Ash and Cinders

A Gabriel Church Tale #3

by Rodd Clark

Christian Maxwell is resigned when Gabe tells him he’s leaving Seattle to protect him, until the truth sinks in, and Chris realizes he may never see Gabe again. Reacting in anger, the two part with cold hostility instead of a warm and loving embrace.

Deciding not to fight Chris’s obvious disapproval, Gabe leaves anyway, heading south in his faithful Dodge pickup.

Gabriel Church is a wanted man, and when he landed in Sonora, California, he believed it would be the first stop in his continuing journey. Road blind and far too weary to continue driving, he has no way of knowing he is about to run out of luck.

Genres: LGBT, M M Romance, Dark

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2016

About the author

Rodd lives in Dallas, TX at the moment. Check out his web presence at RODDCLARK.COM. Interested in the M/M Mystery, Romance and Thriller genres but has a varied interest in many different kinds of books. His characters have darkly distinctive voices and all with a twisted bent in the story; as illustrated by his popular release "Rubble and the Wreckage". The follow-up sequel was just released titled "Torn and Frayed", and he has a third chapter in the Gabriel Church Tales out later in the year.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in the Gabriel Church Tale series and we’re once again on the run with our enigmatic serial killer. My goodness how I have waited for this third and final book to see how everything would play out. Rodd Clark has delivered a delicious dark tale that plays with the psyche of the reader letting you get behind the mind of a serial killer.

This was for me the whole attraction of these three books, to go where I normally wouldn’t dare or would want to. Gabriel is on the run and the question is will the long arm of the law catch up with him or not? He lands up in a small rural town called Sonora and decides to hole up there for a while. He’s left Christian back in Seattle with a throw away mobile phone being their only contact.

Now in Sonora Gabe lets himself relax for a while, he likes the village and all its mining heritage cuteness. But all the time there is this pull between him and Chris, a connection or attraction that not even Gabriel can rationalise. Will this make him not so concentrated? Will it make him weaker leading him to let his guard down? I definitely felt a shift, almost a softening in Gabriele if you like. He was starting to let himself dream of a future with Chris in it. Something he would never have contemplated before. I loved how you could get into Gabriele’s mind and start to feel the small glimmer of hope he now holds for a future with Chris. Maybe, just maybe, he might be able to put the killing behind him, the urge has definitely now faded to kill at random guided by the so called “white lighters” His recent killings have been more out of a need to protect Chris and keeping him out of harm’s way of the law. Gabe is always the cool one and not easily fazed by things. He needs his cool head in order to think and stay one step ahead of the law. On the other hand, Chris being all new to this, is the worrier and needs Gabe to calm him down.

In this book we are introduced to two other key characters, the local town cop Bleu Corso and Agent Richard Jenkins from CID. Agent Jenkins is on the scent and comes closer to ascertaining Gabe’s and Christian’s involvement in the first murder from the first book. So you get the feeling that slowly but surely the noose is getting tighter for both of them. I was left wondering how Bleu Corso was going to fit into all this.

I loved how Rodd plays this out. Bleu has a secret and that is he is gay. In a small town where everyone knows you from childhood then it’s not something you want getting out as it could be ruinous for your career, reputation and standing alike. So Bleu has his flings when his pent up sexual libido can no longer go without but on the outside for the townspeople he’s the model police officer. Bleu goes to all lengths to keep his homosexuality hidden which I could totally understand in such a place that would have a small town mentality. He too in his own way is a victim and trapped by his secret.

So when he becomes interested in Gabe by stopping him under the pretence of a traffic violation, but wanting more to jump in the sack with him, little does he know how close he will come to being in mortal danger, more than his little small town would ever believe. I was fascinated by this dance that went on between Bleu and Gabe before they both end up in the sack. You can see how Bleu is trying to pick up Gabe but still very insecure as he doesn’t want his cover blown wide for the town to see, but Gabe knows exactly what he is after, uses and reads him like an open book. I could really feel Gabe’s manipulative ways which are necessary for his survival. Just toying with Bleu like a cat does with a mouse. Just like Christian in the first book I had this incredible urge to warn Bleu off Gabe as he doesn’t know what he is getting involved in or with whom. It was like watching a spider weaving its web around a fly, lulling it into a false sense of security before pouncing. Will Bleu end up being another one of Gabe’s victims?`Well, the boy is fool hardy to say the least. So what happens when the mouse roars?

When Bleu starts to feel that there is more to the stranger he just spent a hot night of sex with than meets the eye, Agent Jenkins issues information which makes Bleu’s blood run cold when he reads it. Christian is on his way to meet Gab for a weekend hook up but events take a turn that could spell disaster for both of them.

I must admit the second half of this book is action all the way. The trap becomes too close for comfort for Gabe and he also does something that he would never have normally done before bringing him into a life threatening situation, yet another shift in Gabe’s way of thinking. I was loosening the collar on my shirt with nerves while reading, wanting to know exactly how Gabe is now going to get out of this mess. For once in his life he now has to admit that he needs the help of Chris, without him everything will be lost. Admitting that he needs the help of someone else is also another drastic shift for Gab too, cementing his relationship and dependency on Chris in a warped kind of way.

It’s very hard to write a review for this book because I obviously need to avoid spoilers. But this book will keep you glued to the page until the very end with one super showdown where Gabe and Chris have their closest shave with the law to date. Well, I leave you with a question. What do two men do with secrets they don’t wish to come out into the broad light of day? And I’m not talking about Chris here but the ending was superbly done and I’m so delighted that I have now read all three books. A suitable ending to a superb trilogy that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. You will need to read all books in the series, they are definitely not standalone. Would I like this story to continue? In a selfish kind of way, yes I would! I feel there is still lots more potential there for Gabriel and Chris, the chase is not over with them and Agent Jenkins yet. But I guess only Rodd Clark will be able to answer that question. Is there a HEA? Well, that again remains for the reader to decide.

What I find fascinating about Rodd’s style of writing is his ability to lead the reader into the thoughts and feelings of his characters’ heads. The dialogues between characters are spread out between the narrative about what they are thinking. This gives the reader an unparalleled journey into the recesses of the MCs thoughts, especially the dark corners of Gabriel’s mind, a kind of analytical character study into people’s behaviour and the motivating factors behind them. However, due to this the reader develops an empathy with a serial killer that I would never have thought possible. A journey into what makes people tick, emotions and decisions made which sets us all on the one or the other path in life.

[Pam Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly one of the best dramatic and heartclenching series I have ever read. Rodd Clark did a brilliant job in writing this incredible story that will always be remembered. The story line in this 3rd novel of the series was extremely strong in its detail and magnitude as wa the first two. The characters continue to be very well developed and amazing. I highly recommend this series to all. As a Serial killer, Gabe, continues on his winding down journey, his love for his journalist love, Chris, is very apparent. But as he meets a deputy sheriff, Bleu, in California he puts on his charms to seduce him to keep him off his trail of who he really is. They become friends which changes Gabe's path as their altercation happens when the deputy comes to interrogate him. Chris, the journalist, who continues to live in Seattle, is being subjected to the Washington CID in the killing of a fellow detective and his wife that Gabe has murdered. Chris, who has fallen in love with Gabe, has become intertwined with Gabe's life and an accomplice in Gabe's many murders. But Chris wants nothing more than for Gabe and him to be together forever. This is a heart gripping story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Come join us on this amazing rollercoaster ride that will definitely be the ride of your life as Gabe flees the authorities and hopes one day he will be rejoined together with the love of his life. A great Read!! Do not miss this series❤️

