REVIEW  Karen Hall - Dark Debts
MacMillan - £16.99 
     On the dustjacket "Dark Debts" is described as "The supernatural thriller of the decade".  I would be inclined to dispense with the word "thriller" and place the novel firmly in the category of  "the supernatural."  The author, Karen Hall, has written for and produced some of the acclaimed TV shows of the ‘80s but writing this novel has been, apparently, a labour of love. Ms Hall states that she spent five years writing the book and thirty five years getting ready to write the book.   
It is a story of a family who are doomed because of the involvement of an ancestor in Satanic worship and abuse. The legacy he has left has meant a series of tragic deaths in the family .  It is only when the path of a  Catholic priest, a Jesuit, crosses that of the last surviving brother that the chance of redemption  is seen as a possibility.  Through the figure of the priest, current theological concerns of the Catholic Church are aired. The priest has broken his vow  of celibacy. He is unsure of his faith. This issue becomes  crucial as a major battle develops between Good and Evil.  This is really what the book is about - the existence of Evil and of the forces which can conquer it. Several scenes deal with attempts to exorcise demons but these seemed to me to be repetitive and uninspiring. 
A detailed account of the effects on a body of death in the electric chair is both powerful and a persuasive argument against the barbaric practice.  The characters, however, were pretty one dimensional but the plot  worked well with some surprises as it developed.  The  realisation of the identity of  the person to whom the book is dedicated , "the guy in the flannel shirt" was too. Many will enjoy "Dark Debts."    
(P.E.D.)