Customer Reviews

Sorrow Wood

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This epic tale will stay with me for a long time. As a librarian, I read several books a year but I have to say, I don't want to read anything else for a while. Nothing else could compare to this book. It was that wonderful.

After only their second date, Wendell proposes to Reva, the newfound love of his life, with whom he's felt a profound spiritual connection since they first met - and without whom he can't imagine spending the rest of his life. Eventually settling together in Sand Valley, Alabama, Wendell becomes the town police chief while Reva serves as a probate judge. After decades of a quiet, peaceful, murder-free existence, Sand Valley soon witnesses the gruesome burning death of Christine Hendricksen, a self-proclaimed witch with a controversial reputation for unscrupulous "free love" - masked as mystical occultism. As his investigation into Christine's death proceeds, Wendell soon discovers a host of disturbing truths, not only about her, but also about him and a series of previous lives that he's supposedly lived - all of which were designed to prepare him for the shocking twist his present incarnation is about to encounter...

With a keen eye toward the supernatural, author Raymond Atkins has crafted a compelling suspense thriller in Sorrow Wood. In masterful fashion, Atkins seamlessly weaves spiritual poignancy with tender romance in order to create an engaging tale that offers tentative answers to some of the lingering questions we all find ourselves pondering from time to time: why are we here? What lies beyond the grave? Have we ever been here before - and if so, why? Not that Atkins professes to know all the secrets behind our storied existence in the present dimension, but his thought-provoking tale certainly provides readers with a helpful nudge in the right direction, encouraging them - like Wendell - to further explore the mystical realms of fate and circumstance for themselves.

Engrossing, entrancing - and with an ending sure to leave you wanting more - Sorrow Wood is more than just a garden variety love story. A thoroughly entertaining read.


Renee Washburn
Apex Reviews

This is one of the funniest books I have read in quite some time. It is a laugh out loud tale of romance, murder, and colorful characters in a small town. Mr Atkins irreverant humor is delightful and I highly recommend this and his other book to avid readers. You will not go wrong reading this book. Great story. I also had a chance to met him recently at a book signing in my area and he promises some of these characters will appear in his next novel due out early next year. I cant wait for his next book. This is an author to watch!!!! 5 stars in my book

I just finished reading this book, and I sat with it in my lap afterwards for a long time, just thinking about the story. I read a lot of books, and not many touch me this deeply. I tried to read a passage to my husband a few nights ago, and I was laughing so hard, I could barely speak, then I was almost crying at the end. How many books literally make you both laugh out loud, and shed tears? Sorrow Wood is a treasure. Long live Wendell and Reva.

I loved this book. The "plot" about the murdered woman at Sorrow Wood plays a very minor role in the book. The real story is the love between Wendell and Reva, throughout their lives during their current incarnations, and in previous lives as revealed through Reva's dreams. Only someone who has been married to their soul mate for many years could write so movingly and honestly about the links that bind true lovers/friends together. I'm off to track down his first novel, Front Porch Prophet, and eagerly await another. First though, I'm getting my husband to read this book! I do wish the public library didn't have the book catalogued as a Mystery, because it deserves a much wider audience of readers than those who stick only to that genre. Bravo, Mr. Atkins, and thank you.

I enjoyed this book very much. It's not the best book I've read recently, but it's certainly not the worst. It kept me entertained and I enjoyed the unique storytelling narrative. It could have been a bit more substantial and the ending felt a little rushed, but I'd read it again and I will probably check out Mr. Atkins other offerings at some point.

Positives:
-- I loved the main character of Wendel and I could picture him clearly. Well defined and a great personality that adjusted (but not much) throughout his life.
-- I enjoyed the humor. I haven't laughed out loud while reading a book in a very long time, but I found myself doing just that after the first 25 pages or so.
-- The back stories (and there are a lot of them) are fun and unique. I have never read a book written in this style before and it felt fresh.
-- The supernatural aspect was interesting, but not overpowering and not so far fetched.

Negatives:
-- It seems like most every man in this book was mean, angry, violent, stupid, a drunk, or a little of each.
-- The ending felt rushed. It was a nice, sweet ending that made an attempt at a twist, but it was rushed none the less.
-- As mentioned in the Positives, the back stories are fun and enjoyable, but there are an awful lot of them. It felt like too many at times and I wish a few of them (maybe Birma Mae, the nut that discovered the Sorrow Wood cave while looking for the arc, or Dixie) could have been dropped and the plot added to a bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I'm glad I picked it up. A nice love story (and that is not my favorite genre by a stretch), some humor, some supernatural and some good characters make it a good read.

Who said small-town life couldn't be exciting?

Raymond L. Atkins paints a vivid landscape with expansive, yet small Sand Valley, Alabama, a town monitored by policeman Wendell Blackmon and his wife, probate judge Reva. Together, the pair maintain the town's order, keeping animal-fighting rednecks Otter and Deadhand in line and the extramarital issues of many a townsperson behind closed doors. However, when Sorrow Wood, a nearby farm, catches ablaze and leaves behind a charred body, Sand Valley is turned upside down, making even the unlikeliest of folks a suspect.

What's most interesting about the story is the way in which it is told; using alternating chapters to jump from the present time to the past and back, the reader gradually becomes more and more well-acquainted with the Blackmons and their history together, opening the door for the shocking and unexpected ending. Beautifully written with bouts of hilarity only a small-town native could truly appreciate (and perhaps relate to), Sorrow Wood is another ballpark home run for Atkins.

- T.C. Robson

Wendell Blackmon left home when he was sixteen after he tossed his abusive father into a well. Reva lost her parents and had her leg amputated due to a drunken train engineer. Wendell is sailing in the South pacific, but comes home because his ship needs repair. He and Reva meet in a bar and feel an instant connection as if they lived and loved in past lives. On the second date, Wendell proposes because he loves her and wants to be a father to her son. She accepts and they marry before he has to ship out again.

When he returns, they start their life together, but just as they adapt, he is called up again and sent to Korea. When he returns this time, they move to Sand Valley, Alabama where he becomes the police chief. After decades of no violent crime, a murder occurs of a woman who claimed to be a free spirited witch; her burned remains found on Sorrow Wood land. Wendell investigates only each clue about the mysterious woman and her violent death leads back to his and Reva'spast.

This is the story of two ordinary people who fall in love and marry. Yet as everyday as that sounds; their tale is very poignant reminiscent of Erich Segal's Love Story. The story line takes place during WW II, the Korean Police Action, and up to 1995 when the homicide occurs. Though the police procedural suspense comes late, fans will enjoy love through the ages on a par with the epics of Barbara Delinsky and Danielle Steele.

Harriet Klausner

What could be better than great Southern fiction that includes both a love story and a mystery told with humor and emotion? I read this book in four hours, and then wanted to pick it back up and read it again. Atkins is a wonderful storyteller,he has a gift for creating characters that you would love to spend time with.

I opened this book last night and couldn't put it down! Raymond Atkins is the Bard of Northwest Georgia! His dry sense of humor, intelligent prose and charming observations are like jewels being mined by your brain. After marvelling at what you have read and how it is written, surprise! You've found another. Roll over, Mark Twain!