Places the Dead Call Home

by: Paul L. Hall

Published by: iUniverse

Reviewed by Brenda A. Snodgrass

Bartender and small-time drug dealer Josh Kincaid is in love with Phoenix, Arizona. After serving his stint in the regimented life of the armed forces, he enjoys taking life at a leisurely pace. But then his cousin, Frankie, a former police officer, comes for a visit wanting to check out the ramblings in a journal of a now-deceased relative. He plans on taking Josh with him to verify the possibilities in Mesa Verde.

Jeffery Bonus, a journalist, is seeking any new evidence surrounding his father's death that was ruled as suicide by the military. His quest for answers leads him to Josh who was one of the people actually at the scene. All attempts to gain facts from the military are shut down. What were they hiding? Can Jeffery discover enough to write a book?

Jeffrey heads to Arizona to interview Josh without calling ahead. Jeanette Koskos bums a ride with Jeffery when he stops at a McDonalds. Jeanette is a really weird bird, carrying a large cache of hundred dollar bills and a gun (unknown by Jeffery until later).

Jeanette and Jeffery are being tailed by a guy wearing a N.Y.C. baseball cap and driving a black SUV. Jeanette spots him first and alerts Jeffery who thinks she is just being paranoid. He finally agrees with her and wonders who the tail is and why? What has Jeanette done?

Their "shadow" turns out to be Gary Grote, who works for General Endicott. He suffers from incipient senility and paranoia. Grote is Endicott's body guard, gopher, and is known for his hulking physique and aggressive behavior. His instructions are to keep an eye on Jeffrey and Jeanette, and he follows them to Josh's condo. Grote was the other man called to the scene of Colonel Bonus' demise.

Paul L. Hall keeps his story alive with his characters, through their diversities and their very human foibles. Written in a sometimes funny and engaging way, Places The Dead Call Home is a search for a larger meaning in life.

Having depictions of drug use as an almost innocent pastime and sexuality as the means to an end with no attempt at long-term relationships, forces the reader to judge their own value system.

Armchair Interviews says: Good story well told.