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Lost Souls
With such novels as The Resurrectionists, Michael Collins has galvanized his reputation as a master of the literary thriller. In Lost Souls, he embarks upon his most ambitious project yet, offering a harrowing portrait of a stricken American community.
On Halloween night, a small midwestern town is traumatized by what appears to be a hit- and-run accident. But the mayor and chief of police conspire to divert the investigation away from the prime suspect, a local high school football hero, leaving the beleaguered police officer who discovered the body to uncover the truth behind the cover-up. Full of the author’s trademark psychological intensity, this fast-paced tale is Michael Collins at his page-turning best.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2003
12 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Michael Collins
447 books52 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1)Irish Novelist
Michael Collins was born in 1964. He was educated in Belfast, Dublin and Chicago. His short stories have been awarded the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Award in Ireland and the Pushcart Prize in America.
(1)Irish Novelist
Michael Collins was born in 1964. He was educated in Belfast, Dublin and Chicago. His short stories have been awarded the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Award in Ireland and the Pushcart Prize in America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
September 5, 2018
Adoro livros que falem no Halloween e que tornem esse dia num thriller. Adorei esta história e acompanhar a vida das personagens.
September 12, 2014
…1…2…3…acho que não me estou a esquecer de nenhum crime…
…Um enredo com um desenvolvimento “peixe espada” e uma resolução “insonsa”…
…Um policia “arrependido de ter nascido”...
…Um politico vendedor de automóveis (? – receio não ter entendido bem…)
…E mais umas quantas personagens que tanto podiam lá estar, como não…
Vou "arquivar" este livro com Os Guardiões da Verdade e precaver-me para não ler mais nada de Michael Collins…
June 9, 2024
Inicia-se na noite de Halloween quando uma criança aparece morta depois de um carro lhe ter passado por cima. Contudo o chefe da polícia e o Presidente da Câmara querem abafar o caso. O Inspetor Lawrence inicialmente alinha com eles, mas depois começa a ver que é o elo mais fraco e começa a investigar.
Problema, todo o livro gravita sob a vida de Lawrence, que é uma autêntica bagunça, e na minha opinião acaba por se perder muita coisa…
https://alilianaraquel.pt/almas-perdi...
Problema, todo o livro gravita sob a vida de Lawrence, que é uma autêntica bagunça, e na minha opinião acaba por se perder muita coisa…
https://alilianaraquel.pt/almas-perdi...
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August 26, 2010I didnt read this, just made a mistake and did not know how to get it off my page....
October 10, 2021
Lost Souls is not your typical thriller - far from it, it explores the suffering/loneliness of Lawrence (our main guy) caught in a small town cover up. His descent towards losing it all is actually painful to read. Collins does a superb job with this story.
February 12, 2022
This book is a bit of a conundrum for me to review, as it has some of the most beautiful detailed writing I've read and a formulaic structure. I'd often seen the author's name in second hand book shops, but I found this one at the library book sale; I assumed this was a different Irish author than the other detective novels I'd bypassed, also the cover said it was shortlisted for the Booker prize.
It is a well done, depressing novel (true to some of the genre), with an extremely depressed narrator who gets caught in a small town coverup. What interested me was not this, but the way in which the characters were depicted - all very complex and unusual, even as the narrator emphasizes that they are stereotypical. Collins writes about small town mid America in the manner Lewis or Dreiser. In his descriptions, he puts the minutiae of this life and these characters in such a way that the descriptions sometimes soar off the page.
I researched Collins and found that he confused the literary world. One former professor called him a genius, and it seems that the consensus was that he has great talent. That said, he used this talent to write detective novels (so this is the same Michael Collins whose work I had bypassed for many years), and there is relatively little in mainstream media that pops up about him today. Nonetheless, he is still writing and living in the States. Would I read another novel, looking for more beautiful paragraphs? No, both because I'm not interested in the genre; I find it very limited, and I didn't "like" the depressive tone.
