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The martyring
Sullivan, Thomas
Adult Fiction SULLIVA
From Publishers' Weekly:
Sullivan's modern gothic fashions some predictable twists on traditional concepts of faith and redemption. For centuries, the men and women of the Hauptmann family have engaged in the craft of making stained glass. Now, in the mid-1970s, 17-year-old Kurt Nehmer arrives in Padobar, Fla., from Germany to be inducted into the family secrets under the guidance of Gerta Hauptmann, the clan's matriarch. Sinister events begin to take place after Gerta's son Martin dies and Gerta summons her other son, Detlef, from Germany. Kurt feels like an outsider among his relatives, especially among those who, unlike him, have experienced "the second confirmation," a vision that enables them to see 2000 years of family history. Forebodingly, Kurt also dimly recalls a disturbing week spent with Uncle Detlef at Chartres Cathedral in France. Soon, the community experiences a rash of accidents, suicides and murders, and it's up to Jack Skelote, a cop with a slow response but a fair instinct, to interpret the sudden mayhem in his county. Meanwhile, Kurt discovers horrifying atrocities linked to the Hauptmann legacyand to the present-day killings. He reacts, but his actions only seal his fate. Sullivan plumps his tale with biblical parallels and unique motivations. But the plot, too burdened by its tone of dull portent, never hits a comfortable pace. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
From time immemorial, Hauptmann family members have been creators of stained glass. Young Kurt Nehmann, a Hauptmann through his mother, leaves his native Germany to learn the family business in Florida. From the beginning, though, Kurt feels like an outsider. There are secrets and history of which he is unaware, and for a long time no one seems willing to bring him truly into the fold. His forbidding grandmother Gerta, his frighteningly cruel uncle Detlef, and his sexy cousin Ute all mystify him. At the same time, Jack Skelote, a middle-aged, recently divorced cop, is trying to solve a series of horrifying murders. As the body count mounts, Skelote finally concludes that a Hauptmann family member is responsible. Sullivan has created a tale that fits easily within the Gothic horror tradition, and some of the details of the grisly murders are suitably disturbing. Unfortunately, however, much of the plot is predictable, and the characters never seem to come completely to life. Recommended only for large fiction collections where horror is in demand.Dean James, Murder by the Book, Houston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Sullivan, Thomas
Adult Fiction SULLIVA
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From Publishers' Weekly:
Sullivan's modern gothic fashions some predictable twists on traditional concepts of faith and redemption. For centuries, the men and women of the Hauptmann family have engaged in the craft of making stained glass. Now, in the mid-1970s, 17-year-old Kurt Nehmer arrives in Padobar, Fla., from Germany to be inducted into the family secrets under the guidance of Gerta Hauptmann, the clan's matriarch. Sinister events begin to take place after Gerta's son Martin dies and Gerta summons her other son, Detlef, from Germany. Kurt feels like an outsider among his relatives, especially among those who, unlike him, have experienced "the second confirmation," a vision that enables them to see 2000 years of family history. Forebodingly, Kurt also dimly recalls a disturbing week spent with Uncle Detlef at Chartres Cathedral in France. Soon, the community experiences a rash of accidents, suicides and murders, and it's up to Jack Skelote, a cop with a slow response but a fair instinct, to interpret the sudden mayhem in his county. Meanwhile, Kurt discovers horrifying atrocities linked to the Hauptmann legacyand to the present-day killings. He reacts, but his actions only seal his fate. Sullivan plumps his tale with biblical parallels and unique motivations. But the plot, too burdened by its tone of dull portent, never hits a comfortable pace. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
From time immemorial, Hauptmann family members have been creators of stained glass. Young Kurt Nehmann, a Hauptmann through his mother, leaves his native Germany to learn the family business in Florida. From the beginning, though, Kurt feels like an outsider. There are secrets and history of which he is unaware, and for a long time no one seems willing to bring him truly into the fold. His forbidding grandmother Gerta, his frighteningly cruel uncle Detlef, and his sexy cousin Ute all mystify him. At the same time, Jack Skelote, a middle-aged, recently divorced cop, is trying to solve a series of horrifying murders. As the body count mounts, Skelote finally concludes that a Hauptmann family member is responsible. Sullivan has created a tale that fits easily within the Gothic horror tradition, and some of the details of the grisly murders are suitably disturbing. Unfortunately, however, much of the plot is predictable, and the characters never seem to come completely to life. Recommended only for large fiction collections where horror is in demand.Dean James, Murder by the Book, Houston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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