I tried reading a new author (for me) this week and was not disappointed. Moon Lake by Joe R. Lansdale is one of our new summer novels – and if you enjoy it, he has written almost 4 dozen other books! Moon Lake is an investigative thriller – lots of mystery in the story and Lansdale does a great job describing the small East Texas town of the 1970’s. There is a dark edge to the novel, but touched with bits of humor.
I loved the main character – Daniel Russell. He was thirteen when his father drove the two of them off of a bridge into a lake. Daniel almost drowned, but was rescued by Ronnie Candles and her father and then taken in and loved by the family for over a year. The ‘problem’ was that the Candles family was black and Daniel was white . . . so he ended up with a distant aunt and eventually became a writer. Ten years later, his father’s car is finally discovered at the bottom of the lake and secrets begin to unfold. Daniel’s skills as a writer/reporter help him to unravel the truth of Moon Lake and the evil that still lurks and controls the town.
This novel told a good story and the mystery of who to believe or mistrust carries through all the way to the end. I loved Ronnie, Mr. & Mrs. Candles and Daniel – and there were many characters to hate in the book as well . . . you just have to keep reading to discover if your suspicions are right!
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