His Father's Son by Bentley Litte

His Father's Son by Bentley Little is not the type of thriller I normally review. A former Bram Stoker Award winner, Little has traditionally written in the horror genre, but this novel is more of a psychological thriller. Nonetheless, I found it an engaging read.

Steve Nye is dealing with the apparent mental decline of his father, who one day snaps and attacks Steve's mother. The attack is totally out of character, but during a brief period of clarity, his father says, "I did it." This prompts Steve to begin delving into his father's past, bringing startling revelations to light. The novel takes the reader along on a maddening, yet irresistible journey into the darker realms of the human mind. While reading it, I was reminded of Koko by Peter Straub, and strangely, Sanctuary by William Faulkner.

One of the negative elements of this book, to me, is the emphasis on the cerebral. There is some action, but reading this book is like looking at a very darkly-themed impressionistic painting. Events are filtered through Steve's perceptions, adding a high degree of uncertainty to the reader's understanding of the plot. Also, because Steve is a writer by trade, several of "his" stories are inserted into the book. I felt that this slowed the pace even further. While these elements are negatives to a reader like me, who prefers fast-paced adventures, they will not necessarily be construed as such by those who prefer psychological thrillers.

His Father's Son is a dark, tension-filled story that draws you irresistibly onward until the end. Though some mainstream thriller fans will enjoy it, I especially recommend it to fans of darker, more cerebral mysteries.