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Lawrence is a small-town local cop who isn't happy with his life. His job is unsatisfying and poorly paid, his wife has left him and remarried a wealthy man and worst of all, because Lawrence tends to drink and become belligerent, his son is not permitted to see him. On Halloween, Lawrence is called to help in the search when a three-year-old girl is reported missing. Lawrence is the one to discover the child, dead in the bushes run down by a car. A phone tip places the blame on the town's high school football hero, Kyle Johnson. No one in the town wants Kyle implicated, because, for the first time in decades the high school team has a chance to win big, bringing economic and emotional hope to the depressed town. The mayor and Chief of Police calls on Lawrence to hold off on a thorough investigation and they sweeten the deal with a hint that Lawrence would be next in line for the Chief's well-paying job. Lawrence agrees to hold off on searching for the whole truth even when reports come in of a second car at the scene of the accident. Tensions run higher as Kyle and his girlfriend both succumb to the pressure of rumors and Lawrence starts to feel dirty, manipulated and somehow drawn to the little victim's mother. When Kyle's girlfriend is found dead, there is a rush to say she committed suicide, and the news of the girl's recent abortion turns most of the town against her, so no one cares about the facts. Lawrence begins to fall apart himself, depression and drinking and a desperate hook-up with a woman at work brings on feelings of hopelessness. He decides he must find the truth to save his own soul, but when he investigates in earnest, he suddenly finds himself set up as the prime suspect in yet another case. LOST SOULS by Michael Collins is an outstanding book, masterfully written and well crafted. The use of words and images are powerful and hard-hitting. It's a solid murder mystery, psychological character study and modern small town conspiracy novel. The twists and turns are brilliant and clever and makes for a satisfying mystery. I'd give it a rousing recommendation but one thing holds me back: The unrelenting, suffocating, mind numbing depression and despair that permeates this book and every single character within its covers makes for hard reading. If the reader has any tendency towards black depression before starting this book, the story will bring you to the edge of the abyss. If you're feeling chipper and well satisfied with your life, read LOST SOULS, you will appreciate the talent and craft of the writer. If you're prone to depression, hold off on LOST SOULS until you can be certain you'll survive its bleakness.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, November 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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