J.S. Breukelaar, Aletheia: A Supernatural Thriller review

Written by Paula Limbaugh

Deep below the island, something monstrous lies waiting for Thettie, and it knows her name.

The remote lake town of Little Ridge has a memory problem. There is an island out on the lake somewhere, but no one can remember exactly where it is—and what it has to do with the disappearance of the eccentric Frankie Harpur or the seven-year-old son of a local artist, Lee Montour.

When Thettie Harpur brings her family home to find Frankie, she faces opposition from all sides—including from the clan leader himself, the psychotic Doc Murphy.

Lee, her one true ally in grief and love, might not be enough to help take on her worst nightmare. The lake itself.

A tale of that most human of monsters—memory—Aletheia is part ghost story, part love story, a novel about the damage done, and the damage yet to come. About terror itself. Not only for what lies ahead, but also for what we think we have left behind.

Reading Aletheia by J.S. Breukelaar is like going on a transcendental journey through the life and times of one Thettie Harpur. Thettie’s story is an enigmatic one, not always an easy read and at times a bit confusing but as it unfolds the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place and leave us feeling a bit awestruck.

This wondrous journey opens with the Harpur clan returning to Little Ridge, a lakeside town that they left ten years ago, after a run-in with the law. Frankie, Thettie’s cousin was left behind to take the fall for his extended family and has become a bitter, reclusive man. Now living on an island out on the lake that is just as reclusive as its inhabitant, Frankie has a few folks wondering what exactly is he involved with.

Thettie has returned to Little Ridge with hopes of making her life whole again, but there are ghosts of the past swirling around ready to thwart her endeavors. With a cast of characters lending depth to the story, we find ourselves totally immersed in Little Ridge. There’s Doc Murphy a twisted man who was once a friend to Frankie. He has taken to running the clan with devious delight. Then we have Bryce a young woman who has mysteriously appeared offering news of Frankie. And, Lee. Lee is a broken man whose son disappeared, he can’t leave Little Ridge for fear that one day his son may be found.

This is no quick read, rather it is one to sit back and reflect on as you exit one chapter and begin the next.  As the press release states, this is part ghost story, one that will leave you feeling haunted long after you are done reading it.

I would like to give a nod to Ben Baldwin for another stellar book cover. The image perfectly captures the essence of the story within! Available in both e-book and paperback format.You can pick up your copy HERE!!

 

5/5