Firecracker by
Sean Stewart
hbk out April 05
Published by Weidenfeld
at £12.99
A wonderful tale of damage and recovery, death and murder, haunting and
love set in the broiling heat of Houston. DK (short for Dead Kennedy) sees
ghosts, always has. He can't do much about them but he's plagued with the
sight. One drawback is that he can't drive as he keeps swerving to avoid the
ghosts. DK has lost his wife to another man, former marine Don, but hangs
on to a precious relationship with his twelve-year-old daughter Megan. He
longs to prove himself to Megan, but it'll take some doing; she doesn't suffer
fools gladly and she can spot them coming a mile away. When DK gets fired
from his job, his life which was already in a rut takes a sharp turn for the
worse. Now he can't even pay the rent. Until an option to make money
arrives: cousin Tom Hanlon claims there is a weeping girl ghost in his garage,
can DK confirm it and he'll get a fee for his pains? Things unravel fast then
and DK's dead relatives keep cropping up more frequently. What do they
want from him? Stewart delivers wry, self-deprecating humour and laugh
aloud moments, particularly from the astute Megan, as well as richly observed
landscapes and cityscapes. This is a poignant story of a man coming of age
(albeit several years overdue) and a highly recommended read.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
Firecracker by
Sean Stewart
