May Never The Dead Return

Sandy Brown/MattBlack #3

by John M.W. Smith

Is Matt Black sick or is he really able to have telepathic conversations with a prowling beast in Inglefield Wood? Half the time Matt is not sure about this himself.
The farmers want to shoot the beast. Matt is determined to stop them. Then the beast is wounded and becomes...well...really dangerous. But where is it hiding? Why can't all the farmers and armed police track it down? What role do Allegra, Matt's ex-girlfriend, and her desperately ill baby brother Jo-jo have in this story? How far can bereavement push a young person into a world of fantasy? Can grown-ups ever be forgiven for letting you down? Can we blame an animal for doing whatever it takes to survive? Are human beings any different? Must we always do what is right? Is it right to medicate someone who is no threat to anyone? In his winding journey through these questions Matt seeks some resolution to the turmoil in his life. And he finds it, but at great personal cost; Matt comes to realise that however painful it is to lose someone, we have to move on. So powerfully is this truth brought home to him that at the end of his journey his fervent wish becomes, May Never The Dead Return.

ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

An author who has had many stories published in the women's weekly magazines and literary journals, John was drawn to writing at an early age. At one time in his teenage years he was reading one book a day---the subject didn't matter, but it needed to grab his interest in the first couple of pages, or he would abandon it. And this is the rule he has since applied to all his writing, believing that if you haven't grabbed the reader straight away, you are not writing well enough.. After graduating with an Honors Degree in History he spent many years in academic publishing, at last leaving to pursue his long-held dream of becoming a writer. "Easily among the very best new writers we have seen", "fresh and original", "creates life-like characters---maybe too life-like" (whatever that means!), are some of the comments made by literary reviewers and consultants about his work. His favorite band is The Moody Blues.

Reviews

[Sharon Brownlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it's a cliche, but this book is a must read. I have read John M W Smith's work before and liked it, so I had no hesitation to pick up May Never The Dead Return - I was hooked and read it in one sitting. I truly thought it was a short then afterwards noticed it wasn't - that's how much it held my attention.

The author talks To the reader, not AT the them, his narrative is chatty, familiar and friendly. He invited me in and I stayed, enjoying the company of his characters.In a clever move Smith has kept the number of his characters down to a minimum, the reader doesn't lose focus and is able to follow a story that flows.
In the blurb the author poses his own questions with regard to the story. I knew then I was in for a treat. Yes it's a story that has a beginning, middle and an end, but it challenges the reader to look beyond what is happening. For example, poor Matt is s to be subdued by medication to take away the comfort he has with the familiar voice in his head - morally is it just? Can the loss of a loved one be 'patched' up? There are many more questions posed wihin May Never The Dead Return that I will be pondering.

[Patricia Puddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a number of John M W Smith’s books and enjoyed all of them, though this one is my favourite. The main character, a teenage boy called Matt Black, has a twin brother called Mikey. Like most twins, the boys are very close, so when one of them gets sick, the other one is affected. However, this story goes beyond that.

Mikey is a bit of a stirrer who likes to wind their teacher up, but when he points out that she’s spelt something wrong on the whiteboard, she belittles him in front of the whole class, then storms out the room. This embarrasses Mikey and brings on one of his asthma attacks, but when he tries to use his Ventolin, it doesn’t work. Matt gets angry with him and tells him he brought it on himself by being a such wise guy, but when he realises Mikey can't breathe properly, he runs to get help. Unable to find anyone to call an ambulance, he dashes back to help his brother, but he's too late and Mikey dies in front of him.

Feeling guilty for not getting an ambulance sooner, and missing his twin terribly, Matt falls into melancholy moods, but when he starts hearing Mikey’s voice in his head, his parents explain that he’s probably just trying to keep his brother alive through fantasy. Matt doesn’t think so, and when strange things start happening in their town, he believes his brother is still alive.

Matt visits a girl called Allegra for comfort, and although he has a crush on her, he’s not very confident and isn't sure she feels the same way about him. As I'm a fan of romance novels, I loved the scenes with Matt and Allegra, especially the one where Matt makes her cry, even though it wasn't on purpose. They seem so cute together and I’m glad this is a series because I want to know where this relationship will go. I really enjoyed this story and it had me chewing my lip right until the very last page, and like all John M W Smith’s books, there is a twist at the end. I would love to see this book made into a move. Teenage girls will love Matt Black and guys will enjoy the action and the humour. The author’s writing is magical and he certainly brings his characters to life. John M W Smith is now one of my favourite authors and If you like Stephen King, you’ll love this book