Review: Mortom by Erik Therme

Andy Crowl barely knew his recently deceased cousin, Craig Moore, so he’s especially surprised to be named as the sole beneficiary in Craig’s will. Not that there’s much to inherit: just an empty bank account and a run-down house.

Once Andy arrives in the town of Mortom, however, he’s drawn into his puzzle-obsessed cousin’s true legacy: a twisted and ominous treasure hunt. Beckoned by macabre clues of dead rats and cemetery keys, Andy jumps into the game, hoping to discover untold wealth. But unsavory secrets—and unanswered questions about Craig’s untimely demise—arise at every turn, leading Andy to wonder if he’s playing the game…or if the game is playing him.

Something’s rotten in Mortom. And this dead man’s game might not be all that Andy is doomed to lose.

 

Andy and his sister, Kate, roll into the small town of Mortom after their cousin died. Much to the surprise of Andy and Kate, the cousin that they barely knew left everything to Andy ... including the drained bank account, a dead pet rat and a scavenger hunt. Kate doesn't think that this little game is a good idea but Andy can't seem to stop himself from barreling through the town, his aunt and all of the clues. Andy finds out that sometimes, some puzzles should be left unfinished.

This is my first introduction into the literary world of Erik Therme ... well ... it's his first book, so I guess that makes sense, right? Seeing that it was the first time for both of us, I really didn't know what to expect. I didn't have anything to base my views on except how this one went. You know, it wasn't half bad! I found myself really intrigued by the premise, the whole scavenger hunt thing was pretty interesting and I've never read anything like it. 

The beginning of the book was interesting because you're just thrown into the story (my favorite kind of beginning) and you're a little confused and unsure as to what in the world is actually going on and I think that it jump starts the mystery surrounding everything that Andy and Kate are going through. There were plot twists almost at every page turn. At times, this became a little much ... a little overwhelming with all of the new AHA! moments going on. I think that if a few were taken out, it would actually elevate the story because as it is right now, I found myself beginning to think "well what else is going to happen" and not in a good way. The story felt a little bogged down with all of the subplots and subsubplots (no, not an actual word or a thing ... but it should be). Because of all of these AHA! moments, the ending felt a bit forced with so many crazy things going on at once.

I also had a little trouble with the characters. While I knew Andy and Kate and most of their past, I didn't feel like I knew THEM. Let me put it this way, if someone wrote down a whole bunch of characters from books and their traits/who they were, I don't know if I would be able to pick Andy and Kate out. I wish that they had both (and some of the other characters) had been a little more fleshed out. I am a greedy reader. I want to know every tiny morsel of information that the author is willing to give on characters, plot, descriptions, everything. But I also want a bit more than the author is willing to give and in this case, it's character depth. I just want more. I want to know these characters like I know my friends because that is essentially what a character in a good book is, as weird as that sounds. 

I'm interested in seeing what Therme has to offer in the future. Mortom was an easy read and it kept me interested in what was going on and invested in the story.

Available: April 28th, 2015

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