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Help For the Haunted by John Searles

I have literally been waiting for this book for close to 7 months, which is a VERY long time. Something about the idea of psychics and demonologists is just so enticing that I can’t help but grab any book on that topic. This novel is no exception.

Sylvie’s parents have an unusual career: they are demonologists. Aside from nation-wide conferences where they speak about their experiences, they also are called to help people who believe they or someone they live are possessed. It isn’t unusual to get late night calls so Sylvie isn’t perturbed when her parents take her with them to meet someone in a church. She is surprised when she hears gunshots – shots that kill her parents. Through a narrative that entwines the past with the present, Sylvie must uncover the secrets of her family in order to discover the identity of the killer.

At first, I thought this novel would be very much about possession and demons and exorcisms. It is not. It is about family secrets and ties, the way the media can destroy a family, and the power of belief. Although this novel deviated from my initial expectations, I still enjoyed it immensely. It was told from a naive child’s perspective, which made the novel that much more heartbreaking. The characters that I admired in the beginning were the ones I hated at the end and vice versa. The story was extremely complex and touched on a multitude of issues that really brought the story together. All in all, a great novel and one I would recommend to anyone looking for a complex thrill.

Happy reading ~