Reviewed
by:
BigAl
Genre:
Thriller/Horror
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000
words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
“Once
upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old
Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over
the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he
recounted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went
home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward’s
teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate,
as Edward had never had a baby brother. With advice given to her by a
frustrated teacher, Edward’s mother made him start writing all of
his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history. Edward Lorn and his
wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats
and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only
difference is, now he’s a useful one.”
Lorn
is the author of several books including Life
after Dane,
a nominee in the 2014 BigAl's Books and Pals Readers' Choice awards.
For
more about this sick individual, visit his blog.
Description:
“Ex-hitman
Larry Laughlin got out of Mexico alive, but now he’s a haunted man.
The final step to laying his ghosts to rest requires killing his
newly paroled father. Before he can take action, a trio of killers
break into Larry’s house, and he overhears their scheme to murder
his brother, Jaime. Old habits kick in, and Larry emerges the sole
survivor. But while he’s gathering hidden funds to finance his
plans, he’s ambushed by an abused teen named Brooklyn, who refuses
to be left behind.
Larry
and Brooklyn set out to save his brother and complete his patricidal
task, but one misstep drops yet another aching tragedy on Larry’s
burdened shoulders. Nearly mad with his hunger for vengeance, Larry
seeks his final nemesis in the heart of New York City. But what he
finds will threaten more than just his life: Larry Laughlin damned
himself long ago.”
Appraisal:
I've
been eagerly anticipating Pennies
for the Damned,
the followup to Lorn's first book featuring Larry Laughlin, Hope
for the Wicked.
By way of disclaimer, this isn't because I'd heard a rumor that a
character named for me suffered a horrible death in this book,
although that turns out to be true with me losing some largely unused
body parts in the process. It's because I like the character of Larry
Laughlin so much.
By
most standards, Larry is an evil man, with corpses routinely piling
up in his wake. He's a damaged human, and he knows it. However, he's
learned to focus his evil deeds on those who could be considered
deserving. As the bodies stack up I just keep repeating, “it's only
a book, and they had it coming anyway.” It usually helps.
In
this latest tale Larry reconnects with family in various ways,
discovers some skeletons in the closets of past allies, and learns
how it feels to be a dad. Another excellent installment in the
continuing saga of Larry Laughlin.
FYI:
Take
the disclaimer from the book's Amazon description seriously.
“Contains
Graphic Violence, Adult Language, and Discussions of Child Abuse”
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: ***** Five Stars
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