Koko by Peter Straub

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are certain books that cry to be re-read and then read once again. They stand the test of time and hold up strongly to multiple readings. So it is with Peter Straub's BLUE ROSE TRILOGY (KOKO, MYSTERY & THE THROAT), three books that can be read as stand alone tales but work exceedingly well to document, through the interconnect stories, a series of murders dubbed Blue Rose given the fact that these two words appear at the site of each murder.

While KOKO deals with the BLUE ROSE murders in a sort of distant, ancillary way, the tale it spins is mesmerizing nonetheless. KOKO offers the reader a dual timeline tale. The first addresses a group of Vietnam veterans that gather for the dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982. Two of their members are not in attendance, and it is the belief of the surviving members that one of these missing men might be a serial killer at work in Asia, leaving behind Koko playing cards with his victims. The second part of the tale recounts the events experienced by said patrol during their time in Vietnam (what happens is similar to the very real My Lai Massacre).

Straub deftly weaves both stories together, bringing to life the horrors of Vietnam with the nearly surreal horrors experienced on a daily basis by Vietnam Veterans. Thematically we're offered a gentle mix of themes that Straub returns to on several occasions through his other books: past sins reverberating in the present, mistaken identity, and secret heroes to name but a few. Straub's characters are extremely well drawn, from Tina Puma and Michael Poole to the character of Timothy Underhill, someone we're first introduced here and reappears in full bloom in the third book of the BLUE ROSE TRILOGY, THE THROAT.

Straub's storytelling abilities are powerful, his pacing is incredible, and the way in which he combines mystery and thriller elements leaves the reading only wanting more. Thankfully, there are two more books that can be sate that desire.





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