A Guide for Murdered Children

December 11, 2017
This highly unusual and, at times, uneven synthesis of whodunit and paranormal suspense from the pseudonymous Sparrow, billed as a “distinguished award-winning novelist,” centers on 57-year-old Willow Wylde, an alcoholic former NYPD cop. Fresh out of rehab in Arizona, Willow, whose wreckage of a personal life is one long cautionary tale, accepts a job as the head of a newly formed cold case task force in Macomb County, Mich. One case in particular—the decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister—draws his attention. Further investigation leads Willow to some mind-blowing revelations: the spirits of murdered children are returning and inhabiting adult bodies, seeking a “moment of balance” so they can track down and enact supernatural retribution on their killers. The dense narrative is slow-building, but those readers who have patience to get through the somewhat confusing beginning will be rewarded with a touching, albeit brutal, tale of redemption. Agent: Andrew Wylie, Wylie Agency.

December 1, 2017
It's too bad Sparrow is using a pseudonym; any writer ought to gleefully claim this paranormal mystery's clever concept. The titular guide is a pink, stapled packet handed out to select adults who, because of their near-death experiences, have become landlords to the spirits of murdered children. This roommate situation occurs so that the murdered children can then murder their own murderers! Neat, huh? Not so neat to ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, whose new consolation-prize assignment is heading up a cold-case squad. Slowly he realizes his two new recruits are landlords out to solve cold cases for very personal reasonsand, furthermore, Willow himself has a big part to play in these possessions. It's enjoyably troubling, often dramatic, occasionally shocking, and periodically funny (as all body-swap stories are). It's not the pacey thriller, however, that it sounds like; Sparrow's winding, shaggy style can frustrate and confound, and unlikely coincidences abound. Still, the gonzo premise and idiosyncratic language (free use of adjectives like barfy) mostly pay off.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)