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A review by misterjay
Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas
4.0
The point of a sequel is to tell a new story while simultaneously expanding on the readers' view of the central characters. By that definition, Songs of Innocence is a sequel among sequels, ending, as it does, with our hero's apparent suicide.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the book right up until the last three pages.
John Blake, established in Little Girl Lost as a reluctant private investigator, reappears in the beginning of this novel as an assistant at a college. He has given up the detective job after the death of his one time lover. Now, he has been trying his hand at writing under the guidance of the professor he works for. He has befriended one of his classmates, become more than friends, really, and it is her death that sets off this newest adventure.
This story is bleak. John spends most of the book on the run, bouncing from one horrible, tragic situation to another, right up until the end when the mystery is solved and Blake sees no other way out. This book is not for the sensitive or the squeamish. (Seriously, there are several potential triggers related to sex, incest, and violence.)
This is a good story. Gripping and hair-raising. But it is also chilling and desperately bleak. Read with caution.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the book right up until the last three pages.
John Blake, established in Little Girl Lost as a reluctant private investigator, reappears in the beginning of this novel as an assistant at a college. He has given up the detective job after the death of his one time lover. Now, he has been trying his hand at writing under the guidance of the professor he works for. He has befriended one of his classmates, become more than friends, really, and it is her death that sets off this newest adventure.
This story is bleak. John spends most of the book on the run, bouncing from one horrible, tragic situation to another, right up until the end when the mystery is solved and Blake sees no other way out. This book is not for the sensitive or the squeamish. (Seriously, there are several potential triggers related to sex, incest, and violence.)
This is a good story. Gripping and hair-raising. But it is also chilling and desperately bleak. Read with caution.