FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

A SHRED OF TRUTH

by Eric Wilson

(WaterBrook)

Reader Appeal: Adults and Mature Teens

Genre: Mystery / Suspense

Aramis Black returns in another thriller by wordsmith Eric Wilson, author of Best of Evil, Dark to Mortal Eyes, and Expiration Date. In a mystery that’ll keep readers up late at night following false leads and red herrings, Wilson crafts a story that’s engaging, suspense-filled, and original. He continues to flesh out Aramis Black, creating an intriguing protagonist that Christian fiction has needed for a very long time.

Aramis Black has come far; left behind a life of violence and hatred, faced demons from his past, as well as deeply hidden family secrets. Though he’s still recovering from fresh betrayal and deception, things are looking up for Aramis and his brother Johnny, a rising country music star. Until, that is, – Johnny is found lashed to a statue, the initials “AX” slashed into his chest. Thankfully, Johnny survives the ordeal, but Aramis must face the disturbing reality that dark forces from his past aren’t quite done with him yet.

Enter ex-flame Felicia, “dark force from the past” number one as she blows into town, throwing Aramis for a loop he has no desire to go through again. Fighting back old emotions and desires he’d thought long since gone, Aramis finds he must once again sift through plausible cover stories to separate truth from lies. Amid them is the tantalizing possibility – unbelievable as it is – that his mother may still be alive.

Aramis hopes to string Felicia along until he can find his way to the truth, but in a flash – a heartbeat – Felicia lies dead on the pavement at the hands of a killer. Aramis then finds himself at the mercy of a psychopath who is leading him by the nose down a twisted rabbit’s hole, taunting him with the command to “face his sins." What follows next is the carefully laid plan of a meticulous madman, at the middle of which lies either Aramis’ salvation or damnation, as well as the fate of his long lost mother – if she truly survived her death, after all.

Following up Best of Evil with a flurry of action, Wilson solidifies Black as a reoccurring character to be watched. Aramis Black is what most of us are: a raw wire, exposed, terribly vulnerable at times, surprisingly dangerous at others – and always unpredictable. Though Best of Evil was a unique, original story, A Shred of Truth sustains its action longer, with a more solid, intricate plot, making it a strong follow up to its predecessor. Best of all, hints are laid at the end that Aramis Black’s sleuthing for family treasure is not over just yet.

Visit Eric Wilson at www.wilsonwriter.com.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A

--KL

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