“SKELETON KEY”
by Jeff LaFerney
REVIEWED
BY: Books4Tomorrow
OVERVIEW
After a tragic train wreck, Depot co-owner,
Adrian Payne disappears. Seven years later, Clay Thomas meets Payne's beautiful
wife and determines to help her by using his mind powers to solve the mystery
of Payne's disappearance. With the help of Clay's son, Tanner, the local chief
of police, and Adrian Payne's ghost, Clay discovers the body, catapulting the
investigators into a mystery-a mystery with more questions than answers. If there
was foul play, why do the coroner and Adrian's ghost disagree? If there wasn't
foul play, why do all the suspects appear to be guilty? A twisted plot, full of
surprises and interesting characters is the result. Lessons of faith,
friendship, personal growth, and peace give meaning to a one-of-a-kind mystery.
REVIEW
When
I read the dedication in the front of the book, something I usually don’t do, I
just about got tears in my eyes and instinctively knew that as a reader, I’m in
good hands with this author.
“Skeleton
Key” is unlike any suspense murder-mystery I’ve ever read before. Apart from
the intriguing plot, the many questions, multiple suspects and accusations that
keep the reader guessing, as well as the surprise ending, there were two
elements – among many - that really stood out for me, and which I feel makes
this an exceptional read.
First,
the father and son relationship between Clay and Tanner is amazing. Not only do
both of them have parapsychological powers, but they also have a close bond which
surpasses most others. Throughout the book they both discover new abilities and
I admired the way in which Clay teaches Tanner how not to misuse his powers,
while at the same time instilling sound principles and values in him, by doing
so.
Secondly
- and this took me by complete surprise - there is a subtle, spiritual
undertone to this story. I found this delightfully refreshing and at times re-read
certain pages as the life-truths Clay were reminded of by Erica, also served as
a reminder to me how easily we forget what to value in our lives. This, and a
few more lessons in faith, were skillfully interwoven into the story.
We
are all left with different impressions from the same books we read, so with
that said, I would like to share an excerpt taken from a nerve-wracking chapter
in which Erica took Clay spelunking and he had to find his way in the dark as
part of a lesson in faith. These words, in the context of the story, had a
profound impact on me and I re-read it a couple of times.
“When you’re not
walking by faith, you stumble along on your hands and knees in fear of what you
can’t see. What kind of way is that to live? I don’t think your problem is that you have a gift, Clay. I
think you’re a person who is lacking faith.”
This
is the author’s second novel in which he continues the story of Clay and Tanner
Thomas from his debut novel “Loving the Rain”, but it can easily be enjoyed as
a stand-alone. Enough is said in this book to make you curious about what
happens in the first, but without making you feel that you are missing out on
important details necessary to understand Clay and Tanner’s history and
relationship.
More
to the point, “Skeleton Key” will get you thinking, it will make you laugh and
cry, and it will make you stay up way after bedtime to read what happens next. It
had all the elements necessary to keep me engrossed from start to finish. The good guys are likeable and the bad guys....well,
they’re really bad. The romance is sweet and sincere, and overall I found it to
be a gripping read. Next on my list is “Bulletproof” by this same author, who
evidently puts a lot of thought and imagination into his work. A highly
recommended 4 stars and two thumbs up for “Skeleton Key”!
READ more REVIEWS
“Skeleton
Key” by Jeff LaFerney has 2 more reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13278267-skeleton-key
MEET author JEFF LAFERNEY
Jeff
LaFerney has been a language arts teacher and coach for more than twenty years.
He earned his English and teaching degrees from the University of
Michigan-Flint and his master's degree in educational leadership from Eastern
Michigan University. He and Jennifer, his wife of twenty-five years, live in Davison, Michigan. Torey and Teryn are their two
children. Skeleton Key is his second
novel. His first, Loving the Rain,
is also available, and his third, Bulletproof,
will be available in April of 2012. When he sets a goal, he achieves it; when
he has a friendship, he cherishes it; and when he imagines, he writes about
it. He loves competing at sports,
connecting to good books, and creating words that make people laugh.
INTERVIEW with JEFF LAFERNEY
Q: What inspired you to write “Skeleton Key”?
A: I’d finished “Loving the Rain” and was considering a romance that began on
a train (no, not that kind of romance—I just wanted my character to meet a
girl). There is a railroad town near my
home, so I started researching it and found a great story about a circus train
wreck and several references to the haunted depot. The more I learned, the clearer the plot of my
mystery became to me.
The response to the first book was pretty positive too. What could be more inspiring to write another
book than that?
Q: How did you come up with the title?
A: A skeleton key is used to open up the
“attic” (a storage room) in the train depot where a ghost resides. It’s also a play on words because an actual
skeleton has a part in the story. Plus,
Anthony Horowitz has a book called “Skeleton Key”, and I tell the students I teach that his is the second best “Skeleton
Key” book ever written.
Q: Which of your characters in
“Skeleton Key” are your favourite and why?
A: Clay and Tanner Thomas both have
parapsychological abilities, but I especially like how Tanner adapts to them. He’s
an athlete, and he reminds me of Johnny Storm on the Fantastic Four—he loves
having his “powers.” I also love Jasper,
my angry midget (little person) because he adds humor to the story.