It is a well done, depressing novel (true to some of the genre), with an extremely depressed narrator who gets caught in a small town coverup. What interested me was not this, but the way in which the characters were depicted - all very complex and unusual, even as the narrator emphasizes that they are stereotypical. Collins writes about small town mid America in the manner Lewis or Dreiser. In his descriptions, he puts the minutiae of this life and these characters in such a way that the descriptions sometimes soar off the page.
I researched Collins and found that he confused the literary world. One former professor called him a genius, and it seems that the consensus was that he has great talent. That said, he used this talent to write detective novels (so this is the same Michael Collins whose work I had bypassed for many years), and there is relatively little in mainstream media that pops up about him today. Nonetheless, he is still writing and living in the States. Would I read another novel, looking for more beautiful paragraphs? No, both because I'm not interested in the genre; I find it very limited, and I didn't "like" the depressive tone.
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June 27, 2018Small town politics on display here where everyone is covering asses. Michael Collins has written a genius of a character in police detective, Lawrence. Love to read more books with him as the main character. Have you written more Mr. Collins?
October 3, 2009
This book is a sad commentary on Mid-West small-town life, or at least, the author's view of it. Given that Michael Collins is an Irish emigre who has written some splendid Irish literature, I wondered whether he was out of his depth here or has as yet earned the write to write from the inside about this milieu?
Lawrence, the protagonist and narrator, is the most lost of the Lost Souls in this book, and the author takes a risk in having such a loser (with a heart) carry this story.
A four-year old child is found dead on a sidewalk amidst a pile of fallen leaves during Halloween, and so begins the unravelling of the lives of key players in a small town: from mayor to police chief to police officers to star football player and his girlfriend to high school principal to the victims themselves.
Lawrence himself is a broken man: the victim of a broken marriage, he is severely in debt, overworked, underslept and alternating between alcohol and caffeine. The child's death plunges him into a deep depression, part of which manifests in strange and sometimes violent behaviour that not only compromises the investigation, but lands him in some pretty hot water.
I couldn't help but believe that if there was even a bunch of average cops handling this investigation, according to proper police procedure, there would have been no novel - the perpetrators would have been uncovered and the mystery solved by chapter 3, because the crime itself was not that elaborate. But we have instead our angst-ridden Lawrence leaving misleading trails and confusing even his lawyer, a vengeful and prejudiced investigator named Bains determined to take Lawrence down as a scapegoat for his own ommissions, and the town leaders trying to cover up the whole episode.
Lawrence's aimless wanderings about town, and across the country, partially to escape his own demons, leads to a rambling and disjointed storyline; periodic introductions of new information also takes the investigation along different paths at different times. The pathos is overdrawn and happy people may find this book difficult to stomach.
In the end, the mystery unravels, just about. But a whole lot of characters fade away into the ether - Bains, the police chief,Earl,and the dead girl's mother Lisa Kendall. Lawrence's fate is undetermined too given that he is finally left facing charges of fraud, covering up a criminal investigation, and blackmail. Even the Amish, who are used frequently as a backgdrop, do not fully enter or play a role in the narrative.
As a detective story this book fails ( but I don't think Collins writes detective fiction),however as a tale of hopelessness with a glimmer of hope in the end, it succeeds. It also falls into the class of novel, just like with modern short stories, where everything does not get resolved and tied with a neat bow in the end. Just like life, in a small town.
Lawrence, the protagonist and narrator, is the most lost of the Lost Souls in this book, and the author takes a risk in having such a loser (with a heart) carry this story.
A four-year old child is found dead on a sidewalk amidst a pile of fallen leaves during Halloween, and so begins the unravelling of the lives of key players in a small town: from mayor to police chief to police officers to star football player and his girlfriend to high school principal to the victims themselves.
Lawrence himself is a broken man: the victim of a broken marriage, he is severely in debt, overworked, underslept and alternating between alcohol and caffeine. The child's death plunges him into a deep depression, part of which manifests in strange and sometimes violent behaviour that not only compromises the investigation, but lands him in some pretty hot water.
