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Dead mother. Missing brother. Distant Dad. Difficult school. That about sums up life as Emil Simon knows it. So you can understand how being in possession of a supposed Master Key to his school would tempt him. With nothing else really going for him, how could he not want to know? And with his father heading out of town for a week on a business, what better time than to find out?
The first time he unlocks the main door on campus, Emil feels a little dread. But he gets over it quickly. He finds that campus at night feels more like home than home does. And with his little setup in the attic, he takes to spending more time there than at home.
He reads in the library, spends a few nights in the archives, peruses some faculty offices. But his best find is really an accident. Noticing lights, he heads to the Art Building, and stumbles upon his art teacher’s daughter. Which leads to a wealth of lies, as he doesn’t know what to say or how to explain the truth of his situation. That aside, things seem to be going quite well, and Emil can’t believe his luck.
Which runs out when his best friend’s mother realizes he’s been home alone, calls one night, heads over to see why he didn’t answer, realizes he’s not there, and calls his father. Not good.
But when Emil’s father arrives home and they sit down to talk, Emil finds out he’s not the only one who’s been lying. Apparently he’s been at the receiving end of some whoppers himself. And he doesn’t like the feeling. Which leads him to the realization that he has to come clean with Jade. Jade, as it happens, has put a lot of his story together already. And while not pleased with the lies, she does agree to a road trip. One final excursion into the world of breaking all the rules.
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January 8th, 2007
11:38 am
Book Review, Series, Staff Favorites
adult fiction, ghosts, koontz, mediums, missing persons, mystery, odd thomas, psychological thriller, supernatural
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Unable to deal with life in his hometown, Pico Mundo, Odd Thomas has retreated to St. Bartholomew’s, where he hoped to find some peace. Telling his secret only to those necessary, he manages for a time to live a quiet life, piquing curiosity, but being left alone. The arrival of bodachs with his first ever snow storm changes all that.
What begins as the mystery of Brother Timothy’s disappearance quickly spirals into an ever-growing and changing puzzle. While Odd knows something is coming and the children must be protected, he can’t explain to anyone what, why or how, which makes the planning more than a little difficult.
Elvis continues to pop in for comic relief as Odd struggles to make sense of things he’s never seen and can barely comprehend. The trusty Boo offers some help as well, but as a dog can only go so far.
In a race against not only the unknown but also the clock, Odd struggles to find a way to communicate with those who rarely do, in hopes of solving the riddle before it’s too late for anyone else.
I’ve loved Odd Thomas since his first story. Apparently some found his second tale to be lesser than the first. I’m not sure I was of that opinion, but for any who were, I can say that this installment should definitely please.
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Witch Baby always felt out of place. With her tangled up hair and purple eyes and anger, she was never as soft and gentle as her almost-mom Weetzie, or her half-sister Cherokee. Only Angel Juan could ever make her feel like she belonged. So when he tells her he’s leaving, that he needs to go to New York and be on his own, she can’t understand, and runs away. When she wakes up and realizes she didn’t get to say goodbye, she decides she’s going to follow and look for him.
When no letters follow his first postcard to her, she becomes even more frantic, and knows she has to go. She asks permission to stay in Charlie Bat’s apartment, and sets off for the city.
Upon arrival she metts Meadows and Mallard, two kindly gentlemen who take care of Charlie’s apartment during the year. They take her to dinner, but as it turns out, they’re Ghost Hunters, and are off to Ireland. Witch Baby would wallow in her aloneness, if not for the appearance of a spectral Charlie.
With his help, Witch Baby wanders the city, usually searching for Angel Juan, sometimes sidetracked by her Ghostly Grandfather, but almost always gaining a new appreciation for life.
In the end, she follows her heart, which leads her to Angel Juan, and to some realizations about the dangers of the way she wants to cling to him and keep him to herself.
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