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I always having trouble rating this series.
I know its a book and therefore made up of words but I feel that there are a whole lot of extra ones where there really doesn't need to be. At around 250 pages there wasn't really a lot of things happening.
Gabe is still on the run having left Chris back in Seattle. He arrives in a small Northern California town of Sonora. Eventually he hooks up with a police officer for a night of sex. - Problem right there. He is with Chris!
There were a couple of things I didn't get.
At the beginning Corso goes back home to make sure everything is ok with his house after his one night stand with the kid, but in the next sentence he is onto something else.
Also when Gabe and Corso are shot, I thought it happened in the room but the Deputy ( unless I read it wrong) seemed to explain the shooting happened in the motel car park. I then wondered how he was going to explain his blood in the motel room.
Then at the end, he just let Gabe walk away really??????
I have to say I am glad Gabe got the ending that the author gave to him. Despite being a bad man, I was really rooting for him and Chris. I wasn't sure why he couldn't have gone back to Seattle to get his stuff, they weren't looking for him, were they?

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final installment in the Gabriel Church serial killer series.

Much of the first third of this story focuses on the thoughts of the main characters and their recollections of events that occurred previously and thus act as a sort of recap while the reader is made aware of Gabe's and Christian’s current positions. The lovers are apart again because of Gabe’s murderous actions to protect Christian at the end of the previous story and it appears the CID special agent is getting closer to hunting them down.

We are also introduced to a new main character—a gay deputy sheriff with his own secrets—and it is clear he will have some bearing on Gabe’s destiny.

By the time the story reaches mid-way, things have started to happen that could spell disaster for Gabe. The book builds to an exciting climax where it appears all is lost for the separated lovers. Is the serial killer going to get what he deserves or is luck on his side? I was unsure how this story would unfold and be wrapped up, but I was rooting for these two guys who had broken the law. I wanted them to be together and find their happiness.

Rodd Clark has a distinctive style of narration. He writes in third person, yet gives the narrator an omniscient role too, so the reader is given information that the characters are not always privileged to receive or see the impact of a particular action on their future. We get to delve deep into the minds of the characters with many thoughts, considerations, and remembered past incidences that all have a bearing on the characters’ present position or response to a situation.

There was a lot I liked about this tale. The way Rodd gradually ramps up the tension and suspense is very well done, as is the way he has the reader empathizing with Gabe and Christian. The romance aspect of this story propels it forward. The conversations between Gabe and Christian, especially those on the telephone, are emotional and very moving at times. The love between these two guys is palpable and causes them to act the way they do.

[Karolina Cebula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in English and Polish || Recenzja po angielsku i polsku

Wanting to protect Chris from the danger of his recent murders, Gabe once again leaves Seattle, leaving his lover behind. Unfortunately, fate apparently doesn't care about Gabriel Church's lofty desires, as Chris becomes person of interest in Special Agent Richard Jenkins' investigation of the murder of detective Keen and his wife. Guided largely by his intuition, the inquisitive Agent starts to ask questions that make him closer to discovering the truth than the killer and his lover would like. Meanwhile, unaware of what is happening in Seattle, Gabriel stays for a few days in Sonora, where he crosses paths with an attractive police officer, Bleu Corso, who's still deeply in the closet. The young cop is so interested in Gabriel that he starts sniffing around, and that certainly won't end well.

