“Five for Silver” - The new novel by Justin Peter Beeney reviewed by Alan Hewitt.

I struggled with this book. I admit it, this was not the easiest of reads but then again, it was not meant to be either. If any of you have read either of Justin’s previous books: Kasdeja’s Children or Painted Gold - The Long Night of Evan Raby, then you will know just how detailed and involved his books are. This one is no exception, a tale of dark magic and the nightmares of the mind, this is no children’s fairy tale but a latter day Gothic novel of the darkest sort.

Brilliantly observed characters are placed in a nightmare world where the everyday suddenly takes on sinister form and shape and as you are drawn further and further into the story the real and the unreal blend until it is difficult to tell the two apart. Challenging and disturbing in equal measures, this one will be a delight for those among you who like their fiction of a darker sort - and if it makes you leave the bedroom lights on at night then don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Justin Peter Beeney: Five For Silver - the Diabolical Pact of Leanne Labbartu. (Private Imprint) ISBN: 9781499346923