Synopsis/blurb...
Deliver us from evil...
Drowning in a meaningless existence flipping burgers, Matthew Davis suddenly collapses from a powerful psychic connection he shares with his twin brother, Jake. The pain is violent and immediate, and Matt knows exactly what it means… hundreds of miles away, Jake has been viciously killed. But instead of severing their connection, the murder intensifies it and Matt begins to suffer the agony of Jake’s afterlife.
Hell bent on solving Jake’s murder in order to break the connection, Matt travels to his troubled hometown of Hatchett, Nebraska, where an old lover and savage new enemies expose the festering wounds that Jake left behind.
Matt tries atoning for Jake’s sins, but when a demon infests the connection between the two brothers, Matt must find a way to sever their bond before his world, and ours, become engulfed in the flames of hell.
A bit of a trip outside my comfort zone here with a touch of the paranormal added to this crime-mystery novel. I was quite happy to go with it here, as I do find the idea of identical twins being able to sense and feel each other's emotions and pain interesting. Instead of dismissing it as nonsense, a part of me actually finds it plausible.
I liked the main character Matt. He's everything his dead brother, Jake wasn't. He returns home to help bury his brother and to try and make amends to Claire the girl he callously left behind years ago. There's also an awkward relationship with his mother, one which isn't going to resolve itself anytime soon. Anger, resentment, abandonment, hurt and indifference emanates from the woman.
Matt's return to his childhood town, sees him confronting his brother's legacy and as the connection to Jake restablishes itself with a vengeance, he's got a helluva lot more to deal with. Jake was a drug dealer and just about managed to get on the wrong side of everybody in town. There's no shortage of potential killers. Matt encounters violence and hostility as he is mistaken for Jake, by a few who didn't get the memo.
I liked the connection between the brother's and could vibe the post-death continuation and Jake's efforts to control Matt and come back. The actual involvement of the devil in his scheming I could have done without. The author does a good job with the atmosphere and tension in the book, especially involving crows in some of the scenes. I've always found crows and ravens slightly intimidating and unsettling. When my wife and I spot them on our frequent walks, we're always offering up the other one as a sacrifice. Take her, she's more tender. Take him, he's fat!
We get a violent confrontation at the end. The outcome is maybe a little predictable. We all know how things are going to turn out. There's also some romance with Matt and Claire and some forgiveness and understanding of what caused Matt to flee from her in the past. 
More to like than dislike.
3 stars from 5
Read - August, 2022
Published - 2021
Page count - 247
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Format - Kindle
Hmmm.... admittedly not my usual fare, Col, as I don't generally read paranormal stuff. But that twin connection is fascinating, isn't it? I'm convinced there's something to the theory about the deep bond between twins. I'm glad you found some things to like about this one.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I definitely agree with you on the twin bond/connection. How far it extends I don't know. I liked this one even if I wasn't blown away by it. It's nice to try something a bit different now and again.
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