The Grove

THE GROVE
John Rector
Amazon Encore
November 2, 2010
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-935597131
254 pages
$14.95
Fiction

What would you do if you found that your tractor was stuck in a ditch on your property and there was the dead body of a teenager in your grove? Most people would have called law enforcement, but being that Dexter McCray had already spent time in prison for assault and has a history of alcoholic blackouts, he chooses to investigate himself. He figures that the best way to prove that he is not guilty is to really find out who killed Jessica.

Added to this is the fact that Dexter is not taking his medicine to help him with self-control and alcohol. He is not certain about his own actions. Could he have blacked out and killed the girl without any memory of the incident? He has no memory of anything last night. What could you do?

This story is haunting. Dexter’s choices are limited and his decisions are not always the wise thing to do. Also in his past is the horrendous death of his own daughter that now causes heartache for both his wife and himself. It is disturbing to witness Dexter’s frequent conversations with his hallucinations of the deceased teenager. While the body is rotting, Dexter has a personal affection for the dead victim. For someone who knows that he has mental issues, the story really does allow the reader to view this disturbed person from their own point of view.

The characterization in THE GROVE is superb. Each character is believable and is motivated by their personal issues. The story is gripping in that your thoughts never leave this tale.

John Rector lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He has had an eclectic work history with working as a musician, a record store clerk, a cemetery worker, and a telephone psychic. His previous book, THE COLD KISS, is currently in development for a film production.

I did have one problem with THE GROVE. The publisher erroneously printed part of another novel in place of the last seventy pages of the book. Please check your copy of this book carefully so that the entire story is concluded for you.

THE GROVE is a haunting novel that you will not soon forget.