I'm sure everyone who already read or just started reading "The Gabriel Church Tales" at the very beginning pointed out how important in the context of this series is the psyche of the main character. But I must admit that until now, I personally didn't realize how far in Gabriel Church's creation Rodd Clark referred to the subject of general psychology. The enlightenment came at my first class regarding this subject, when several times during the lecture I thought: "God, that's the case of Gabriel Church!". What is it actually about? Well, at the beginning, let's take a look at Sigmund Freud's statement "the child is the father of an adult" (previously used by English poet, Wordsworth), which means that the experiences of early childhood affect one's adulthood. Think for a while, wasn't Chris interested mainly in this subject when he wanted to write his biography of a serial killer? Yes, definitely. Now let's look at the existential psychology, which refers to the human need to find the meaning of life. And here comes the next question, to which the answer is affirmative and obvious. Because wasn't the sense of his life and of his actions what Gabriel Church wanted to confirm from the beginning of the series, and in particular in the second volume? And finally, humanistic psychology, which in every person, even the worst one, sees something good. Think about it, isn't the goodness one of the reasons why we love the main character of the series although he's a serial killer? And let me tell you that in "Ash and Cinders" this part of Gabe's nature is the most visible one. As we can see, creating Gabriel Church volume by volume, Rodd Clark went through various branches of psychology and I must admit that he did it perfectly, as in the end, from the very beginning, even as the ordinary readers, we immediately notice the psychological depth of his novels. However, I must admit that now, having this little bit more knowledge of general psychology, I'm even more impressed with this series. I suspect that the more deeply we sink in the subject of psychology, the more references to the character of Gabriel Church we could find, and it unquestionably proves that we are dealing with a really great series.

As in the previous volumes, also in the "Ash and Cinders", the subject of innocence occupies an important place. However strange this may sound when we are dealing with adult protagonists, who often have something on their conscience, it is impossible not to notice that many of them are characterized by incredible innocence. I think we can see it clearly in the case of Christine, who is so madly in love, and who in every difficult situation keeps thinking about Gabriel and sticks to those thoughts, like a child seeking a parent's support by grabbing their hand. Also his devotion to his lover, his unwavering faith in him and the strong desires to look for their future together without any murders emphasize how innocent he is. The same is true for Bleu Corso, whom the author introduces in this volume of his story. In his case, however, we have the impression that his innocence is connected with his naivety, as he sometimes willingly walks into the lion's den. It's just like with a child. All one needs to do is show him a sweet treat, and he will follow a stranger without even suspecting that this person may have some bad intentions. Bleu's case confirms what Church once noticed, namely that people seem to assume that what is beautiful can't be bad. And yet Satan himself was an Angel once. And finally, Gabriel Church, a man who has been through a lot, who has done a lot of harm and who is lost in the world of his own ideology. In this case there is no need to write more than necessary, as his innocence comes simply from Chris, who makes the killer experience all that he hasn't experienced so far, arouses his desire and joy of life and makes the man think about a possibility of innocent future at his lover's side. Rodd Clark was able to show us in an excellent and really emotional manner some different types of innocence, which can characterize even adults. Thus, "Ash and Cinders" focus not really on a serial killer but on a man who changes.

As for the action in this part, we can see that its pace is clearly slower than in the previous volumes. However, in no way can we say that the slower pace makes this novel boring. For it should be noted that the story presented in "Ash and Cinders" from the first to the last page is extremely interesting and emotional, and at the end the action speeds up incredibly and really keeps us in suspense. As a result, I have the impression that in this volume the author has combined the style in which he wrote the first and the second part of his series. On the one hand, we focus on Gabriel's peaceful, daily life and his relationship with Christian, and on the other, we witness how the police unexpectedly begin to almost tread on his heels, which clearly raises the level of adrenaline in our blood. Considering that literally everything can happen in this story, we focus on this book so strongly that it is impossible to take a break from it, as we want to know as soon as possible what will happen next and what type of the series ending the author prepared for us.

At the end of this review, I will finally let myself to be an ordinary girly girl and say that in "Ash and Cinders" the bittersweet romantic aspects of the novel reach their zenith! This part is really filled with the theme of love and with everything that goes with it. And so we can see great hopes and painful disappointments, longing for a loved one and euphoria of encounter, sexual needs closely related to deep feelings, sacrifice, courage to face an uncertain, unpredictable future. The author conquers our hearts with Chris and Gabriel's phone calls, their thoughts that complements one another and all the moments when it is simply certain that these two are madly in love with each other. But in this novel we also can find the scenes that bring tears to our eyes and simply make us cry like children. However, that's not all, because there is also the theme of infatuation, irresistible attraction, risk, drama and almost a love triangle. In short, it is a full-blown romance, so much better than many other romances. It's a pure perfection.

