Review by John Hansen

Book: Lead Poisoning

Author: J.E. Seymour

Genre: Mystery/Crime Fiction

Blurb:

Mob troubleshooter Kevin Markinson thinks New Hampshire is the perfect place to retire with his family… but his family doesn’t want to see him.  Then there’s the fact that he is also a fugitive, on the run for a crime he didn’t commit. Things go downhill fast as he struggles to balance his home life and his job with his need to keep moving as the law starts to catch up with him.

What I Have To Say:

Lead Poisoning is just one of those books. You don’t know how to describe them, how to put them into words, how to explain each individual aspect that you found so compelling and enthralling; you try to but you simply can’t. So much to say in so little time.

I have never read a crime novel so utterly unique and outstanding. What would ordinarily be something too ambitious for me to pick up was a surprisingly captivating read. It is not the classic action-packed thriller or murder after murder crime novel or suspenseful mystery that I tend to read but a book so distinguished and daring that it was just plain excellent. Driven by the author’s strong voice and easy, flowing syntax, this book is a must read. The author’s vivid imagination certainly translates onto the page. The protagonist, Kevin, is not your ordinary character. He is the type of person that we, as readers, naturally detest. A murderer. But although Kevin is indeed a murderer and escaped felon who tends to become involved with the less respectable people of the world, he really is not a bad person. At first, I was unsure of Kevin’s character because I am reluctant to befriend murderers but as Kevin’s heart opened up, as his emotions poured out, I felt myself gravitating towards him. Kevin regrets his past deeds; he wants to move on. He just wants to lead a normal life with his wife and kids. But they don’t want him back. Kevin’s kids detest him – they don’t consider him a father since he is never around – his wife wants no part of him, as he is a danger to her and the kids but Kevin persists in becoming an integral aspect of each of their lives. As the novel progresses, Kevin is drawn closer and closer to his wife and kids who begin to open up to him with each kind deed he does in their favor. There are the issues of drugs, money, an ignorant teen son, the police closing in on Kevin, creeping towards him and he becomes torn between his family and his future.

Kevin is a good person who makes some bad choices throughout the novel. He generates some decisions that he regrets, but it is all for his family. The author does an astounding job of making such a hateable and unsettling character become so loveable and thought-provoking. I envy her for that, wishing I could replicate such a feat. I found that – despite Kevin’s issues – I could really feel for him, though there were some moments where we couldn’t be further apart. But that’s what made this novel so great. The characters, mixed with the author’s blatant passion. The characters and storyline were so strong that whenever I would stop reading for the time being, I would forget who I was and where I was when I looked up because I would be so captivated by the book and characters, so drawn into this new world and enticed by this killer’s unpredictable mind.

I wish I could post spoilers, but I vowed not to. So I leave you with this: thrilling, pulse-pounding and full of suspense and unexpected plot twists, Lead Poisoning is a must read.