Customer Reviews

Voodoo Moon

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was the first book that I read by Ed Gorman and I ejoyed it very much. I thought it to be a very fast read and did not lack for excitement. The "profiler" Robert Payne is a compassionate character, but still dedicated to seeking the truth. The female characters are interesting and treated with great respect by Payne. I was not able to predict the many plot twists and the ending was great!

This book, set in a small Iowa town where things tend to move slow, progresses at a fast clip. Furthermore, unlike many of the bumpy roads of rural Iowa, the passage is smooth and efficient. Robert Payne is an ex-FBI agent that specialized in psychological profiling.
Brenner, Iowa is a small town with one main claim to criminal fame. Over three decades ago patient Paul Renard burned down Sterling Psychiatric Hospital and when he was fleeing witnesses spotted him falling into a rapids where he was presumed killed, although no body was ever recovered. A young woman was recently killed and the prime suspect, a young man named Rick Hennessey, claims that he killed her but he is not responsible because he is possessed by the spirit of Renard.
There are many unusual characters to thicken and muddy the plot. Two sisters, one a psychic and the other the host of a syndicated television show that exploits the psychic powers are in town. Payne has worked with the psychic in the past and they are now lovers. A producer of the show is so driven to increase the falling ratings that he shoots at Payne and the stars for publicity and is possessively in love with the host to the point where he could be considered a stalker. There is also a mysterious private detective that snoops around with no discernable purpose. An old rural cliché is developed and exploited, as there is a crazy woman kept secluded in the attic of a house and her circumstances have some bearing on the case.
Surrounding the mix of unusual characters are many of the more traditional ones, a beautiful chief of police with an unsightly scar on her face, another town cop with little affection for FBI agents and the usual cantankerous people found in all small midwestern towns.
Given the breadth and depth of the characters, there are many options for the storyline, including many of the usual suspects path lines. However, Gorman weaves the options so well that the reality is well hidden and not revealed until the very end. As is the case with many of the best murder mysteries with usual suspects and normal people the usual becomes the unusual. I enjoyed this book and as a lifelong residence of the Cedar Rapids area, enjoyed the references to the nuances of living in a small town in Iowa.

I usually write reviews on only very good or very bad books. This one is clearly the latter. Gorman is a pretty bad writer, with a plot with a Bates Motel-like ending that is dopey beyond belief. In addition, the two female leads (one is the narrator's sometimes lover) are two of the most obnoxious characters I have read in some time---totally unsympathetic!! Worse than all of that, frankly, is the fact that this author just loves "potty talk", in bed, out of bed, wherever!! Every bodily orifice is discussed in detail. The heroine(?) vomits on what seems every few pages. After making love she asks whether she farted all night while she slept, saying she had a flatulence problem. She also said she smelled at the beginning of her menstrual cycle. The narrator described every pee he took, etc., etc. These are not people I would invite over for dinner. What an offputting book Gorman has written!!

Over thirty ago, voodoo practitioner Paul Renard permanently shook up the town of Brenner, Iowa when he burned down sterling Psychiatric Hospital, killing over twenty people. The killings were as gross as anyone can remember. To the fear of everyone, the lunatic escaped, leaving behind voodoo symbols. Though seen once over the subsequent years, Renard was never caught.

Just when the townsfolk started to feel safe, a new string of voodoo killings occur. TV Psychic Tandy West asks her former lover ex-FBI profiler Robert Payne to help find the murderer. Instead of a simple and clear case, Robert finds a town without pity filled with individuals who want their personal pasts burned away like Renard did to humans three decades ago.

The fourth Payne tale is an intriguing thriller that stars an entertaining lead protagonist who readers will enjoy observing in action. The story line places elements of the psychological thriller inside a modern day gothic tale. When the plot veers towards a gothic, it seems to sputter, but when talented Ed Gorman stays within the psychological path, the exciting tale is faster than a SST. Overall, the return of Payne, especially glimpses into his personal side, turns this into a fine novel that fans of the series will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner