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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Barb Radmore, September 7, 2007
Five teenage girls are murdered on the same night on the same small rural town. One high school student is arrested but the police chief is not convinced he has the right person. As the town mourns the deaths and fears the future, one reporter delves deeper into the events. Reporter Kevin Gibson knows he is on the right track as he is threatened and stalked. A killer must still be on the loose but his identity remains hidden.
The story is see through the eyes of Casey Wood, friend of the circle of boys who seem to be involved in the murders. Although one of his friends has been charged with the murders, Casey is still confused by the circumstances. He has known these guys for years, spent many hours with the group that called themselves the Fraternal Order of Friday. They met to eat pizza and watch horror movies, a genre with which they were all obsessed. As he looks into the murders he finds that he has ignored much of what went on around him, turning a blind, or over accepting, eye on warning signs and ominous omens.
Leever does an exceptional job telling the story back and forth through time. He skips from the murders to the past to the present investigation with an even, smooth flow that adds to the tension of the story. The reader is never very sure of the direction the plot may take, a suspenseful trick of the writing. Leever is able to alter his writing style to meet the pace of the tale, from telling the background of the story in flowing prose to short staccato sentences of action or effective dialogue. The characters are deftly drawn, their personalities and motivations are outlined in stark, black marker but filled in with the colors and hues of a talented writer. They are not comfortable characters, they are the teenagers of parents' nightmares, their surface is calm, their depths' infinate. But, which is what makes the book so chilling, they are portrayed realistically and believably. The controversial topic of modern culture- horror movies and their influence- is examined, and comes out poorly, in this tale of teenage friendship and obsession.
Capital Crime Press has stepped outside their usual fare into this darkly tragic tale. As always they have chosen carefully and well with this novel, finding in Jeffery Leever another unique voice on the mystery/thriller shelves.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timely, Compelling, and Relevant, June 12, 2008
This is a great story, well-told, very creepy in parts but memorable and relevant to our times. Much of today's teen culture and entertainment is so steeped in violence that it becomes violence simply for the sake of. There's no point to it; it's simply on display. As a mother and wife, I appreciate this book because it manages to shine a light on issues of peer pressure, pop culture, and choices. Whether or not the author meant his novel as something more than just thriller-style entertainment, he has crafted a very meaningful mystery.
Other reviews here cover the basic plot, so I won't repeat what's already been said. I will say that there are scenes in Dark Friday that really "get you" and linger in your mind long after you first read them. At the same time, the story moves you along in a way that you literally keep turning the pages. There are some memorable teen characters, both young men and young women. And the adults in the story are very human and realistic. They are men and women who have to battle not to rush to judgment, and who struggle against doing what's best for their careers vs. what's right for the sake of truth and justice. As the story unfolds, forgiveness and redemption show up in some unexpected ways.
Toward the end of the book, there is a climactic confrontational scene between two best friends that had me in tears. I won't spoil it for you, but the characters are teenage boys and the scene is mostly dialog. Although I am a mother, I don't have any boys, much less teenage ones. So it's not like I have any irrational bias or built-in sympathy for characters like these. Still, I found myself getting choked up. (And this...from a MYSTERY novel!) That's when I knew this particular author has something that a reader doesn't encounter every day.
A book that's well worth the $11 or so Amazon asks for it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, September 12, 2009
A Kid's Review
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I hope to see more books by this Author.
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