Closure by Gillian E Hamer ~ #Paranormal #Thriller @GillyHamer #TuesdayBookBlog

• Author: Gillian E Hamer
• Published: December 2013 by Triskele Books
• Category: Paranormal, Thriller
• 

Helen West is coming to terms with her husband’s death and trying to cope with her six-year-old son’s grief. Jake suffers from nightmares, and visions of what he calls his ‘other life’. He talks about a boy called Jacob and a place known only as ‘the island’. 

Two seemingly unconnected and totally different storylines play out, one involving Helen West and her son, Jake, a young boy who has distressing night terrors. Helen’s GP is convinced Jake’s nightmares relate to the loss of his father but Helen is equally as sure they have nothing to do with her husband’s death. Her doctor sends her to a leading child psychiatrist whose pompous attitude and treatment of Jake she disliked intensely.

“No, I’m sorry. I want to help my son. He is neither miserable nor scared. And I will not have him used as a guinea pig to flatter your over-inflated ego.”

The second story thread involves an investigation by DS Gareth Parry and DS Chris Coleman, from Bangor CID, into the abductions and murders of university students by a serial killer. The police are unable to find any solid leads or connections in the victims’ backgrounds. The story opens from the chilling prospective of the killer, a terrifying and shocking attack on a young woman and a glimpse into the mind of a sociopath.

Before the officer turned the body over, Gareth knew. He tuned out the uniform’s words, tuned out the yapping dog from the nearby witness. He tuned out the rest of the world, and concentrated on the long matted hair, the grey naked flesh, the curve of her spine.

Reincarnation is a subject that fascinates me and it’s often said children’s minds are more open and receptive to otherworldly things. Jake’s mysterious and unaccountable knowledge of events, language and places that, in reality, he should know nothing about is intriguingly and skilfully portrayed. 

Two of my favourite plot lines, paranormal and thriller, are woven together seamlessly as the dual narrative progresses, creating an original and different twist. The story is excellently written, fast paced and suspenseful, with realistic and believable dialogue. There’s no gratuitous violence and the tragic reality of the Rothsay Castle shipwreck conjures up vivid and terrible images which lends another level of authenticity. Reading Jacob’s account of his story was very moving.

The setting is fabulous, as the cover image suggests. Llandwynn Island is an atmospheric and beautiful place – a great choice for the mystical aspect and the culmination of the story.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | US

About Gillian Hamer

Crime and thriller writer, founder member of author’s collective Triskele Books, and regular contributor to Words with Jam Magazine. You can find out more about Gillian and her books via her Website, Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.