A Killer Harvest, Paul Cleave

This review is ridiculously and embarrassingly overdue. The notes for it have been sitting in my queue for way too long, especially as I have always been sorely tempted to gobble read anything by this author as soon as I can get my hands on it. He's one of those authors that knows how to take an unlikely, unrealistic scenario and make it so matter of fact, whilst scaring the living daylights out of the reader, that the only doubt you may have is just before you start reading. My advice as always? Park the doubt. Read all his books.

In A KILLER HARVEST, young Joshua is convinced there is a family curse that's killed his parents, robbed him of his eyesight, and by extension caused the death of his much loved stepfather, police detective Logan. Logan's police partner managed to kill the suspect, Simon, but that doesn't really help Joshua. Or does it?

After this tragedy, Joshua is offered an opportunity he can't refuse - a pair of new eyes. Only a mishap during the surgery means that he unknowingly receives one eye from Logan, and one from Simon. As unlikely as that is, hold onto your hat as we're about to get into the question of cellular memory, and glimpses of previous sights that both men have encountered when alive.

Despite the inclusion of the teenage protagonist, this is very much an adult thriller, with distinct overtones of the horror / paranormal elements that often appear in Cleave's work. The memories or feelings that Joshua starts to experience post transplant draw out the concept of cellular memory and the idea of feelings or leanings from the donor creeping into the recipients consciousness. Although, at it's heart A KILLER HARVEST is very much a thriller in style, pace and plotting. The whole memory thing just slots into a plot that's all to do with revenge, and a very dangerous man intent on getting even for Simon's death.

The reader of my reviews might be aware that Paul Cleave is a particular favourite author of mine. Mostly because he is so adept at presenting something that I'd normally be highly allergic to, and making it not just acceptable, but compelling. Full of dark humour, great characterisations, and plot elements that will keep you awake, with the lights on, way past sensible hours, his prose is witty and sharp as a knife. The switching narratives in A KILLER HARVEST worked, the struggles of a young teenage boy who has had so much tragedy to deal with, and now, when something positive should have occurred, is once again threatening to spiral his life out of control were believable, touching and all the more worrying given the scent of revenge in the air.

Fans of dark crime fiction should be welded onto Paul Cleave's work like they've been stitched there. He's so very very good at this combining of the unexpected, and he's still, after all these years, frightening the hell out of me.