I couldn't help but believe that if there was even a bunch of average cops handling this investigation, according to proper police procedure, there would have been no novel - the perpetrators would have been uncovered and the mystery solved by chapter 3, because the crime itself was not that elaborate. But we have instead our angst-ridden Lawrence leaving misleading trails and confusing even his lawyer, a vengeful and prejudiced investigator named Bains determined to take Lawrence down as a scapegoat for his own ommissions, and the town leaders trying to cover up the whole episode.
Lawrence's aimless wanderings about town, and across the country, partially to escape his own demons, leads to a rambling and disjointed storyline; periodic introductions of new information also takes the investigation along different paths at different times. The pathos is overdrawn and happy people may find this book difficult to stomach.
In the end, the mystery unravels, just about. But a whole lot of characters fade away into the ether - Bains, the police chief,Earl,and the dead girl's mother Lisa Kendall. Lawrence's fate is undetermined too given that he is finally left facing charges of fraud, covering up a criminal investigation, and blackmail. Even the Amish, who are used frequently as a backgdrop, do not fully enter or play a role in the narrative.
As a detective story this book fails ( but I don't think Collins writes detective fiction),however as a tale of hopelessness with a glimmer of hope in the end, it succeeds. It also falls into the class of novel, just like with modern short stories, where everything does not get resolved and tied with a neat bow in the end. Just like life, in a small town.
December 13, 2009
I flipped this book open and read the first paragraph and it caught my attention. A cop, comes home after working the night shift on Halloween, his tree has been TP'd and the word PIG burned into his lawn with bleach. It's nothing out of the ordinary in his little town. The other thing that got me interested initially, was that the book was written in the first person. It's been a while since I have read a book written this way and it was somewhat refreshing.
The first few chapters were starting to lose me though and my opinion of the story, starting to change. I was starting to wonder where this book was going because the main character did not seem to have the right personality for a cop. I thought this was a detective story about solving a hit-and-run, and the death of a little girl, but the is more or less just the backdrop to a story of a down-and-out cop who is up to his eyeballs in debt, divorced and not able to see his own son, living in a small town that continues to decline into oblivion, and just to add to his desperation, gets dragged into a cover-up on this hit-and-run, by the town mayor and the police chief.
I have read some of the other reviews about this book, people saying that it is too depressing and someone commenting that the author was born and raised in Ireland and therefore shouldn't be writing about small-town America, but Michael Collins has evidently, lived in the US long enough to paint a realistic picture here and the direction this story went, the uniqueness of it, far outweighs the depressing tale.
I picked this book up off the shelf at our local Library, author unknown to me (that's what I like about going to the Library), and if I find another of Collin's books there, I won't hesitate to sign it out.
I would give "Lost Soul's" 3.5 stars if I could. Somewhere between "Liked it" & "Really Liked it"
The first few chapters were starting to lose me though and my opinion of the story, starting to change. I was starting to wonder where this book was going because the main character did not seem to have the right personality for a cop. I thought this was a detective story about solving a hit-and-run, and the death of a little girl, but the is more or less just the backdrop to a story of a down-and-out cop who is up to his eyeballs in debt, divorced and not able to see his own son, living in a small town that continues to decline into oblivion, and just to add to his desperation, gets dragged into a cover-up on this hit-and-run, by the town mayor and the police chief.
I have read some of the other reviews about this book, people saying that it is too depressing and someone commenting that the author was born and raised in Ireland and therefore shouldn't be writing about small-town America, but Michael Collins has evidently, lived in the US long enough to paint a realistic picture here and the direction this story went, the uniqueness of it, far outweighs the depressing tale.
I picked this book up off the shelf at our local Library, author unknown to me (that's what I like about going to the Library), and if I find another of Collin's books there, I won't hesitate to sign it out.
I would give "Lost Soul's" 3.5 stars if I could. Somewhere between "Liked it" & "Really Liked it"
December 16, 2012
f Mary Whipple were working on this review, she'd have sent me an e-mail by now warning me that this book is very bleak. But then, the book is titled “Lost Souls” so how could one expect it to be anything else? Certainly, not eventually hopeful as in a book called “The Resurrectionists.” Working with Mary I have learned that I have a propensity for the books she calls bleak. I seem to have a high tolerance for the foreboding, noir style that is usually more cynical than optimistic. But with Lost Souls, even I have to admit that this is blatant despair, almost too much to handle; this narrator is scraping bottom. In fact, he’s so low he’s proverbially digging his own grave, which makes for one unusual and extraordinary murder mystery and if you are into this style story, you have got to read this book....
