Friday, May 19, 2017

Review of "He Comes In Fire" by Aaron R. Even - A Classic Southern Gothic Novel


Novelist Aaron R. Even has penned a classic Southern Gothic tale that is an historical fiction based on events that transpired in the South in the 1990s. A series of arson fires destroyed several black churches. The story sparked white hot initial interest in the press, smoldered for a while in the public consciousness, but then fell cold. Mr. Even reignites interest in these cases in "He Comes In Fire," by speculating on how  a racist criminal conspiracy could have been the driving force behind this series of fires.

The setting for the story is a fictional county in Virginia. A motley assortment of preachers, ex-cons, and garden variety lost souls interact in committing these crimes and trying to solve them.  . Thuggery mets theology, divinity meets drug abuse, arson meets atonement. Mr. Even's writing style is elegant and tension-filled. His characters come to life, and demand attention from the reader.

I look forward to reading more of his work.

Enjoy!

Al

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