Cities That Eat Islands by M.E. Purfield

I received this book to give an honest review.


Title: Cities That Eat Islands (book 1)
Author: M.E. Purfield
Pages: 272

Mixing Sarah Paretsky and Andrew Vachss into a noir urban fantasy, the author of the Miki Radicci series delivers a tense and twisted thriller of epic proportion.It waits in the basement. Feeds on children. Used them to lure more in. But its hunger is just the beginning and not for it alone. Carmella Noto, a brilliant young artist, experiences people's pain and death. Her twin brother Enzo, a non verbal autistic, accesses radio waves in his head. When a brilliant killer kidnaps their best friend and murders his family, the siblings use their psychic abilities to save him. Through the hot dark streets of Brooklyn in 1961, the siblings discover a demonic cannibal who's only the tip of a mystery that starts in 1921 Jersey City

Rating:  

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This is one author that I would honestly read more of his books. I love his writing style, the tone, the pace and especially the characters. The reason I gave this book a four and not a five is because I was kind of confused with who was speaking at certain times. I would have to go back and re-read just to make sure I had the right character. Also, I was very confused as to who the man was that was a killer. Like what was his intentions exactly, who was trying to keep him alive so to speak. This was never fully answered for me. 

We are introduced to Carmella and Enzo, they are different and unique. Carmella is able to see the pain that people go through and feel it. Her brother who is non-verbal gets to hear things in his mind like a radio. As the story progresses we learn that there is a killer on the streets and when it hits close to home Carmella wants to find her friend. Something isn't right. Yet, it all seems that something weird is going on that is kept secret. Their grandmother was someone special and as the story develops we learn just how special. It seems that what she possessed was past onto other generations in some time of way. Honestly, just read the book to truly understand the story. This is one review I am having trouble putting into words without just telling everything. 

I do want to read more about Carmella and her brother. I want to know if they will use their power to help others. 

M.E. Purfield is the author of the long running and highly rated Miki Radicci series and the sci-noir Blunt Force Kharma series. He has had short stories in Broken Pencil, Unwinnable Magazine, and Norwegian American Weekly. He lives in Jersey City, NJ but you can always find him at www.mepurfield.com or on Twitter at @mepurfield.