Alex Pyke is a successful used-car salesman, whose career and social ambitions appear to be coming to fruition. But when he goes back to Germany, the land of his birth, what he thought was a simple deal to import a couple of cars turns into an adventure that will change his life. He meets the mysterious philanthropist Filibert Lohr and his beautiful and charming niece Elise, who is possessed of certain mental talents that Alex himself may share. But as they dig deeper into Alex’s past, they find strange and dark secrets, ranging from Alex’s true parentage to the fate of a secret Nazi program to blend psychic and technological warfare, a program that may be continuing today. Can Alex come to terms with the secrets of the past, and choose the right path for his future?
SEEING BY MOONLIGHT is an intriguingly dark thriller, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages up until the rather surprising conclusion. The author has a gift for revealing information in drips and drops, increasing the mystery and deepening the plot while not giving away too much at once. None of the characters are exactly what they appear to be on the surface – all have hidden depths and motivations that come out as the story goes on. Moral, intellectual, and emotional issues are all thoroughly explored in the course of the book, without clear conclusions or black-and-white thinking. The ending is downright chilling, and leaves the reader with much to think about.
The psychic aspect of the book may be difficult to believe for some readers, but of course that is why the book is science fiction rather than science. The Nazi trope is perhaps a bit overdone, but the book does take it in new and interesting directions.
SEEING BY MOONLIGHT is a thoughtful and intricate story, with enough food for thought to keep the reader’s brain and heart engaged from beginning to end.
Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader