Name:
Kelli Keith
Date:
October 14, 2017
Book Title:
Caves in the Rain
Book Author:
Bob Bickford
Date of Publication:
2 January 2017
Number of Pages:
352
Main Characters:
Mike Latta recently divorced after the unexpected death of his daughter, Abby. His pain brought him to the isolated Echo Island where he planned to restore a summer cabin for permanent residence.
Molly Bean is the not-quite-divorced neighbor who develops an instantly comfortable relationship with Mike.
Other Important Characters:
Ronnie “Ron” Baptiste- the seemingly nice real estate agent that moonlights as a psychotic murderer.
Abby- Mike’s daughter that died from exposure on his watch.
Woman in Black (Lisa Baptiste) - the ghost of Ron’s wife who, along with the Girl in Pink (Stephanie Baptiste), haunt Echo Island.
Setting:
Hollow Lake, Canada; present day.
Synopsis:
Mike Latta is hiding from the pain of his past. He receives a summer cottage, and all the acreage of Echo Island, in his divorce settlement. With the intent of isolating himself from the world and his problems, he sets out to live on the harsh island year round. He quickly realizes his memories are not the only things that haunt the island. Motivated by fear, and the need to exonerate himself from past mistakes, he is driven to solve a decade old murder that could cost him everything.
Key Points/Conflict:
Mike Latta blames himself for the death of his daughter, Abby. He attempted to drink away his pain and guilt, eventually, driving away his wife. In the divorce settlement, his wife agreed to give him a tiny summer cottage on the secluded, seven acre Echo Island. Mike purchases a boat and supplies with the intent of turning the summer cottage into a year round residence. Assigning himself one year of banishment to the island, he quickly loses himself in the renovation process.
Odd things begin to happen when he repeatedly sees a woman dressed in black accompanied by a verbally acidic little girl dressed in a pink winter coat. The encounters become increasingly bizarre and suddenly he realizes, the pair are ghosts, unable to cross over. Piece by piece, the story of their demise unfolds, showing Mike that their deaths were not accidental, as had been reported 10-years earlier.
As Mike delves further into the mystery, bringing new evidence to light to the local sheriff, the murderer takes aim at his new target. Ron Baptiste is beloved and respected by (almost) everyone in the small community; his charm and wit ensures his true nature goes undetected. He is calculated, intelligent, and will stop at nothing to obtain the goal in his sites.
With the onset of Fall, the lake becomes abandoned and Mike is alone on the lake. When he awakes one morning to find his boat missing, he realizes he must come to terms with his own death. Ron tracks him like a wild animal, forcing Mike to face his demons and make peace with his past.
Analysis/Evaluation:
The first chapter described, what I consider a child, murdering his stepmother out of pure self-preservation. As an opening scene, it set a tone that allowed the reader to understand that sometimes, murderers aren’t just born, they are made. My only critique of this initial introduction to young Ron’s character—the outcome was not further explained. Did Ron go to foster care? Was he every suspected or implicated in her murder? Were his later murders symbolic of killing his abuser over and over again?
The descriptions and details allowed me to build a clear picture of each scene. (The addition of the map in the beginning was a very nice visual aid to accompany those descriptions.) The characters were well developed and had believable interactions that aroused feelings of like, love, or loathe; when the emotion was appropriate.
Sometimes, supernatural fiction can be challenging to read due to the far-fetched nature of the topics. About 20-percent into the book, I seemed incapable of putting it down, excited to know how the story would end. That doesn’t happen to me often and I was pleasantly surprised. I began to question which characters were living, breathing beings; whether Mike may have become stuck in some sort of self-imposed purgatory until he (allowed himself to be) atoned for his sins; or whether Ron would claim another victim and avoid punishment once more.
At the end, when the ghosts of Lisa and Stephanie said, “Other mothers … Other daughters”, Mike knew the sin behind his actions were far out measured by the elimination of a predatory monster. By allowing Ron to die, seemingly allowed the ghost duet obtained closure and were released from their earthen purgatory. I did question the necessity of Abby’s presence during the final scenes. Was she really present the entire time or did Mike imagine the smells and coins? Was her soul doomed to roam the earth until Mike came to terms with his involvement? Did she only return to collect Aruba? Maybe some questions are not meant to be answered.
Caves in the Rain is available for purchase at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and the Champagne Bookstore.
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