Read my review here:
http://mostlyfiction.com/mystery/coll...
Read my review here:
http://mostlyfiction.com/mystery/coll...
May 26, 2008
Pretty fascinating crime/policical story. Nice writing also.
October 18, 2016
Somehow the story didn't just work for me this time.
March 20, 2018
Tot nu toe had ik slechts The resurrectionists (Nederlandse vertaling: De wederopstandeligen) van Michael Collins gelezen en daar was ik nogal weg van. In dat licht bezien vind ik Lost Souls helaas tegenvallen. Het boek mag dan op de shortlist staan voor de Booker Prize, voor het gemiddelde Nederlandse publiek is er minder leuks te beleven dan in het eerder genoemde boek.
Lost Souls gaat over het doorrijden na een ongeval. Tijdens Halloween, als alle kinderen langs de deuren gaan, wordt er een driejarig meisje dood langs de kant van de weg gevonden. Haar dronken moeder had de huisdeur open laten staan. Dan blijkt de schuldige een jongeman te zijn, die een veelbelovende sportcarrière voor de boeg heeft. De rechercheur die belast wordt met het onderzoek, Lawrence, wordt subtiel verteld dat hij de jongeman niet mag vervolgens, laat staan beschuldigen en dat hij in ruil daarvoor het jaar daarna een vette promotie zal krijgen.
Nu zal ik niet zeggen dat het boek niet goed geschreven is. Integendeel. Collins is een bijzonder goed auteur. Maar wat moet je hier nu mee? Het idee alleen al, dat iemand kan wegkomen met zo iets verschrikkelijks, alleen omdat hij goed kan sporten? In het verhaal zegt de burgemeester tegen Lawrence dat hij veel toeristen in de stad verwacht, als de 'sportheld' het goed blijft doen.
Nou sorry hoor, maar ik trap daar niet in. Overigens trapt ook niet iedereen in het boek er in... Maar hoe dan ook, die hele mentaliteit van 'sport gaat voor alles', dat staat toch een beetje ver van het bed van de gemiddelde Nederlander.
Lost Souls gaat over het doorrijden na een ongeval. Tijdens Halloween, als alle kinderen langs de deuren gaan, wordt er een driejarig meisje dood langs de kant van de weg gevonden. Haar dronken moeder had de huisdeur open laten staan. Dan blijkt de schuldige een jongeman te zijn, die een veelbelovende sportcarrière voor de boeg heeft. De rechercheur die belast wordt met het onderzoek, Lawrence, wordt subtiel verteld dat hij de jongeman niet mag vervolgens, laat staan beschuldigen en dat hij in ruil daarvoor het jaar daarna een vette promotie zal krijgen.
Nu zal ik niet zeggen dat het boek niet goed geschreven is. Integendeel. Collins is een bijzonder goed auteur. Maar wat moet je hier nu mee? Het idee alleen al, dat iemand kan wegkomen met zo iets verschrikkelijks, alleen omdat hij goed kan sporten? In het verhaal zegt de burgemeester tegen Lawrence dat hij veel toeristen in de stad verwacht, als de 'sportheld' het goed blijft doen.
Nou sorry hoor, maar ik trap daar niet in. Overigens trapt ook niet iedereen in het boek er in... Maar hoe dan ook, die hele mentaliteit van 'sport gaat voor alles', dat staat toch een beetje ver van het bed van de gemiddelde Nederlander.
November 29, 2020
This book started off ok - I went into it hoping for a Halloween mystery given that the main point of the plot took place on Halloween night. However, the further into the book I got, the more disinterested I became. It took me over a month to read this short, quick, 260 page book simply because I struggled to get through it. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters so I couldn’t care less what happened to them. Much of the story was quite boring and didn’t “keep me on the edge of my seat” as I’d hoped a murder mystery would.
