Martin Shelby, called the BoogeyMan by friend and foe, returns in two new stories.
In “The Devil Drinks Sweet Tea”, a young Shelby thought his Grandpa was just being grouchy about having to help out with the gardening. That is, of course, until Grandma's geraniums spontaneously burst into flames and the lilies started chanting in Latin.
In “Working Vacation”, the BoogeyMan just wants to relax on the beach with his wife, but his plans change when an old friend tracks him down to call in a debt. Shelby races against the clock to find a missing client before the full weight of the world falls in on his quiet vacation.
Tom Rogneby is a curmudgeonly husband and father who spends his time in the wilds of suburban Louisville, Kentucky. He lives with his wife, children, cats, dogs, fish, and various transient outdoors mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. His hobbies include reading, shooting, playing with a nine-year-old (It's great to finally have a companion at his level), and writing. He is a veteran, and has gone to many exciting places to do many boring things. He blogs at DaddyBear's Den (http://daddybearsden.com).
I obtained this book through the Kindle Unlimited Program. This is the second of the Boogeyman volumes, and contains two short stories. The first ,"The Devil Drinks Sweet Tea," is back story, the second, "Working Vacation," is a contemporary incident. If you want to see what I thought of BOTH volumes in one reading, you can find that out at "Papa Pat Rambles." http://habakkuk21.blogspot.com/2017/1...
"The Devil Drinks Sweet Tea." I love back-story. I think I'd rather read backstory without the main event than the main event itself. Except for the Silmarillion. Tried that a few times, just couldn't tolerate it.
Here, we see Martin as a young lad of 16 who is spending the summer with his grandparents, while his mother and father enjoy the touristy flesh-pots of Florida. And, as is the case with any number of Southern grandmothers, Grandma is working Grandpa and Martin to death in the yard, while she cleans the house. You can't understand the degree of frugality and self-sufficiency people like this strove for, unless you contemplate that they grew up in the South in the terrible years following the Great Depression. You throw NOTHING away; you buy NOTHING that you can make or do without. You eat the food you raise, and you do not doubt; you make do. And there is little time for foolishness such as radio; instead, you sit out on the porch in the evenings, and carry on long conversations while the ladies shuck peas, and the men smoke. And almost without fail, thc center of community action and involvement is the local church: Sunday School, Sunday morning service, all day singing and dinner on the grounds, evening prayers; then throughout the week, there are other opportunities.
And that's why, when the Devil tries to break through Grandma's flower bed, he encounters a mighty warrior who stops him in his tracks. (My grandmother was very similar.) At some point, I feel certain we will discover how the devil recognizes young Martin, and calls him by the name "Boogeyman."
The second story, "Working Vacation," is set in the present day, just a few years after the events of "The Boogeyman." I'm going to shout this next part:
WE ALL NEED MORE STORIES LIKE THIS!
We need them because they include paranormal events that are merely things that happen, so you don't know until you get to the end whether they have anything to do with the mystery at all. I think this is a wonderful use of magic / supernatural events. There is no point in resorting to burning floop roots at midnight, when the same thing can be accomplished by just asking the waitress at the all-night diner.
In this case, Marty gets dragged away from his delicious breakfast of shrimp and grits, because a Very Important Person is missing, and many people will be disturbed unless he is found soon. (Note: you might be able to recognize the Very Important Person from the description, but I didn't. It doesn't matter.) The plot INCLUDES some paranormal elements, but it's really a straight-up detective story.