In conclusion, "Ash and Cinders" is a great and emotional ending of "The Gabriel Church Tales". This novel not only wins our hearts, but also caresses our senses. It is a really well written, extremely interesting and simply beautiful book. You just have to read it!

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Pragnąc uchronić Chrisa przed niebezpieczeństwem popełnionych przez siebie w ostatnim czasie morderstw, Gabe ponownie opuszcza Seattle oraz swojego kochanka. Niestety los ma najwyraźniej w nosie górnolotne pragnienia Gabriela Churcha, ponieważ osobą Chrisa zaczyna interesować się Agent Specjalny Richard Jenkins badający sprawę niedawnego morderstwa detektywa Keena i jego żony. Kierując się w dużej mierze przeczuciami, dociekliwy Agent zaczyna zadawać niewygodne pytania, przez co znajduje się bliżej odkrycia prawdy, niż morderca i jego kochanek by sobie tego życzyli. Tymczasem nieświadomy tego, co dzieje się w Seattle Gabriel zatrzymuje się na kilka dni w Sonorze, gdzie na jego drodze staje nie przyznający się otwarcie do swojej orientacji seksualnej, atrakcyjny policjant, Bleu Corso. Młody glina jest na tyle zainteresowany Gabrielem, że zaczyna węszyć, a to na pewno nie może dobrze się skończyć.

Na to jak istotna w kontekście serii „The Gabriel Church Tales” jest psychika głównego bohatera, już na samym początku zwrócił uwagę każdy, kto z tą serią miał do czynienia. Muszę jednak przyznać, że do tej pory ja osobiście nie zdawałam sobie sprawy z tego, jak dalece tworząc postać Gabriela Churcha Rodd Clark wszedł w temat psychologii ogólnej. Oświecenie przyszło na moich pierwszych zajęciach z tego właśnie przedmiotu, kiedy to na wykładzie kilkukrotnie pomyślałam: „Boże, przecież to pasuje do Gabriela Churcha!”. O co dokładnie chodzi? Na początek rzućmy okiem na Zygmunta Freuda i jego stwierdzenie „dziecko jest ojcem człowieka dorosłego” (wcześniej użyte przez angielskiego poetę Wordswortha), które oznacza, że przeżycia wczesnego dzieciństwa wpływają na to, kim człowiek staje się w okresie dorosłości. Sami powiedzcie, czy nie właśnie wokół tego tematu krążył Chris, kiedy chciał napisać biografię seryjnego mordercy? Zdecydowanie tak. Dalej przechodzimy do psychologii egzystencjalnej, która odnosi się do ludzkiej potrzeby odnalezienia sensu życia. I tu pojawia się kolejne pytanie, na które odpowiedź jest twierdząca i oczywista. Bo czy nie właśnie sens swojego życia i swoich działań Gabriel Church pragnął potwierdzić od początku serii, a w szczególności w tomie drugim? I w końcu, psychologia humanistyczna, która w każdym człowieku, nawet tym najgorszym, dostrzega dobro. Zastanówcie się, czyż nie właśnie ono sprawiło, że chociaż główny bohater serii jest seryjnym mordercą to jednak go uwielbiamy? Zdradzę, że w „Ash and Cinders” właśnie ta część natury Gabe’a najbardziej się uwidacznia. Jak więc widzimy, tworząc Gabriela Churcha tom po tomie, Rodd Clark przechodził przez różne gałęzie psychologii i muszę przyznać, że robił to wręcz perfekcyjnie. W końcu od samego początku, nawet jako zwykli czytelnicy, momentalnie zauważamy psychologiczną głębię jego powieści. Muszę jednak przyznać, że teraz, posiadając tę odrobinę szerszą wiedzę na temat psychologii ogólnej, jestem pod jeszcze większym wrażeniem tego, co stworzył autor. Podejrzewam, że im bardziej zagłębialibyśmy się w temat tej nauki, tym więcej odniesień do postaci Gabriela moglibyśmy znaleźć, a to bezsprzecznie świadczy o tym, że mamy do czynienia z serią naprawdę perfekcyjną.