Unfortunately this book just fell flat for me. Not a good Halloween read, since almost nothing about it had anything to do with Halloween past the first chapter, and not a good thriller read, as the story was just dull. I finished the book feeling depressed instead of entertained and I can’t wait to pick up something entirely different to help me completely forget about this book.
Unfortunately this book just fell flat for me. Not a good Halloween read, since almost nothing about it had anything to do with Halloween past the first chapter, and not a good thriller read, as the story was just dull. I finished the book feeling depressed instead of entertained and I can’t wait to pick up something entirely different to help me completely forget about this book.
March 15, 2019
Every soul encountered in this book is lost. The story is a good one: on Halloween night there is a deadly hit-and-run discovered by a local police officer (Lost Soul #1). It's soon apparent who the main suspect is (Lost Soul #2) and a cover-up is conspired by the mayor and police chief (LS #3 and #4). What a grim depiction of small town midwestern America. I kept reading, even though I didn't like any of the characters, hoping that one of them (someone, please) would redeem themselves. This book is sad, dark and depressing. I think I need a drink.
May 27, 2018
When I read the description and 'horror' was key, I assumed the traditional style of horror. I assumed wrong. The book deals with internal horrors of an intertwined group of people. I'd recommend the book but cannot rate it highly based on my assumption going in.
October 19, 2021
I am a fan of Michael Collins' writing and I loved that book. The prose, the mood, everything. To me, it's better than The Resurrectionists.
October 13, 2022
Small midwest town, obsessed with high school football, brought low, along with so many of its inhabitants, by what initially seems to be a tragic Halloween night accident. Brilliantly done.
May 13, 2023
Wouldn't recommend it.
July 12, 2023
Giallo che tiene compagnia ma che lascia con la convinzione che manchi ancora qualcosa per essere completo tanto da rendere la risoluzione finale del caso quasi scontata e sbrigativa.
May 9, 2024
Καταθλιπτικές ζωές ...
October 19, 2012
This is the way that books should be read - 40 pages on day 1, 90 on day 2 and 150 on day 3.
This is a bleak novel about small town american life and broken dreams.
A three year old girl is found run over, probably by the towns star quarter back just before a big game.
The investigating police officer is getting over divorce and the fact that he is not having access to his son, due to non payment of child support. He pulled a gun on his wife during their split and the mayor got him off and calls in a favour that he should lay off the quaterback, as its important for the town.
Then everything seems to escalate - the quarterbacks girl is pregnant and she has an abortion without his approval - this doesnt go down well as he is religious and the girl is found dead.
Then the quarter back goes on the ramage and kills the headmaster and everything starts to escalate - the cop gets accused of blackmail and then has his life threatened in a cabin fire - which he is later accused of starting.
Everything pans out that the mayor is the father of the girl who died in an accident and all is revealed. Everyone in the story is interconnected
Despite the high number of deaths - this is a surpirsingly simple and cinematic tale of ruined lifes and broken dreams. There is not a lot of feel good factor in this and this is to the books credit.
Short chapters make it compelling to read and you really are hooked.
A great novel and quickly prompted me to ensure that its not two years between books now.,
This is a bleak novel about small town american life and broken dreams.
A three year old girl is found run over, probably by the towns star quarter back just before a big game.
The investigating police officer is getting over divorce and the fact that he is not having access to his son, due to non payment of child support. He pulled a gun on his wife during their split and the mayor got him off and calls in a favour that he should lay off the quaterback, as its important for the town.
Then everything seems to escalate - the quarterbacks girl is pregnant and she has an abortion without his approval - this doesnt go down well as he is religious and the girl is found dead.
Then the quarter back goes on the ramage and kills the headmaster and everything starts to escalate - the cop gets accused of blackmail and then has his life threatened in a cabin fire - which he is later accused of starting.
Everything pans out that the mayor is the father of the girl who died in an accident and all is revealed. Everyone in the story is interconnected
Despite the high number of deaths - this is a surpirsingly simple and cinematic tale of ruined lifes and broken dreams. There is not a lot of feel good factor in this and this is to the books credit.
