The Cleansing

by Richard Luciano

An island, swept into a whirlwind of murder and deceit.A madman roaming the land picking off islanders, one by one.In the quaint little tourist haven of Inishmore, off the coast of Ireland, local islanders are disappearing. Upon the death of his father, and with his mother’s health in question, a young Irishman decides to head back home to help his older sister manage the family affairs.This simple endeavor, unbeknownst to him, is anything but, as the interference of a past love emerges. A love, whose affection to this day has the ability to stoke the settled embers which lay dormant all these years.Passions rekindle and secrets unravel as this cocoon of lust and eroticism unfolds within a web of mystery, challenging not only the fate of his family, but the welfare of the island as a whole.

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I have been writing all my life. Short stories, poems, screenplays, monologues, several novels. But I have not as of yet released any of my work, publicly. This first book, "The Cleansing", will be the first piece I show, openly. I do so hope you enjoy the read.

-RLuciano.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good mystery, and "The Cleansing" did not disappoint. It begins with a prodigal son returning to the beautiful island of Inishmore, off the coast of Ireland. He's reunited with his mother and older sister, as he faces the loss of his father and his own emotions about the man. Lindeman has come home to help his sister attend to his ill mother. Great dialogue throughout the story, beginning with the interaction he has with the women in his family. I wish my own family had communicated like this!

There are several threads running concurrently, the main being the mounting disappearances of citizens on the island. We are given just enough information to formulate incomplete hypothesis on who, or what, the antagonist is, and what the motives are.

Lindeman finds a past love has returned to Inishmore, which has him relishing the prospect of seeing her again. The author does an amazing job of painting the feelings going through our protagonist, as he anticipates the fulfillment of unrequited love.

I enjoyed discovering the secrets as they are revealed to our hero, and there are some huge revelations. The buildup to the climax was layer upon layer, and thoroughly satisfying. Mystery, love story, horror, conversational, well-wrapped, and very appealing.

[Beyond The Covers Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! Speechless!! The Cleansing absolutely blew me away!! An intense read filled with mystery, suspense, deceit and a sprinkle of romance that will keep you on the edge of your seats. You will not be able to tear yourself away from this story.

People on the Inishmore Island are vanishing into thin air. At first the citizens thought about the curse, the myths and tall tales that surround the isles of Ireland until they realized it was much more.

Lindeman has returned home to care for his ill mother and help his sister. After the death of his father the island feels like home. His long, lost love also returns to the island.

Mrs. McDuffy is excited that her daughter, Tulia, has decided to return home with the hopes that she might reunite with her ex boyfriend. Mrs. McDuffy is famous on the island for producing unique types of teas for the tourists and townspeople.

When tragedy strikes the town people begin to drop like flies except the children. A killer is on the loose.

When secrets are revealed and lies are exposed Lindeman's world comes crashing down around him putting himself in the hands of the evil that will decide his fate. Will he turn to the dark side or stay in the light?

At times while reading The Cleansing flashes of The Walking Dead, Sawed and Nightmare on Elm Street popped into my mind. The scenes are not gory. This story would make a great movie.

Richard Luciano is a new author to me and I'm so thrilled to read his book!

I love the Gaelic language throughout the story.

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindeman has come home to help his sister with their sick mother, and he's quickly reminded of how the island is home. It doesn't hurt that the love of his life has also come home. However, while he's home, people on Inishmore are disappearing, and the folks on the island are talking about the curses/myths that have surrounding throughout history until it becomes clear that it's something more tangible. See, tragedy strikes and people are falling out, so it's clear that there's a killer on the loose. Now, the f-bomb worthy twists are coming from every direction as buried secrets are coming to light. At this point, I'm pretty much only dropping f-bombs, as the diabolical Richard Luciano has me all kinds of crazy with the intensity of the mystery & edge of my seat suspense that is going on. Not only that, his descriptive genius has me feeling like I'm on this Irish Island, so when the book ends, I'm upset to find myself back in my bedroom. Before I forget, I mentioned above about Lindeman's lost love, so there's a bit of romance included in to give a break from all of the intense mystery. So, if you want to see how it all pans out, and trust me you do, one click this suspenseful bad boy ASAP! HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Romaine Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Anna]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Overall I really enjoyed the book. I thought the characters were all very lifelike and believable. I had some trouble following the plot though. Some of the sequencing of events felt a little off. I think it was an enjoyable book but I think it could have been better. It didn't feel like the author had put a lot care into the details of the story, but it felt very real. It is a book I would read again and would recommend to others.