Dark and Demented. Paul Lonardo's first novel is a tightly wound nightmare that unravels in a horrific frenzy. Lonardo understands how to create believable characters and narrowly pull them through some intense scenes. The Apostate possesses the feel of a classic horror novel.
The Apostate is the story Good v. Evil. It touches on the Second Coming of Christ and the devil among us. There is Chris, an orphan adopted into an abusive family. This boy knows he cannot live another minute and escaping becomes his only option. When he finds himself holed up in the big city of Caldera working for an evil baker, he can only wonder if running again makes sense. Then there is Julian, who is sent to Caldera to conduct an environmental study. Julian is plagued by past haunts. The people he is closest to always seem to wind up dead. Can his imaginary friend be responsible, or deep down, does Julian know he must be the one killing those around him? Saney, a psychiatrist who moves her small practice to Caldera, is overwhelmed with patients experiencing bizarre nightmares. Maybe she lends credibility to the tales because her own reoccurring nightmares of the tree-monster are so intense.
Aside from the fact there are no churches in Caldera, there are harboring under the city streets, millions of vicious rats and perhaps one beast with a few devout followers, responsible for everything evil taking place in Caldera, New Mexico . . .
Lonardo writes crisp narrative and full of genuine dialogue. Apparent talent allows Lonardo to pace his story with intensifying suspense and a climax that pulls in all the pieces of the mysterious and evil puzzle. I know Paul Lonardo has more novels in the works. I, for one, will be looking forward to them . . . and losing a few more nights of sleep.