Podobnie jak miało to miejsce w poprzednich tomach, także w „Ash and Cinders” szczególne miejsce zajmuje temat niewinności. Jakkolwiek dziwnie może to brzmieć, kiedy mamy do czynienia z dorosłymi protagonistami, którzy nierzadko mają coś na sumieniu, to jednak nie sposób ukryć, że wielu z nich cechuje niesamowita niewinność. Najwyraźniej widać ją chyba w przypadku zakochanego do szaleństwa Christiana, który w każdej trudnej dla siebie chwili chwyta się myśli o Gabrielu, niczym dziecko szukające wsparcia rodzica łapie jego rękę. Także jego miłosne oddanie, niezachwiana wiara w kochanka oraz silne pragnienia wspólnej przyszłości bez morderstw podkreślają to, jak bardzo potrafi być niewinny. Podobnie ma się sprawa z Bleu Corso, którego autor wprowadza do historii w tym tomie. W jego przypadku mamy jednak wrażenie, że niewinność graniczy z naiwnością, jako że mężczyzna wielokrotnie sam wchodzi w paszczę lwa. Niczym dziecku wystarczy pomachać mu przed nosem smakołykiem, a pójdzie za obcym człowiekiem nie podejrzewając nawet, że ten może mieć złe intencje. Jego przypadek potwierdza to, co kiedyś zauważył Church, a mianowicie, że ludzie wydają się wychodzić z założenia, że to co piękne nie może być złe. A przecież sam Szatan był kiedyś Aniołem. I w końcu Gabriel Church, człowiek, który przeżył wiele złego i wiele złego uczynił, zagubiony w świecie swojej własnej ideologii. I tu nie ma nawet po co się rozpisywać, jako że jego niewinnością jest po prostu Chris, który to wydobywa z mordercy wszystko to, czego do tej pory nie doświadczył, rozbudza jego chęć i radość życia oraz sprawia, że mężczyzna zaczyna myśleć o bądź co bądź niewinnej przyszłości u boku kochanka. Rodd Clark zdołał więc naprawdę dobrze i emocjonalnie ukazać różne rodzaje niewinności, którą potrafią cechować się nawet dorośli ludzie. Tym samym sprawił, że w centrum „Ash and Cinders” tak naprawdę nie znajduje się seryjny morderca, ale po prostu zmieniający się człowiek.

Co się zaś tyczy akcji tej części, możemy zauważyć, że w dużej mierze jej tempo wyraźnie zwalnia, w porównaniu z poprzednimi tomami. W żadnym razie nie możemy jednak powiedzieć, że wolniejsze tempo czyni tę powieść nudną. Należy bowiem zauważyć, że przedstawiona w „Ash and Cinders” historia od pierwszej do ostatniej strony jest niezwykle interesująca i emocjonalna, zaś pod koniec akcja przyspiesza wręcz niesamowicie i naprawdę trzyma w napięciu. Co za tym idzie, mam wrażenie, że w tym tomie autor połączył ze sobą styl, w jakim napisał pierwszą i drugą część swojej serii. Z jednej strony skupiamy się na w miarę spokojnej egzystencji Gabriela, jego codziennym życiu oraz relacji z Christianem, z drugiej zaś jesteśmy świadkami tego, jak niespodziewanie policja zaczyna mu niemal deptać po piętach, co wyraźnie podnosi poziom adrenaliny w naszej krwi. Biorąc pod uwagę to, że tak naprawdę w tej historii może wydarzyć się dosłownie wszystko, przywieramy do tej książki z taką siłą, że nie sposób nas od niej oderwać, ponieważ chcemy wiedzieć możliwie jak najszybciej, co wydarzy się dalej i jaki koniec serii przygotował dla nas autor.