Short chapters make it compelling to read and you really are hooked.
A great novel and quickly prompted me to ensure that its not two years between books now.,
February 19, 2014
Among the acts of petty vandalism and various teenage pranks played on Halloween night, a true tragedy is discovered. A local police officer finds the body of a little girl, dressed as an angel, concealed in a pile of autumn leaves. With the streets full of trick-or-treating children, it looks like she might have been the victim of a hit-and-run. But how did a three-year-old child come to be hiding there alone in the dark, dressed in her flimsy costume? And why were the child's feet bare?
As the investigation proceeds and the media's spotlight intensifies, a much more ominous story unfolds. It's the typical story the media thrives on - a ghastly crime, a bungled cover-up, and tantalizing rumors of an innocence defiled. While the mayor and chief of police conspire to divert attention from the primary suspect - a local high school football hero whom they hope will take their town all the way to the state championship - it is left to the man who discovered the child's body to find the truth beneath the cover-up.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found the lead character very sympathetic - I felt so sorry for him, and the position that he found himself in. The plot was very intricate, and had me wondering who could have committed the crime right from the beginning. I will say that the mystery left me with several unanswered questions in my mind, and that left me slightly perplexed. Overall though, I give Lost Souls by Michael Collins an A! - it really was very good.
As the investigation proceeds and the media's spotlight intensifies, a much more ominous story unfolds. It's the typical story the media thrives on - a ghastly crime, a bungled cover-up, and tantalizing rumors of an innocence defiled. While the mayor and chief of police conspire to divert attention from the primary suspect - a local high school football hero whom they hope will take their town all the way to the state championship - it is left to the man who discovered the child's body to find the truth beneath the cover-up.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found the lead character very sympathetic - I felt so sorry for him, and the position that he found himself in. The plot was very intricate, and had me wondering who could have committed the crime right from the beginning. I will say that the mystery left me with several unanswered questions in my mind, and that left me slightly perplexed. Overall though, I give Lost Souls by Michael Collins an A! - it really was very good.
September 10, 2011
I finished reading Lost Souls last Thursday night. I read it primarily because I discovered it while organizing my backlog and while I was reading Poppy Z. Brite’s 1992 book of the same title. I’m not sorry I did; it’s an interesting book and quite a change of pace. Brite’s book is a Vampire horror novel where no one wins and Collins’ is a noir psychological thriller where no one wins. Hmmm, maybe they weren’t so different after all.
Lost Souls (Collins’) is about people who have lost their way. Lawrence is a police office in a small mid-western town in decline. His wife has divorced him and remarried; he’s broke and drinks too much. He sounds like a classic noir anti-hero, but he’s not near as competent.
The story revolves around Lawrence’s investigation of (or lack thereof) the Halloween death of a three year old; Kyle Johnson, a high school football quarterback, apparently bound for glory with more than enough problems of his own; the city’s mayor and used car dealer; and Lois, the police dispatcher and Lawrence’s off and on lover.
As the investigation proceeds, Lawrence descends further and further into despair; and his behavior becomes more and more erratic. While reading I found myself shaking my head wondering what on earth would possess someone do to something that stupid.
The off stage death of the child is not the only tragedy in this story of a small town and its residents both in decline.
Lost Souls (Collins’) is about people who have lost their way. Lawrence is a police office in a small mid-western town in decline. His wife has divorced him and remarried; he’s broke and drinks too much. He sounds like a classic noir anti-hero, but he’s not near as competent.
The story revolves around Lawrence’s investigation of (or lack thereof) the Halloween death of a three year old; Kyle Johnson, a high school football quarterback, apparently bound for glory with more than enough problems of his own; the city’s mayor and used car dealer; and Lois, the police dispatcher and Lawrence’s off and on lover.
As the investigation proceeds, Lawrence descends further and further into despair; and his behavior becomes more and more erratic. While reading I found myself shaking my head wondering what on earth would possess someone do to something that stupid.
The off stage death of the child is not the only tragedy in this story of a small town and its residents both in decline.
