A Mystery with Heart: A Review of Healey's Cave

My Book Review of Healey's Cave by Aaron Paul Lazar:

Healey’s Cave by Aaron Paul Lazar is a wonderful, mellow mystery, gently wrapped in a mist of paranormal phenomenon. This is not your typical whodunit with detectives, amateur or professional; it is more of an absorbing unravelling of secrets, heartbreak and murder.

“It had been this way for fifty years. Fifty years of longing for the truth, of missing his little brother.”

Healey’s Cave centers on Sam Moore, his family, friends and the unsolved childhood disappearance of his brother Billy. When a grisly discovery reopens Billy’s case and links it to a serial killer, long kept secrets and fresh danger start spilling into Sam’s life. If that wasn’t bad enough, the unearthing of a strange green marble is pulling Sam back into the past to his and Billy’s childhood. Is Sam time-travelling, going crazy or is Billy’s spirit trying to tell him the awful truth? That a killer might be closer than he thinks.

“He fingered the warm glass and removed it from his pocket. It glowed softly. An eerie, green circle of light surrounded him. He felt protected as he approached the form sitting on the outcropping of rocks near the back wall.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from its engaging plot, to the realistic setting and characterization. Even the haunting paranormal aspects of the book meld seamlessly and add an extra depth to the story; the supernatural side of the plotline is not overplayed. The reader may wonder at the how of the strange happenings caused by a small green marble, but there is never a feeling of being cheated. The author is very skilled at convincing you of the urgency and the need of these inexplicable events. The rest of the book satisfies as well, with the mystery elements pulling just enough twists and turns (plus one or two red herrings) to keep you guessing. There are ample suspects, a demented killer, motives, tragedies, and a bittersweet conclusion to gratify the average mystery lover.

However, the best part of the novel is contained in the rich depiction of the characters and their interaction. These characters are three-dimensional, well portrayed people, be they strong and family oriented, flawed with secrets or the puzzling dark villain. And they live in a world just as fully realised; you can almost smell the fragrant flowers on a wafting country breeze as you read the words.

Healey’s Cave is a superb book that anyone should take pleasure in reading.