LOW by Mike Duke
Published September 22 2017
Published by Stitched Smile Publications
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(from book description)
Officer Mark Adams is fed up with God, his wife and the legal
constraints of his job. He longs for a life he can enjoy and to see true
justice meted out.
Chad Bigleby is a lawyer thrown into a deadly moral quagmire, forced to decide whether he will abide by man’s laws or make his own.
Each man is being driven to the edge of his limits.
Both men are on a collision course.
All because something wicked has arrived in Pleasant Grove, something ancient and obsessed with vengeance, eager to punish the souls of men for their sins.
How LOW will they go to get what they desire most? And what will it cost them in the end?
Hell only knows…
Chad Bigleby is a lawyer thrown into a deadly moral quagmire, forced to decide whether he will abide by man’s laws or make his own.
Each man is being driven to the edge of his limits.
Both men are on a collision course.
All because something wicked has arrived in Pleasant Grove, something ancient and obsessed with vengeance, eager to punish the souls of men for their sins.
How LOW will they go to get what they desire most? And what will it cost them in the end?
Hell only knows…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes you pick up a book and start reading, and that book just clicks with you. That is exactly what happened when I started reading LOW by Mike Duke. The story just drags you in and never lets go until the last page.
The author has created a very complex and intriguing story, populating it with a cast of some of the most believable characters put on paper. The two main characters, Mark Adams and Chad Bigleby are two sides of a coin. Mark is an honorable man who wants to uphold the law, live a happy life with his wife and be content. Chad is in it just for the money and self indulgence. He cheats, steals and does whatever he needs to get ahead in life. Little do they know that a new stranger in town will bring both their lives crashing down and lead them both into a confrontation for their very souls.
LOW is a deep novel. This is not just a horror novel with a big baddie, although Mister Phailees is a terrifying figure. This is a story that pulls us through many philosophical situations. What makes a one man evil and what makes one man good? Can a sin be forgiven in man's and God's eye? And does God still watch over someone if they themselves have lost faith?
There are so may questions asked through the course of the story and the author handles each one in stride, not afraid to run his characters through the ringer and see what comes out the other side. He gives us a very memorable villain in Mister Phailees, a man (or is he) on a mission. But is he really the villain of the story? At times you will root for him. He is doing what he has done for a long time, and in the end he still has his limits and answers to a higher power. No, the real monster in this story is man. Only man can sin and only man can strive for redemption.
The world in this story is in constant flux. One moment it is the real world, next it is a dream state, and another we are in a vision of hell that would put Dante on edge.
I do have to give extra praise to Mike Duke for his portrayal of his main character, who is a police officer. If you read Mike's bio you will see that he was a police officer for 12 years. This knowledge comes into play throughout the book. This is one of the most spot on use of police procedure and the showing of how police interact with each other, dispatch and the public. It makes the story, and the characters that much more believable. It is so nice to see someone get their police characters right, and not try to base them off of what they have seen on TV.
This is a thought provoking, action-packed, scary story that you will be thinking about long after you finish it.
You can purchase LOW on AMAZON.
To learn more about Mike Duke and his other works visit his Author's Page HERE.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review)
LOW is a deep novel. This is not just a horror novel with a big baddie, although Mister Phailees is a terrifying figure. This is a story that pulls us through many philosophical situations. What makes a one man evil and what makes one man good? Can a sin be forgiven in man's and God's eye? And does God still watch over someone if they themselves have lost faith?
There are so may questions asked through the course of the story and the author handles each one in stride, not afraid to run his characters through the ringer and see what comes out the other side. He gives us a very memorable villain in Mister Phailees, a man (or is he) on a mission. But is he really the villain of the story? At times you will root for him. He is doing what he has done for a long time, and in the end he still has his limits and answers to a higher power. No, the real monster in this story is man. Only man can sin and only man can strive for redemption.
The world in this story is in constant flux. One moment it is the real world, next it is a dream state, and another we are in a vision of hell that would put Dante on edge.
I do have to give extra praise to Mike Duke for his portrayal of his main character, who is a police officer. If you read Mike's bio you will see that he was a police officer for 12 years. This knowledge comes into play throughout the book. This is one of the most spot on use of police procedure and the showing of how police interact with each other, dispatch and the public. It makes the story, and the characters that much more believable. It is so nice to see someone get their police characters right, and not try to base them off of what they have seen on TV.
This is a thought provoking, action-packed, scary story that you will be thinking about long after you finish it.
You can purchase LOW on AMAZON.
To learn more about Mike Duke and his other works visit his Author's Page HERE.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review)
No comments:
Post a Comment