Reiew of The Lonely Mile by Allan Leverone

A dark, sinister scene captivates from the first few words. A woman is kidnapped, the perpetrator's actions paint him to be a delusional psychopath, one moment abusing her in some form or another, the next whispering sweet nothings to her. Her confusion and distress is abundantly clear, and contagious. It doesn’t take long for the sinister stranger to explain some things, which sparked my interest further. As the author delves in to the mind of the now named kidnapper, Martin Krall, I was drawn in deeper. We may deny it, but the human psyche is drawn to the macabre, as we try to understand and know all that we can. Being in the mind of Krall is an interesting experience, since most books choose to be in the mind of the victim, inspiring sympathy and pity, appealing to the better side of humanity. This new approach is darkly fresh, and a welcome change.

Krall soon goes on the prowl for another victim, and it’s then that we meet Bill, a hardware store owner transporting money in between his two stores. His involvement is soon to be discovered.

With each new character introduced, the plot thickens, kindling a desire to find out more about each new player, be it a victim, a villain, or a possible hero. Emotions are stacked on a teetering pile as the new victim is spotted, and the conflict boils over to brilliant showdown.

Leverone pokes fun at typical movie lines allocated to officers and other characters, which provides a comical relief that takes the edge off, and builds the hero’s personality to a relatable, everyday-man. In fact, all the characters are fairly normal making this a highly believable and appealing read.

This is a gripping story from start to finish as the plot thickens and horrific events occur, each drawing me in more than the last, until the final killer twist. Shockingly brilliant, this is one book that kidnapped my interest and held it hostage until the very last page!