Breathing Out the Ghost – Kirk Curnutt (River City Publishing)

It’s very rare that I’m given the opportunity to review a fiction book, rarer still when that book turns out to be the most powerful, heart-wrenching novel I have read in years. Breathing Out the Ghost turned out to be just that.

It’s the story of Colin St. Claire, whose son is abducted. Not happy with the police investigation he starts searching the country for his son and other missing children, while abandoning his wife and daughter. Somewhere along the way, he picks up a nasty little speed habit. In his own words, his search for his son has become his “white whale”.

Assisting him in his search is Robert Heim, a disgraced private investigator. Heim has his own white whale, the man who cost him his investigator’s license. Not coincidentally, this is the man believed responsible for the disappearance of St. Claire’s son.

While searching for his son in Indiana, St. Claire meets Sis Pruitt. Her daughter was murdered several years ago, and she has handled things completely opposite from St. Claire. While still grieving, she has managed to raise two other children, help her husband run the family farm, and help take care of her elderly parents and grandmother.

It is extremely difficult to make characters in fiction feel like real people. While reading Breathing Out the Ghost I often forgot that I wasn’t reading a true crime novel. Curnutt reaches out and pulls you into the lives of these people, to the point that you almost feel what they’re feeling. That, my friends, is pure talent. Fans of almost any genre will love this novel. I look forward to reading Curnutt’s future work.

***** / ***** (5 out of 5)

Kirk's website: http://www.kirkcurnutt.com/

Breathing Out the Ghost on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Out-Ghost-Kirk-Curnutt/dp/1579660703

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