters into a positive forward motion or stop them dead in their tracks.

I loved the title and that is what drew me to the book. A lamentation is a passionate outpouring of grief or sorrow. The Lamentation in this book refers to a mountain and a bridge but the dictionary definition also applies. Through the grief comes hope.

I understand this is book one in the series but I can't see how the main character can really go anywhere as a “detective” since that is not really what this book appears to be. I loved it as a stand alone story. It can bear its own weight well. show less

Todd Norman has been cleared of his wife’s murder. He is building a lake house in the small town of Covenant, CT. Another girl has been found dead not far from his new house. And of course, Tom is the prime suspect. But, things are not as neat and tidy in Covenant as everyone seems to think.

Todd and Tracy meet one night, well, actually 2AM, in Walmart. Tracy is a divorced mother with a young child. She and Todd make a quick connection. Little does she know, she is now Todd’s alibi. But, show more this does not stop her and everyone in the town believing Todd did it.

Enter Dr. Bashir. He is a therapist in this small town. Plus, he was the therapist at a school for wayward girls. He also had an affair with one of these young ladies. When he finds out about the death of this young lady, he decides to come clean.

When I first started this novel I was a little unsure if I would finish it. The story starts slow. But, the longer I read the more I realized this is a “slow burn”. And boy…when you get to the end…you want to take Joe Clifford and shake him till his eyeballs fall out! (sorry Joe!). The ending of this novel will frustrate you as much as trying to figure out who the killer is! Brilliant…just bloody brilliant! I would love to see this made into a movie.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less

Alex returns back home or back to the place she would rather forget. She was abducted when she was a teenager and kept locked underground until Detective Sean Riley rescued her. This lead to her downfall as well as his. But that does not stop Alex from trying to find out a terrible secret from her home town.

I have been a fan of Joe Clifford's writing for a few years now. And I will tell y'all something. No one has better characters than Joe Clifford. Alex is one of his bests. She is no show more nonsense, "hasn't got time for that" type of woman. But, she is very self destructive. However, there is something so appealing and magnetic about her. I don't know if it is her terrible ordeal which keeps the reader championing her or if it is her UNIQUE attitude.
Then there is Benny! My heart went out to this man! He is at the center of this mystery. The only problem is Benny cannot communicate in any shape form or fashion. Alex is determined to be his voice.

This is a non stop story which keeps you enchanted with every turn of the page. The great characters, the twists and turns, the non stop guessing makes this a tale not to be missed. Who is the killer and why?

I received this novel via Netgalley for a honest review. show less