Barry Brennessel

An Affirming Flame by Jay Lewis Taylor - 3.5 stars

Extraordinary Duties by Elin Gregory - 4 stars

The Boy Left Behind by Eleanor Musgrove - 3.5 stars

The Man Who Loved Pigs by Megan Reddaway - 3 stars

We Live Without a Future by Julie Bozza - 3 stars

A Life to Live by R.A. Padmos - 3.5 stars

The Town of Titipu by Adam Fitzroy - DNF

A Cup of Tea by Sandra Lindsey - 3 stars

Letters by Eleanor Musgrove - 3.5 stars

Buttercup by Jay Lewis Taylor - 3.5 stars

Between Friends by Sandra Lindsey - 2 stars

From Air to There by Michelle Peart - 3.5 stars

We're Out of Hero Fabric by Andrea Demetrius - 2 stars

See by Adam Fitzroy - 3.5 stars

Across a Thousand Miles by Barry Brennessel - 2 stars

Wild Flowers by JL Merrow - 3 stars

Better to Die by Charlie Cochrane - 3.5 stars… (meer)

[b:The Sulphur Cure|11985094|The Sulphur Cure|Barry Brennessel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337904175s/11985094.jpg|16948675] by [a:Barry Brennessel|4638929|Barry Brennessel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1299706776p2/4638929.jpg] is a highly unusual take on the historical suspense novel. Vincent Rhodes, an artist, brother Theo went missing many years ago after avoiding deployment to fight in WWI. The Rhodes family has fallen apart in his absence. After receiving a letter, postmarked 1933 but written in 1918, from his estranged brother Vincent becomes determined to find him. His quest to locate Theo takes him to the sulphur cure.

The setting, along with the plot, is incredibly unique. Anyone who has been to sulphur springs doesn't soon forget the scent, and the acrid odor permeates every page. The abandoned ruins deep within the wilderness are a compelling locale, and the architecture of the cabins and Alta Vista are all very well evoked. Another reviewer said they won't be able to get the tunnels out of their mind anytime soon - I certainly won't either!

The pace of the book is reminiscent of an old horror film. Dramatic interludes abound - shattering glass ends a conversation, a gunshot punctuates the end of a chapter. While I am not especially fond of such devices, many readers are, and I would be surprised if most people reading the book aren't on the edge of their seats. Similarly, the first two acts of the book raise more questions than answers - akin to say, LOST, or another television drama. I found the dangling questions maddening - but not so annoying as to want to stop reading. At times I felt like slapping the characters: "JUST ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ALREADY." Then the answers came - and what answers they were!

[a:Barry Brennessel|4638929|Barry Brennessel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1299706776p2/4638929.jpg] knows how to put together both compelling mysteries and locations. The fact I can already think of two people to pass this book along to belies the success that I believe it will find. The fact that I'm actually curious as to what else he's written also bodes well for the book.

Fans of old detective dramas and the black and white horror films? This book will suit you fine.… (meer)

In 1871 nineteen-year-old Todd Morgan steals some of his mother’s money, leaves the plot of land they live on north of Sacramento with his uncle Ned Calvert, buys a horse, and heads for the Sierra Nevadas near Truckee to find gold. The money actually belonged to his father, who got himself killed in a barroom brawl.

Ned, Todd’s mother’s angry and bitter younger brother, who chose to fight and lose a leg for the losing side in the Civil War, has goaded his nephew into his impulsive and naive adventure. Todd’s search for gold and instant wealth ends in horrifying violence, leaving him with nothing but the clothes he wears.

Todd doesn’t discover any gold in his pan, but he does find Lao Jian, a young Chinese immigrant who is also prospecting for gold with his uncle. The title of Barry Brennessel’s page-turning novel derives from Americans of that day calling Chinese immigrants “celestials” because they came from what was known as the “Celestial Empire.”

Finding themselves in grave danger, Todd and Lao Jian flee Truckee together. The intense prejudice against both Chinese people and individuals desiring persons of their own sex force Todd and Lao Jian to fight what often appears to be a hopeless battle on two fronts.

Todd Morgan and Lao Jian aren’t without their flaws, but I found them wholly sympathetic. One could say they fight their battle on three fronts, the third being their disarming innocence in a world cruel beyond their imagination.

I loved reading this novel. It has a compelling story, believable characters, and artful writing. Todd, the narrator, says this about a young man he meets in the mountains (before he runs into Lao Jian): “It was like staring into a meadow in springtime, and your eyes just don’t want to work themselves free of the colors when the wildflowers dance in the breeze.”

Regarding both Chinese and Irish immigrants, Todd says, “The law sure took umbrage when the criminal was a foreigner, but looked the other way when the foreigner was a victim.”

The short last chapter is one of the finest epilogues I’ve read. The first line alone, a date, found me wiping my eyes so that I could read on.

(As originally reviewed on Rainbow Book Reviews. Please visit http://www.rainbowbookreviews.com for other reviews that may be of interest.)… (meer)