Review
Keeping Watch
Laurie R King
Psychological thriller isn’t usually my genre but Keeping Watch is one of the most brilliantly written books I’ve read in a long while. Laurie King writes with the acuity of the master, never tripping throughout this exquisitely appalling tale.Jamie is a thirteen year old boy whose father is a con man extraordinaire and who has an unusual and terrifying occupation. Allen, a Vietnam vet, is a man dealing with the psychological fallout of his year fighting the Vietcong. The atrocities he witnesses and is forced to participate in lead to a mental state that can only be assuaged by assisting those with no voice of their own. Jamie is one such voiceless.
Keeping Watch drops us squarely into the middle of the Vietnam war offering a vicarious but chillingly real view of the realities of that war. If you’ve never understood why Vietnam vets suffered when they were returned to ‘normal’ society, then Keeping Watch will provide the insight you need.
If you enjoy the machinations of a highly intelligent mind turned towards evil, then this book will not allow you to put it down and the characters will stay with you for days after the book is finished.
In its genre, Keeping Watch is an absolute standout. Highly recommended.
Theresa Sjoquist
Bioforce
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Theresa Sjoquist
