Title: Bay’s End
Author: Edward Lorn
Format: Kindle Edition
Interest: Action/Thriller
Rating 0-100: 100 (5 Stars)

What does it take to ruin a perfectly good summer? Four cherry bombs.
When twelve-year-old Trey and his best friend Eddy play a prank on Officer Mack, the resulting chain of events rocks the small town of Bay’s End.
Today, Trey Franklin is a man haunted by his past. Tormented by that one tragic, fateful summer, Trey searches for catharsis the only way he knows how – by writing.

Edward Lorn, or simply E., first came to my attention when I followed a link to his blog. (EdwardLorn. WordPress. com) I could immediately tell that this was a writer to watch. His writing has a quality that I’ve come to admire and respect. It’s honest, sometimes painfully so, and it takes you to places that you wouldn’t want to go alone. After reading several blog posts on his site, I contacted him via twitter @EdwardLorn. Accessibility is one of  the wonderful things about the indie author community. These people (99.9%) do not make a million dollars a year, nor do they have millions of fans. They are happy to hear from nearly anyone that will take the time to read their work, and E. was no exception.

I told E. that he had a great blog and that I loved his writing style. He thanked me, and like every new author is required to do, asked me if I had read his book yet. Sadly, I had to tell him no, but that I would put it on my reading list. Now, here we are months later and I’ve finally gotten around to reading his book. As promised during our first conversation my review will be an honest assessment of his book, and if it sucked I would tell him so. I’m happy to report that it not only doesn’t suck, it’s one of the best indie books I’ve read. On my personal scale of 0-100, it is the only book to achieve a perfect score. If there were problems with grammar, typo’s and such, I didn’t notice. The story was that good. So, as promised, here’s the good and bad of Bay’s End by Edward Lorn.

The Good

Trey Franklin is an adult now, and he’s trying to work through a troubling time in his youth by writing about it. Some of these old ghosts have haunted him for years. Now it’s time to lay them to rest. Thus begins our adventure into the small town life of Bay’s End, back when Trey was twelve and the most dangerous thing in town was a crazy wolf dog down the street. When Eddy moves into the house across from his the adventure kicks into high gear. Eddy is a streetwise kid, being both mature and immature at the same time. If Eddy sounds like a contradiction, then wait until you meet some of the other characters. Few people are what they seem to be, and the pretty mask they wear on the outside covers some dark and troubling personalities.

The last thing I want to do is give away any portion of the story or plot, so let me say this… if you buy this book and do not like it (read The Bad first), I will write you a personal apology via email or twitter.

This was one of the most brilliantly written books I’ve come across in or out of the indie community. The characters were so dimensional that you not only felt as if you were tagging along on their journey, you could almost reach out and touch them as well. Character development is done well when you feel like you know them well enough to pick up the phone and call them. The story is crafted around a solid plot, and not once did I feel like skipping a paragraph to get back to the action. When you combine these, great characters and story, you have a winning combination. Bay’s End is a winner.

The Bad

I can’t believe I have to do this, but I’m well aware of the society we live in, so it’s a must. If you are offended, even slightly, by colorful metaphors, salty language, or the seven words you can’t say on T.V., then don’t buy this book. It would not appeal to your sense of self righteous morality. That’s it. I can’t say anything bad about this book.

Bay’s End is one of the most honest books I’ve read in the past few years. It will take you on a wild ride, and into dark and creepy places that your mind may not be prepared to go. Don’t worry though. The characters that Lorn provides will hold your trembling hand and guide you through. Lorn is the master here, and he won’t give you anything that you can’t handle, provided you know when to shut your eyes.

–Rush