February 6, 2025
I have to admit, my feelings toward Lost Souls are a bit complicated. I almost didn't post a recommendation for it because of the feelings the book stirred up in me. But then I realized that those feelings are most likely what the author, Michael Collins, was going for. Which makes this a very successful book indeed.
You might be wondering about what I mean when I say "the feelings" that were stirred up. To sum it up, this novel was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. Depending on what was happening, I switched between anger, pity, sympathy, frustration, confusion, and even a bit of relieved-but-hesitant happiness. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever read something that made my emotions go all over the place like that - especially in less than 300 pages.
The reason for my range of emotions was the characters. I just couldn't believe some of the things that they did and said - and felt a bit relieved when they finally did something that I thought was good for them.
But I also really want to recommend this book because of the plot. It's one of those plots that keeps you on your toes, because you're not quite expecting what happens next. Yes, some parts were a bit predictable, but others were a complete surprise. The ending, somehow, was a combination of both; I had anticipated part of what happened, but the rest was something that I didn't at all see coming.
This review was originally posted on my blog.
You might be wondering about what I mean when I say "the feelings" that were stirred up. To sum it up, this novel was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. Depending on what was happening, I switched between anger, pity, sympathy, frustration, confusion, and even a bit of relieved-but-hesitant happiness. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever read something that made my emotions go all over the place like that - especially in less than 300 pages.
The reason for my range of emotions was the characters. I just couldn't believe some of the things that they did and said - and felt a bit relieved when they finally did something that I thought was good for them.
But I also really want to recommend this book because of the plot. It's one of those plots that keeps you on your toes, because you're not quite expecting what happens next. Yes, some parts were a bit predictable, but others were a complete surprise. The ending, somehow, was a combination of both; I had anticipated part of what happened, but the rest was something that I didn't at all see coming.
This review was originally posted on my blog.
November 16, 2010
Michael Collins writes a police procedural set in the American Midwest. Why would an Irish author want to do this? Collins was short listed for the Booker in 2000. I’m betting that it wasn’t for a novel like this. Collins is known for writing 'literary' novels with solid narrative
This novel is billed as “The thinking man’s John Grisham” on the cover. This alone should have alerted me. When Grisham starts to think, I want to run.
Anyway, the body of a 3-year-old girl is found among a pile of leaves on Halloween, apparently killed by a car, after a night of trick or treating in the street and Lawrence, the Middle American cop is called into action. The girl seems to be the victim of a hit and run accident.
A witness him leads Lawrence to a vehicle that belongs to the town’s star quarterback, Kyle Johnson. The townsfolk have pinned all their tired hopes on the eighteen year-old in the coming state play-offs. The mayor and the chief of police let Lawrence know that it would be better for everyone if the investigation led away from Kyle. And Lawrence complies – he even forgives the boy.
Collins’s style is too subtle for this genre and the plot wears thin long before it captures your attention. First person narrative is not ideal for detective stories or psychological thrillers and it shows. Lost Souls was sad – a lot like a literary novel in drag.
This novel is billed as “The thinking man’s John Grisham” on the cover. This alone should have alerted me. When Grisham starts to think, I want to run.
Anyway, the body of a 3-year-old girl is found among a pile of leaves on Halloween, apparently killed by a car, after a night of trick or treating in the street and Lawrence, the Middle American cop is called into action. The girl seems to be the victim of a hit and run accident.
A witness him leads Lawrence to a vehicle that belongs to the town’s star quarterback, Kyle Johnson. The townsfolk have pinned all their tired hopes on the eighteen year-old in the coming state play-offs. The mayor and the chief of police let Lawrence know that it would be better for everyone if the investigation led away from Kyle. And Lawrence complies – he even forgives the boy.
Collins’s style is too subtle for this genre and the plot wears thin long before it captures your attention. First person narrative is not ideal for detective stories or psychological thrillers and it shows. Lost Souls was sad – a lot like a literary novel in drag.
August 10, 2009
I was skeptical of this book at first because I got this from the 4 for 10 dollar table at chapters and I had read one of the other books I picked up (INTERWORLD)and was dissapointed so I went into this not expecting much. However it turned out better than I thought.
It is about a hit-and-run murder of a girl on halloween in a rundown town full of damaged characters. Everyone's a little messed up in their own way. At first the story was very plot based, reminded me of the way da vinci code was told, especially with the really short chapters. Towards the middle it slowed down a little and you either sympathize with the main character or you hate how useless he is. It was pretty psychologically intense, sometimes you want to punch someone in the face.
I don't really know what in particular, but it was a pretty easy fast read. The mystery continuously changes and you don't really know what truly happens until they very very end. However some of the details in the middle still remain ambiguous. There was a little epilogue at the end, but I think the book should have just ended with the last chapter, it would have been much more effective that way. If you like murder mysteries that are unpredictable, give this a try.
It is about a hit-and-run murder of a girl on halloween in a rundown town full of damaged characters. Everyone's a little messed up in their own way. At first the story was very plot based, reminded me of the way da vinci code was told, especially with the really short chapters. Towards the middle it slowed down a little and you either sympathize with the main character or you hate how useless he is. It was pretty psychologically intense, sometimes you want to punch someone in the face.
I don't really know what in particular, but it was a pretty easy fast read. The mystery continuously changes and you don't really know what truly happens until they very very end. However some of the details in the middle still remain ambiguous. There was a little epilogue at the end, but I think the book should have just ended with the last chapter, it would have been much more effective that way. If you like murder mysteries that are unpredictable, give this a try.
November 7, 2012
It’s Hallowe’en night in a small Midwestern town and just as everyone is turning in for the night police officer Lawrence is called to investigate what looks like a hit and run accident. A little girl, still wearing the angel wings of her costume, has been discovered under a pile of a autumn leaves. As the investigation unfolds Lawrence is called in to the Mayor’s office and there, along with the Police Chief, asked to look the other way about certain pieces of evidence for the “good of our town”. Small towns being what they are, this seems easy enough to do, but some secrets just will not rest.
This book was a little dark. Lawrence is a flawed personality, depressed because of his divorce and the lost access to his son, financially ruined and bordering on alcoholism. I can understand a flawed hero, but it seems like everyone else in town was hiding their own dirty little secrets too. Circumstances in the book keep spiralling and that definitely made me keep turning the pages, but I would have liked to see a little redemption at the end. Definitely worth picking up and reading.
This book was a little dark. Lawrence is a flawed personality, depressed because of his divorce and the lost access to his son, financially ruined and bordering on alcoholism. I can understand a flawed hero, but it seems like everyone else in town was hiding their own dirty little secrets too. Circumstances in the book keep spiralling and that definitely made me keep turning the pages, but I would have liked to see a little redemption at the end. Definitely worth picking up and reading.
August 20, 2020
27th May 2011
A somewhat depressing book and not really my cup of tea at all. It started out with the potential to be an excellent mystery but after the first few chapters, it descended into the depressing description of the life of an unhappy recently divorced police officer. We are led through the maze of his complicated relationships and money troubles, the sad demise of his dog, his downward spiral into depression and loss of respect in the local community. To say the least, he is unlucky but I felt that all the problems in his personal life detracted from what could have been a good murder mystery and I would have been happier with a little less padding and a bit more intrigue in the middle section of the book. I enjoyed the beginning few chapters and the last few, where we get a bit of resolution, but really I could have skipped the middle and not missed much!
A somewhat depressing book and not really my cup of tea at all. It started out with the potential to be an excellent mystery but after the first few chapters, it descended into the depressing description of the life of an unhappy recently divorced police officer. We are led through the maze of his complicated relationships and money troubles, the sad demise of his dog, his downward spiral into depression and loss of respect in the local community. To say the least, he is unlucky but I felt that all the problems in his personal life detracted from what could have been a good murder mystery and I would have been happier with a little less padding and a bit more intrigue in the middle section of the book. I enjoyed the beginning few chapters and the last few, where we get a bit of resolution, but really I could have skipped the middle and not missed much!
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