Q: What was the hardest part of writing it?
A: It was my first mystery, so putting together
the clues was a challenge, but I think figuring out how the victim died was my
biggest dilemma. Imagine telling an
interesting story and being determined to keep everyone from figuring out the
solution until the bitter end…and not having an end.
Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you change
anything in “Skeleton Key”?
A: Possibly I might give more attention to the
romance between Clay and Erika (there I go again with the romance). But honestly, every time I read something
I’ve written, I find ways to improve it, so if I went over it again, it might
end up unrecognizable.
Q: What were the challenges involved in bringing it to life?
A: For
this book, I learned about town history, trains, business, law, forensics, and
many, many other things. It’s always a challenge to write about things I know
very little about before I start, but the forensics and legal parts were the
most challenging. I’d already learned
about the brain and the psychology/parapsychology in the first book, so it was
much easier the second time around. Now
that I’m thinking about it…getting those “sources” to call or write me back was
pretty darned challenging, at times.
Q: Which of your two books, “Loving the Rain” or “Skeleton
Key” was the hardest to write?
A: The first draft of “Loving the Rain” was much easier and took much less time,
but because I planned “Skeleton Key” better,
it was in much better shape when I started the revision process. At times, revising “Loving the Rain” was a nightmare, so it ended up being
harder to write.
Q:
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
A: I started researching the town on the internet, but I actually visited
the site of the setting and talked with people there. They took me to the haunted locales and told
me the stories. I made a contact who
told me everything I needed to know about trains, and then I used an attorney
and the county medical examiner to answer most of my other most difficult
questions. The humorous ideas were the
most fun to write…I’m only humorous when I write.
Q: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
A: I have to give props to three authors from
my publishing company: Mary Ting, Ashley
Fontainne, and Joann Buchanon. There is also a new friend from my hometown,
Stacey Rourke, and a couple of new authors I’m reading, Laura Vosika and Jeff
Lee.
Q: If you were to do your career as an author again, what
would you do differently, and why?
A: I believe that all things happen for a reason, in their own time, so my
writing career started for me just at the right time. I wouldn’t trade in my experiences. I’ve learned things, met terrific people, and
I’m enjoying the whole experience.
Q: What are your current projects? Can you share a little of
your next book with us?
A: My third book has reached the editing and
cover design phase. It’s another Clay
and Tanner Thomas book called “Bulletproof”. My protagonists solve two
crimes in a small town, using their parapsychological abilities. The story includes mystery, ghosts, humor,
suspense, and a touch of sports and romance.
Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in
your writing?
A: I don’t
know why this is for me, but plotting out time seems to be a constant struggle.
I’m a stickler for detail, and I want everything to work out in realistic and
appropriate timelines, and often I discover I have to redo things to make it
work, and I work hard at making it work.
Maybe if I do a time-travel book, I can jump all over. I just had an idea.
Q: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any
attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
A: I guess
I pay attention a little. I notice when
I get a new one, and I read it, but I’ve yet to have one influence my
writing. I do pay attention to the
readers who read my books before I submit them to my publisher, and I value
their input a lot.
Q: List five “good-to-know” facts about you.
A: 1. My
favorite foods are filet mignon, crab legs, and Pringles Multi-Grain Cheesy
Cheddar potato chips washed down with Mountain Dew in a can (I had to choose at
least one thing I could afford).
2. I’ve seen pro baseball games
in Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Anahaim, Los
Angeles, St. Louis, and Toronto (and my wife wonders how I choose our vacation
destinations).
3. In each of my books, I sneak in a couple of
characters with names close to names of my friends, at least one of my favorite
authors, mention of a small rodent-like animal, and a grammar lesson concerning
one or more of my pet peeves.
4. In all of my years driving, I’ve only had one
traffic ticket (more than twenty years ago in a different state). I never paid the ticket, so I may be a wanted
criminal.
5. I start almost every morning out with a
granola bar and a big glass of milk, which proves I’m a creature of habit, I’m
remarkably boring, or I’m really, really lazy.
Q:
If you could have anyone from history over for dinner, who would it be?
A: I’m
tempted to say Jesus, but I already know I’m going to meet Him someday, so I’m
going to drop way down the morality totem pole and pick Ty Cobb, former star
baseball player of the Detroit Tigers.
Weird choice, I know, but I used to read about him all the time, and
being from Michigan, he’s an icon for baseball fans. As history has progressed, it seems that
everyone believes him to be a real creep, but I want to know what he says…what
he was really like…what the stories would be from his point of view. I may have just thought of another book…this
interview has been really productive.
Q: Do you have any advice for other writers?
A: Well,
maybe because I think I’m decent at the soon-to-be-mentioned topics, I find
that dialogue and timing in other books bothers me when it isn’t done
well. As far as time, keep track of
it—keep notes and refer to them. Be sure
timing is realistic and believable and the readers are aware of it so they
don’t get confused. Dialogue should be
realistic too. People don’t always speak
in formal language and in complete sentences.
And different characters speak differently. Book characters should speak like real
people….Oh, and writing sentence fragments is kinda fun.
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