Shadows from the Past by Lisa Marie Davis

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I was really not expeting this novel, or at least not the development it had. Chase is the son of a serial killer and his father committed suicide in prison before the death sentence could do justice; there is no doubt Chase’s father was guilty even if, a bit, I was expecting some black point, some unclear clue that gave a little of hope to Chase that indeed his father was not a serial killer. And instead no, Chase is the son of a monster and he has to live with this awareness. Moreover, when his father dies and Chase’s brother, Joel, calls him, the reader (me, romantic at heart) reads that scene like a last chance for Chase to rebuild at least a relationship with his brother and mother, now that his father, the killer, is dead. And again, instead no, Joel is maybe even more crazy than his father and almost immediately he becomes a killer himself.

There is no doubt to whom is the killer, there is no doubt that Chase is innocent, that he has no the same deviated gene his brother inherited by their father. That is basically the main point of the novel: Chase is flagellating himself with a sense of guilty that he has not reason to feel. He is his father’s son, that is true, but he has never once condoned his father’s actions, let alone forgive him. He completely changed his life, he detached himself not only from his past, but also from his future, not letting himself being loved by a good man, Kayne, that is a cop and comes from a steady and loving family: Chase has not right, or merit, to have a man like Kayne by his side, Chase is guilty and he has to pay for his father’s sins.

The problem is that no moral jury accused Chase, no one is pointing him like even a little responsible for his father’s actions, not even when his brother starts to kill people around Chase to make him pay for a betrayal Joel feels he has committed towards him and their father, not even then Kayne and public opinion are accusing Chase. And I don’t think that, for Chase to be comfortable with his coscience, is enough he has the remission from someone: Chase needs to condone himself, he needs to understand that he has not right to feel sorry, that he is not his father or brother, that he has no way to make things better on their stance. Only then Chase will be ready to love and being loved back.

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Amazon Kindle: Shadows from the Past

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Cover Art by Paul Richmond

Comments

[kika-k.livejournal.com]

Molto interessante il sommario! Vado a vedere e predere.

ciao

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

è diverso dalla solita produzione di questa autrice che di solito è più spinta sul romantico.