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Kevin Gibson is a free-lance writer who loves music and bacon. He resides in Louisville, Ky., with his dog, Darby.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The residents of Crystal Hill, Indiana were very proud of their civil war hero founder, Mayor Crystal. There was a string of strange and tragic events in Crystal Hill leaving residents to wonder if the Mayor’s ghost was angry at the town and punishing them. Adam overheard his mother and a few other adults talking about the ghost of the Mayor. His curiosity and wild imagination sent him to the cemetery and the Mayor’s house/museum to find the answers to his questions. Using the excuse of a history project, Adam searched the museum and found what could be an important clue.
The Liberation of Crystal Hill is a suspense novel by Kevin Gibson. The setting is Crystal Hill, a small town with either a big problem or a big imagination. The story is narrated, eleven year old Adam. Adam’s family was what some might call dysfunctional. His father was surly and angry. Adam and his best friend Denny have a lot of unanswered questions. They ask the adults only to be rebuffed; they had little recourse but to investigate on their own. I was disturbed by the way the adults always tried to shut Adam up. His questions were not smart-alecky or out of line and yet he was constantly told to shut up and stop asking questions. The citizens of Crystal Hill became so caught up in the legend of Mayor Crystal that they allowed it to control their lives. Everything that happened was blamed on the Mayor. The town’s people were such gossips that the news of a death was already known all around town before it could be announced by reporters. Rather than take responsibility for their own mistakes the town’s people placed blame on a dead hero.
Gibson skillfully captured the essence of an eleven year old adolescent. Even the words he used were obviously the speech patterns of a boy. He allowed the suspense to slowly build to a crescendo ending. I was quickly captured by this tale and eagerly turned the pages to see what would happen next. Young and old alike will enjoy this book. This would make a great story to read to a group of children around Halloween.
