This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
LAWRENCE was raised across from a hill shadowing Black Rapids Creek in Ottawa, Canada. The towering toboggan hill fed an early appetite for challenge, tall tales and doing the impossible. The black forested river valley set his dreams.
He spends his days as a Systems Analyst and Technical Architect for Security and Intelligence concerns. The days long past in another life as sailor, hard rock miner, surveyor, logger and even a carpenter influence his writings. His debut novel "CLOCHÁN", which was published in the Fall of 2021, will be followed by "WRIGHTS". The latter is scheduled for release in 2022.
Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Clochán by Lawrence P. O’Brien takes us back to the late eighteenth century and the mystical, superstitious Emerald Isle. As a young six-year-old boy, Kevin Neal had watched his entire family butchered by the English soldiers in the rebellion of 1798. He watched his two brothers die in battle and then ran for his life as the soldiers rode out from the village to attack the women and children gathered on a hillock to watch their menfolk fight the English. As he saw his mother and sister mowed down and murdered by the rampant soldiers, he knew his life was changed forever. Finally making it back to the small stone cottage the family called home, Kevin, now alone in the world, was adopted by a local family. When the Walsh family finds themselves evicted from their farm by their harsh landlord, they take a journey to Tintern Abbey, where Mr. Walsh has been promised some work as a stonemason. There, Kevin is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Anty, who is no longer interested in Kevin, but for Kevin, Anty is still the love of his life. As the boy grows into a man, strange happenings and vicious murderous mutilations dog the small community that lives around the Abbey. The blame for the violence is laid squarely at the feet of the legendary, mystical beast, the Puca. Determined to discover who is behind the murders and deal with them once and for all, Kevin will face the greatest challenge of his life, which will test the young man’s determination, courage, and recuperative abilities.
Clochán is a fascinating insight into life as a tenant farmer in Ireland under English rule. Author Lawrence P. O’Brien has woven a story of mystical creatures and Irish lore around a good old-fashioned murder (most foul) mystery. Most startling for me was the total contrast between those with money (i.e. power) and those without. The lives of the poor tenant farmers were frugal and of subsistence level in comparison to their indolent, frivolous, and arrogant English power-broker neighbors, who clearly ruled Ireland of the time with an iron fist. The narrative also highlighted the great gulf that existed even then among the tenants, between the Papists and the Protestants. The mistrust of the Catholics by the Protestants, despite their equal rank in society, was palpable and made any form of collective action against the evil-doers difficult. The descriptive writing and scene-setting by the author were another plus of this narrative. One could easily feel part of the windswept hills and lush valleys of Ireland as the story unfolded. Special mention should be made of the character development. The descriptive style allowed the reader to literally get inside the head of the characters, especially young Kevin Neal. There is plenty of action, violence, and derring-do for the most ardent adrenaline junkies and yet it is beautifully soothed by the thoughtful and the mystical. This is a good, solid, adventure mystery that ticks all the right boxes in the reader’s head, and I can highly recommend it.
