Book Review: The Lurking Man – Author Keith Rommel

The Lurking Man

So what happen to us when we die (or get close to death)? Well Cailean is about to find out in Keith Rommel’s new book the Lurking Man the second book in his Thanatology series. This book like the Cursed Man takes us deep into dark reaches of the human mind. The book starts with Cailean finding herself standing inside a circle of light surround by darkness. Then from that impenetrable darkness a voice calls to her. The voice she hears is the voice of Sareil who is there to guide her through her past and to pluck out the demons with in.

The Lurking Man does a great job at keeping you turning the pages and fallowing Cailean down the path of her life. And just when you think you know about this woman and her life you find yourself off the path and deep within the forest of her mind and wishing you had never left the path. Sareil also has his own agenda that is well hidden in the darkness in which he lurks. And it’s with this great dynamic between these two and the character development that you really are drawn into this story.

The book is well balanced and has a nice flow between the past and present state of Cailean. I also found the read ability easier than the first book in the series, as in the first book I found myself flipping back and forth as things got confusing between reality and non-reality, whereas in the lurking man I always knew where I was and where the characters were in the story. Even with this Keith Rommel has the great ability to lead you down one path only to find out you are on the wrong path and what you think is happening is not that at all and that is what makes this book so enjoyable to read is its unpredictability. I always hate reading a book and know what is going to happen ten of fifteen pages from now.

Keith Rommel does a great job of melding reality with the fantastical. He draws you in with the human drama and real life situations while monsters from our nightmares dance around ready to attack as soon as our guard is let down. The Lurking Man is what I picture if Edgar Alan Poe and Clive Barker wrote a book together. I recommend picking up this book just beware what is lurking just outside your ring of light and staring back at you from within the darkness.

Book Review: The Lurking Man – Author Keith Rommel