Na zakończenie pozwolę aby w końcu przemówiła przeze mnie zwyczajna dziewczyna, jako że w „Ash and Cinders” słodko-gorzki romantyzm powieści sięga zenitu! Ta część jest doprawdy przepełniona tematem miłości i wszystkim tym, co ona ze sobą niesie. Wielkimi nadziejami i bolesnymi zawodami, tęsknotą za ukochaną osobą i euforią spotkania, seksualnymi potrzebami ściśle związanymi z głębokimi uczuciami, poświęceniem, odwagą stanięcia twarzą w twarz z niepewną, nieodgadnioną przyszłością. Autor łapie nas za serca telefonicznymi rozmowami Chrisa i Gabriela, ich dopełniającymi się myślami oraz wszystkimi tymi momentami, kiedy to jest po prostu pewne, że tych dwoje jest w sobie szalenie zakochanych. A znajdziemy tu także momenty, które wycisną z naszych oczu łzy i sprawią, że zwyczajnie płaczemy jak dzieci. To jednak nie wszystko, ponieważ pojawia się tu także temat zauroczenia, nieodpartego przyciągania, ryzyka, dramatu i niemal miłosnego trójkąta. Krótko mówiąc, jest to romans pełną parą, który bije na głowę wszystkie inne romanse. Czysta perfekcja.

Podsumowując, „Ash and Cinders” jest wspaniałym i emocjonalnym zakończeniem serii „The Gabriel Church Tales”. To powieść która nie tylko wciąga czytelnika bez reszty, ale także pieści zmysły. Naprawdę dobrze napisana, niezwykle interesująca i zwyczajnie piękna książka. Po nią po prostu trzeba sięgnąć!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deeply admire the writer Rodd Clark, for his unique style and for his devotion to a trilogy and a central character that few may find palatable. It takes guts to be great.

Clark’s third dark thriller lives up to the standards already set in RUBBLE AND THE WRECKAGE and TORN AND FRAYED. Briefly, a remorseless killer who’s on the run finally becomes trapped. The god whom he’d believed in has deserted him. The “white-lighters,” his way of seeing his former victims through a spiritual prism, are nowhere to be found. He’s more than implicated his lover and his love Christian Maxwell, but he cannot help reaching out to him at his hour of greatest need.

Two other men have homed in on Gabriel: relentless CID special agent Richard Jenkins; and a small-town deputy sheriff named Bleu. Author Clark sends the reader into a heart-shattering race, following the paths of these three men as they close in on a badly damaged man.

This novel, like the others, has a narrative style that grabs me and shakes my bones. Describing the killer, his lover Chris says: “He’d discovered a damaged soul inside Gabriel and a goodness plumbed somewhere below the visible surface. He’d seen pain shadowing his killer like some trailing footprint left moist in the sand.”

ASH AND CINDERS is rife with metaphor, both simple and complex. The closet gay Bleu, for instance, has a life “tall and twisted like the roadside kudzu growing near his dad’s place.” His very name is a reflection of the azure blue Gabe remembers as a child streaming through the stained-glass windows, reflected from the robe of St. Ignatius. The word “bent” appears and reappears with blunt insistence: Gabe’s smile, his wrecked pickup, his life’s mission, his perverted sense of self.

Gabriel, thinking back on his kills, reflects that his criminal life “generally played like a movie in the back of his brain. Those rising crescendo swells to underscore a tension building and every heartbeat bringing the audience to the edges of their seats.” This novel is the crescendo. Read it. You will not regret your choice.

[Natalie Alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I expected of the author, he ends the series with artful resolution. No sickly sweet or overly-dramatic ending here. Just great writing through and through.

[Debbie Bookers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense and nail bitting

This author has a way of you becoming a part of the characters and not wanting to let go. Chris and Gabriel are no different. No matter how twisted these two are, you are pulling for them all the way through. I love the way this author has me rooting for the killer no matter how warped that seems. I love this authors crime stories and to add the M/M to it just makes me a very happy reader.