A Coin For Charon (Marlowe Gentry Book 1) by Dallas Mullican

I know you all know how much words mean to me. A beautiful sentence can capture my attention in as immersive a way as a painting, movie, or song might. In fact, I consider authors to be artists who paint with words. That said, there are certainly levels of art in every platform. I have a written masterpiece to tell you about today.  A Coin For Charon (Marlowe Gentry Book 1) by Dallas Mullican is a deep thriller that I know you are going to love. 

From the back of the book:

Gabriel isn’t murdering anyone―he’s saving them.

The media has dubbed him the Seraphim Killer. He believes the gods have charged him to release the chosen, those for whom life has become an unbearable torment. Gabriel feels their suffering—his hands burn, his skull thunders, his stomach clenches. Once they are free, he places coins on their eyes to pay Charon for passage into paradise.

Detective Marlowe Gentry has spent the past two years on the edge. The last serial killer he hunted murdered his wife before his eyes and left his young daughter a mute shell. Whenever she looks at him, her dead eyes push him farther into a downward spiral of pain and regret. He sees the Seraphim as an opportunity for revenge, a chance to forgive himself―or die trying.

Gabriel performs the gods’ work with increasing confidence, freeing the chosen from their misery. One day, the gods withdraw the blessing―a victim he was certain yearned for release still holds the spark of life. Stunned, he retreats into the night, questioning why the gods have abandoned a loyal servant. Without his calling, Gabriel is insignificant to the world around him.

He will do anything to keep that from happening.

My thoughts:

I know I talk about characters a lot, but really they make or break a story. There are some deeply damaged characters in the lead roles of this story that instantly drew me into their own worlds, minds, and realities. As I saw the evolution of how they came to be what they are and where they ended up, I felt an ache for the pain and loss of innocence, as they, all of them, struggled with the human condition. The intimate knowledge made a connection that tugged at my heart, even for Gabriel, which was a little shocking considering his role. 

Telling a good story is easy, telling a great story, however, takes something special, something Dallas Mullican has in spades. The layers of the story as it unfolded were as deep and dark as they were beautiful and hopeful. There was an attention to detail that was lovely and I could tell that each word had been chosen and used to its full effect. 

Biggest shocker? This was a debut novel! I am serious. That means things only get better and if it gets better than this, frankly, I need to read it. Good news; there are more parts already in the works! Great news; you can get your own copy of A Coin For Charon (Marlowe Gentry Book 1) by Dallas Mullican today on AMAZON. 

Make sure you also follow Dallas Mullican on Goodreads and Facebook so that you never miss news on new releases. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.