The ElderGrove Residential Living Facility was a peaceful place for many years under the loving if somewhat neurotic care of Nurse Carol Ann DeFazio. Cameron Wright has been coming there to record residents’ reminiscences and, in some cases, made-up stories – the apparently senile Mrs. Treadwell is very good at the latter – which he animates and puts on his YouTube site. But the tranquil quiet of the place is shattered when a new resident, who insists on being called Mr. Magoo, upsets everything with his raucous, rude, uncouth behavior. When he dies due to a medication mixup, aide Angela Padilla is blamed and fired, and that seems to be the end of it. But his is only the first in a series of unlikely and inexplicable deaths. Another new resident, the intelligent and philosophical Tom Finney, thinks he knows what’s going on – but what he uncovers defies belief.
THE EMISSARY is a creepy little mystery that seems deceptively simple at first, but which has metaphorical sharks swimming underneath. The story is given through multiple perspectives – Carol Ann’s, Cameron’s, Angela’s, and Tom’s, primarily – all of whom are likeable, three-dimensional characters with their own histories and personalities. The reader is gradually drawn in, empathizing with the narrators and becoming fond of them, until the plot takes a sudden roller-coaster turn and plunges into far darker depths. The author’s gift for evocative writing helps fuel the emotional force of the book, and there are a number of beautifully-written, thought-provoking passages. Carol Ann musing over her choice of career at the end of Chapter 13, or Tom arguing with the killer near the end, for two exceptionally good examples.
THE EMISSARY could use a bit of editing to tighten up a few grammar and spelling issues, most notably the repeated use of “dieing” for “dying”. Also, there is a touch of deus ex machina in the solution to the murders, which leaves more room for philosophy but may disappoint the reader looking for a more straightforward mystery.
THE EMISSARY may start out slowly, but it ends up getting under the reader’s skin with its enigmatic and chilling final chapters. Fans of The Twilight Zone in particular may find this appealing.
Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader