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SEVER THE DARKNESS is a realistic mystery with a murder as the focus. The realism is in the issues affecting the deaths, including the environmental threats of who owns the river as well as the racial tensions from the Mexican immigrants. The story begins with Clay Aker, who returns to his home town and is now trying to put his life back together after the death of his wife and child while working for the military in Central America. His mother arranges an opportunity for Clay to become a journalist. His first assignment is to cover the outdoor opportunities for tourism along the Guadalupe River. Clay fortunately meets (hooks up, get the fishing pun) an experienced reporter known as Shark Bait who guides Clay with his assignment. Also, to complicate Clay's life, he meets Mary Frances Wiley who he knew in high school since Clay dated her big sister. The physical attraction between these two causes uncomfortable sexual tension throughout the novel. While covering the tourism along the Guadalupe River, the body of a teenaged boy is found. The girl that was with him is missing. The girl is of Mexican heritage and the boy is white. Investigating this is the girl's uncle, Julio, who has to overcome the prejudice of fellow officers and his own personal baggage. The environmental issues of the rights of people, big business, the tourists, the land owners, as well as the fish in the river are all superbly intermixed throughout this story. There is no one correct solution that is best for everyone. The land owners who have to daily fight with the depletion of the fish, the trespassing, and the litter problem help to establish the realism in this book. Another theme is the threat of big business with the oil pipelines constantly threatening the land, the river, and the people who have lived in this area. The money and power that big businesses control daily upset the balances of nature. The character development is super. Each character has a distinct voice and has depth to their personality which makes this novel more realistic. The setting is obviously a passion for Les Coalson as he demonstrates to his readers his love of the Guadalupe River, while still educating about the conflicts of a river environment. Coalson has relied heavily on his education and background in natural resources development and business administration, as well as experience in managing recreation programs. SEVER THE DARKNESS is his first novel. The characters are so brilliantly established that I envisage a sequel or a series now about the Guadalupe River. This is definitely a book that I highly recommend to everyone.
Reviewed by Teri Davis, December 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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