source: free review copy arrived via the author
title: Our Trespasses
author: Michael Cordell
genre: paranormal mystery/horror/suspense
pages: 247
published: October 15, 2021
first line: Ruth stood at her ironing board, working her way though a pile of clothes in the bottomless laundry basket at her feet, mindlessly sweeping the iron back and forth across a blue denim work shirt, breaking her rhythm only to fire shots of steam at particularly stubborn wrinkles.
rated: 4 out of 5
blurb:
Drowning in a meaningless existence flipping burgers, Matthew Davis suddenly collapses from a powerful psychic connection he shares with his twin brother, Jake. The pain is violent and immediate, and Matt knows exactly what it means… hundreds of miles away, Jake has been viciously killed. But instead of severing their connection, the murder intensifies it and Matt begins to suffer the agony of Jake’s afterlife.
Hell bent on solving Jake’s murder in order to break the connection, Matt travels to his troubled hometown of Hatchett, Nebraska, where an old lover and savage new enemies expose the festering wounds that Jake left behind.
Fans of Stephen King’s The Outsider, Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians, and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist will find this new paranormal thriller impossible to put down.
my thoughts:
Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell is a great paranormal thriller with plenty of twists and turns that had me hooked from the start.
At the center of the story are identical twins Matt and Jake. The brothers grew up in small town Hatchett, Nebraska and have lost touch since Matt moved way to New York city after high school. These two have a strong psychic connection and this is the reason why Matt moved out of town, in order to get away from this overwhelming supernatural bond he had with his twin.
Without giving too much away, one day Matt feels intense pain and he realizes Jake has just been murdered. After being gone for several years, Matt finds himself back home for his brother’s funeral. While trying to make amends at home with his mother and a few old friends, Matt also tries to find answers as to his brother’s murder which remains unsolved.
He comes to find out that Jake had plenty of demons and was not a well liked person around town. Matt wants to make things right not only for himself but for his brother. He feels that if he can try and right what his brother did wrong, Jake’s soul can be at rest.
This was a fast paced story and with a few unexpected plot twists and terrifying scenes. I find the twin connection to be very interesting. I watched a documentary not loo long ago about the identical twin connection. One of the twins featured were brothers who were adopted separately as infants and had never met, yet the two wound up living nearly identical lives… down to their career choices, the houses they bought and the names they gave their children. How fascinating.
So back to Our Trespasses, I really enjoyed this book. I love it when a story just pulls me along and keeps me guessing like this one did. I can always appreciate scary scenes and this book delivered that in spades. There is a creepy movie theater scene that was a favorite.
The supporting cast of characters added to the storyline as they helped Matt find some answers. In reconnecting with his ex Claire and with his mom, Matt comes to realize what his leaving town abruptly years ago did to his loved ones. I had no idea who murdered Jake until the author revealed it and it made sense. I enjoyed the way the story culminated in an exciting conclusion.
With themes of family issues, addiction, good vs evil and redemption, Our Trespasses was a great thrill ride and I recommend it if you enjoy paranormal stories with a nice dose of horror and mystery.
“The human-shaped form behind the curtain moved again, creating a soft rustle, as if trying to escape the small, dark space between drape and wall. Then the bulge silently glided along the wall toward Matt’s row like a huge, red velvet wave rippling forward, before returning to where he’d first spotted it.” -Our Trespasses: A Paranormal Thriller by Michael Cordell, 51% Kindle
“I wasn’t just living on my own, I was literally on my own. Jake tried his best to reconnect, but I overpowered it. At the same time, I felt so incredibly alone. I never realized that part of my self-confidence came from the connection. We had always been a team, and even though we fought, he was still part of me, far more than I realized.”- Our Trespasses: A Paranormal Thriller by Michael Cordell, 71% Kindle
about the author:
Michael Cordell is a novelist, playwright and produced screenwriter. He has sold three screenplays to Hollywood, including Beeper, an action-thriller starring Harvey Keitel and Joey Lauren Adams.
Michael currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he has taught screenwriting at the University of Virginia and at Writer House.
You can reach Michael at michaeljcordell@gmail.com- quoted from Goodreads
Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My copy of Our Trespasses came via the author.
the bookworm 