13:24 (Book) Review
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13:24 is a fantastic read. The concurrent story lines of Josh, Chris, and William give you a peek inside each of their heads, all while keeping an air of mystery as to how it will all fit together in the end. While the oftentimes traumatic scenes depicting horrific abuse (both physical and mental) can be tough to read, they are made even more powerful in their realism.
“Whoever withholds the rod hates his son but whoever loves his son will chasten him often.”
Love, hope, betrayal, murder – 13:24 has all the standard components of a great murder mystery, pulling you into several concurrent story lines as you puzzle out how all of the pieces will fit together in the end. And it does that oh, so well. But, as with all good books, 13:24 has a twist – and it’s that twist that truly pushes it over the edge into a fantastic read.
Josh is a heavy metal superstar. As the front man to popular band Rehoboam, he inspires adulation from scores of young fans for his intense and often deeply emotional lyrics. Fame and fortune aside, Josh is a deeply troubled young man, haunted by memories of a past that couldn’t be any more different from the life he lives now.
Chris…well, Chris is a serial killer, in the technical sense of the word. As the book begins, the young teenagers sets off on a killing spree that is chilling in its intensity. Chris is a motivated young man, and he is leaving a swath of death in his wake. Why? The media blames Rehoboam – it’s all that devil’s music the kid was listening to, spurring him to unforgivable actions.
So what is the connection between Josh and Chris? It’s up to William to piece it all together. The seasoned and highly competent police detective was called to the scene of the first murder, and works diligently to put all the pieces together, catch Chris, and stop the killing. To him, blaming the music seems like a copout. There is definitely something motivating Chris to kill, and he won’t rest until he figures it all out.
While I won’t go into too much detail (I hate spoilers), the one thing that truly grips you in 13:24 is how realistically traumatic and awful many of the scenes are – not of the killing, mind you, but of chilling instances of systematic child abuse. Fiction though it may be, author M. Dolon Hickmon has absolutely captured the terror, the betrayal, the humiliation even of being abused by the very people a child should be able to intrinsically trust. When you throw in the righteousness and complete confidence of the abuser, you have a very real look inside what is unfortunately a reality for far too many children.
13:24 is a fantastic read. The concurrent story lines of Josh, Chris, and William give you a peek inside each of their heads, all while keeping an air of mystery as to how it will all fit together in the end. While the oftentimes traumatic scenes depicting horrific abuse (both physical and mental) can be tough to read, they are made even more powerful in their realism.