Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Kyle sets the wheels in motion quickly in The Keeper of the Crows. Jeff Daniels visits the Alistair farm, a place he hasn’t been back to in a very long time and for good reason. After the long walk from the chained off drive he sees a dark and disturbing scarecrow. But more than that he notices an odd number of crows that seem to be looking at him. The scarecrow and the crows are more than he can take staring at him. The scarecrow attacks him leaving him bleeding and scared for his life. He quickly finds coming back was a mistake and runs for his truck. The crows take flight after him and a few hit his windshield causing him to crash in to a tree. The next day Thomas Brooks, a reporter for the local paper Hollows Happenings, gets a call from Al Pittman, the town drunk and informant, stating he found a body. Thomas shows up at the scene to find Jezebel beat him to the punch. Now Thomas and Jezebel have a mystery to solve and it’s a fun ride at that.
Deputy Randall and Gary Davis, an old friend, think they have an idea what is going on but don’t want to entertain it. Now with Jeff dead, another old friend, they may not have a choice. The Davis farm sits on the other end of town from the Alistair farm leaving Jezebel more questions. Will she find the connection between Gary and Randall and what happened in the cornfield? Kyle built a really good mystery with some despicable characters. I really enjoyed the theme of redemption that Sheriff Woods and Thomas struggle with. The mystery was well constructed and the key piece to the puzzle was a well kept secret. The action kept the story moving well and I was invested in Thomas and Jezebel. I thought the scarecrows were a bit too powerful as the story neared it’s conclusion. The characters seemed to escape one to many encounters that I felt should have gone differently. For me the ending felt a bit to easy of a solution but I did like the story overall and would read this author again.
Rating 3.9/5
Book Info
Length: 284 Pages
Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.
Release date: October 16, 2015
To Purchase The Keeper of the Crows Click Here
No evil can remain buried forever, as disgraced journalist Thomas Brooks discovers when a wave of death grips the rural Kentucky town of Gray Hollow in terror.
Following a very public humiliation, Thomas is looking for a story to get him back on the map—and free of the small town newspaper where he serves out his exile. The apparent murder of a stranger seems to be just what the opportunistic reporter needs, until he discovers the death is merely the start of something bigger.
Also investigating the murder is Sheriff Jezebel Woods, who doesn’t approve of Thomas’ sensationalist intentions. Mounting deaths force the pair to set aside their differences to confront a force that threatens to destroy the entire town.
At the center of the mystery is the disappearance of a boy named Salem Alistair, who designed a series of grotesque scarecrows for his parents’ farm—scarecrows that are turning up at each subsequent crime scene. Thomas begins to doubt his uneasy alliance with the sheriff when he realizes Jezebel has her own secret history with Salem Alistair.
Thomas and Jezebel are completely unprepared to face the supernatural force at odds with Gray Hollow. As the killings continue, and the town slowly begins to yield its dark secrets, the truth will pit Thomas and Jezebel on a collision course with true evil.
Kyle Alexander Romines, biography
Kyle Alexander Romines is a teller of tales from the hills of Kentucky. He enjoys good reads, thunderstorms, and anything edible. The Keeper of the Crows (horror, released October 16, 2015 from Sunbury Press) is his first published book. His writing interests include fantasy, science fiction, horror, and western.
Kyle’s lifelong love of books began with childhood bedtime stories and was fostered by his parents and teachers. He grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes, RL Stine’s Goosebumps series, and Harry Potter. His current list of favorites includes Justin Cronin’s The Passage, Hard Country by Michael McGarrity, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Bone by Jeff Smith. The library is his friend.
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