My thanks to the author's wife who proposed that the author write a book from the killer's point of view...
And a new series was born! Healey's Cave by Aaron Paul Lazar, who is known for his LeGarde Mystery series, declared he was just minding his own business when his wife spoke...In fact, he laughed!
Now his wife loves psychological thrillers which I do too, so I knew she was on to something...especially since, at that time, I hadn't read any of Lazar's books! I had met Aaron at a Facebook Reviewer's Roundup Author Interview and immediately knew I would like the man...you know, one of those guys that is fun and easy to talk to...so that's how he wound up as my December Spotlighted Author at Book Reader's Heaven and I was invited to have a Lazar marathon...hmmm, maybe I even volunteered, not sure now!
Anyway, Healey's Cave is his latest book, as well as being the first Sam Moore Mystery. I loved it!
Lazar has a style of writing that pulls readers into the lives, as well as the setting of his books; he's a natural storyteller. He spends time sharing about nature and talks knowledgeably about the plants, flowers, and, in this case, the caves that you can tell he has explored.
In fact, the "green marble series," was conceptually created when he found a green marble, a cat's eye, unearthed while he was rototilling! As with many of us, the marble took him back to childhood and he started to wonder about the little boy or girl who lost it...
And that is how the main character was whisked back in time...
Sam Moore was himself a grandfather when he found the marble. His first thought was whether it might have belonged to his brother who had disappeared 50 years ago. It had been 50 years of longing to know the truth of what had happened to him. Was he dead or alive? Had he fallen and died somewhere, all alone, never to be found, or had he been kidnapped, perhaps raised by somebody else and still alive somewhere. While he had always hoped for the latter, he knew that if at all possible, now after this long, he would have come back to find his family...
Sam was a little worried that he would become entangled in his memories, for now he had retired from his practice and he was used to being active most of his days. So he had turned to the outside to work his time away doing what he loved. Besides, his wife, Rachel, needed him to keep out of her way. She was wheel-chair bound and needed extra rest, but she also needed to continue to maintain her home and do the things she had always managed in the past. Sam owed Rachel his love and her space...
It was Billy's birthday; he would be 61. Sam silently wished him "Happy Birthday, buddy," and, for the first time, reached into his pocket and fingered the green marble...
That first visit to the past took him onto his orange school bus...Sam and Billy had just gotten off and were waving at the remaining kids. It didn't take long before Manfred Healey speeded by in his car, screaming for them to get out of his way...
Sam had been in the past for an hour and a half...when he realized time had gone by; he thought he had fallen asleep...
But it brought back memories even more and he thought about his friends from that time and how Billy, though younger, had always been his best friend and went wherever the others went. And, of course, Healey was hated by all of them. Even now, Sam believed that Healey had taken Billy!
Now, for various reasons, all the players from that year were back in town. And Sam was being taken back to the past, finally realizing that the time travel seemed to be telling him something and that Billy was trying to communicate!
But...things were also happening in the present. Sam's house had been broken into, for instance, and all of Billy's toys had been stolen from the attic! Now, they were being used, apparently, to play with Sam's mind--make him think he was experiencing a breakdown... Nightmares had returned and it seemed that he was learning more and more about what had happened...just not who had been responsible!
Someone murdered little boys, and Sam was now afraid for his grandsons!
What a great start to the green marble series! Sam is a wonderful, older lead character, whose love of family is clearly primary to his life. The touch of the paranormal and time travel just makes a great book more interesting. One of the things I quickly noted is that Lazar's books can be considered "G" rating...and I'll cheerfully pass them on to my younger family members to enjoy!
By the way, I'm halfway into the first LeGarde book...All I can say is that, thankfully, I don't have to choose which I enjoy more! Lazar has already made it to my personal must-read author list! Watch for reviews of more of his books as December continues...You may find that you'll want to use Lazar's books as stocking stuffers! What a cool gift for anyone in the family who loves mystery and suspense...and so much more!
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G. A. Bixler
