In Lee Thomas' Stained, we find a novel of depth and intensity sadly lacking in most genre fiction. While populated by child molesters, murderers, policemen, and a standard town full of standard characters, that town and those characters come to life and draw the reader in.

Thomas chose to start this with a single horrendous act of hateful crime, and then, in the aftermath of the shock this brings, to introduce his characters, one by one, tying them to one another with long tendrils of plot. The protagonist is a man in transition, dealing with the pain and trials of a past life as he tries to build a new one.

His friends, all of whom gather regularly for poker, make up the majority of the novel's troupe of characters, and each of them has troubles of his own. They are bound to one another by memories of their past, and the reality of their present. Though they know one another well, as happens in small towns, there are dark closets and shadowed corners that each of them would rather not shine the lights on too brightly.

And then something really dark comes to town, casting shadows so lightless that the secrets start to show up in contrast, despite their own carefully crafted hiding places. Killers are captured, but the darkness remains, and no matter how many answers are found, the "stain" seeps out under the door and brings more questions.

This is a well-crafted, very mature novel. The prose is smooth, the characters utterly believable and the plot draws you right in and holds you. Believe me when I tell you, it will show you once and for all that you "don't know Jack." The suspense starts on page one and holds you right on through to the end. Very highly recommended.

FIVE TOMBSTONES