I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review
voluntarily.
Guilty but Aberrant is the third full-length novel by Oklahoma based author,
Michael Listen. This story covers a wide range of subgenres under Science
Fiction, including Noir, Horror, Crime Drama, and Humor. All of these combine
to make what I found to be an amazing work of fiction that jumped off the pages
and seized my attention from the first paragraph. In his two previous novels,
and one novella, I have come to look forward to Michael's work as I eagerly
await his next effort. Guilty but Aberrant is an excellently crafted story
about a pair of detectives who go in search of suspects with seemingly
supernatural abilities that are both horrific and deadly to those who come into
contact with them. This story will always have the reader guessing what will happen
next. Then there's the plot twist near the end! It blew my mind and left me
wanting more! This book is a masterpiece, and it's only this author's third
novel!
Detectives Costal Crux and his young, energetic partner, Leanna Daylee of
the Aberrant Crime Unit, are charged with tracking down and apprehending
Displacers - rare young people who have a dangerous ability to manipulate any
material or substance they touch. They can touch an object and mutate it into
other shapes, or they can touch flesh and cause bizarre changes in people,
usually resulting in debilitating injuries or death. They are outcasts who are
subjected to life in a "rehabilitation" facility that usually becomes
a life sentence.
Together, Costal and Leanna work in and around Crescent City where they
discover crimes that will make the reader shiver as they pursue a string of
murders committed by perps who can perform seemingly impossible feats. One has
to wonder if they haven't bitten off more than they can chew.
The characters in Guilty but Aberrant are among some of the best developed I
have ever read! Their backgrounds are woven into the story and revealed over
time, giving the reader a sense of getting to know and care about them over
time. Even the antagonists have backstory to help the reader not only loathe
their activity, but to also understand what made them how they are. Character
development is one of the major strengths Michael displays as he spins this
tale.
Costal and Leanna are complete opposites in their approaches to solving the
mysteries presented in this story. Costal is an old-fashioned kind of gumshoe
detective in the noir style. He likes to plod along, gathering information as
he gets it to track his progress, bringing him closer to a conclusion. His
methods are proven to be tried and true, and they work well for him. On the
other hand, Leanna relies heavily on technology and her idealism to get
results. While they are both excellent at their jobs separately, their skills
mesh well, even when their personalities don't.
One thing they do have in common is things that happened in their pasts haunting
them. Neither one wants to revisit the events that cause them pain, but the
nature of their job often takes them back to recall painful memories, but those
memories also spur them to continue on.
One plot point that stands out to me is the humor in the story. It often
gives some comic relief to the otherwise gruesome aspects of the narrative.
Costal and Leanna are partners, and as such, they get to know each other than
most people in a typical workplace. Their situation also makes room for them to
get on each other's nerves occasionally. In the story, they exchange a lot of
friendly as well as not so friendly barbs back and forth. There were numerous
times in the story I found myself laughing out loud at their clever remarks,
but I also felt a lot of tension between them, mostly on a philosophical level.
It was fun to read their exchanges, which added to their depth as people.
There are numerous pop-culture references in the narrative that caused me
amusement as well.
Another aspect standing out for me were the descriptions of the crime
activity. It was detailed and quite macabre at times, and some readers who
don't care for graphic scenes depicting violence might take warning. At no time
were any of those violent scenes or descriptions of crime scenes gratuitous,
nor did I think they didn't add a feeling of horror to the narrative.
The theme of friendship was the most palpable to me in this tale. The two
principal characters are friends who agree, disagree, and show a lot of
tolerance for one another, but they also genuinely care about one
another.
There is also a thematic aspect of what causes someone to behave in ways
they do. While that cannot be an excuse for someone to do harm to others, it
can help with understanding, and perhaps intervention. All the principal
characters in this story appear to suffer from some level of PTSD, and there
are different ways each deals with their trauma.
My takeaway from Guilty but Aberrant is to remember that what we see in a
person at the superficial level isn't that person's entire story. Everyone
carries some level of baggage from their past. Some a lot more than others.
I give Guilty but Aberrant my highest recommendation for a stupendous Sci-Fi
novel that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat with the action. The
characters are marvelously developed and jump off the page feeling like one is
reading about real people. It is a complex story so masterfully written that it
flows into the mind like a movie. The scene descriptions are vivid and clear
and provide an excellent backdrop for the characters to play in.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can connect with Michael at
https://authormichaelliste.wixsite.com/authormlisten, or on Facebook,
Goodreads, and Amazon.
Well, there it is.
Qapla!
No comments:
Post a Comment