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Jack Young grew up in the Olneyville section of Providence, a turbulent mix of proud cultures. He slogged through twelve years of parochial schooling, emerging unimpressed and unconvinced. Like many city kids he was drawn to the idea of the country life, graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in agriculture.
Young’s path has been enjoyably erratic, moving from the secure but stifling embrace of Civil Service (Soil Conservation) to small-town cop, to crop management, which is touched on in his book Faraway Green. A time spent selling cars gave him valuable lessons in human behavior that he carries to this day. Young’s travels have, by choice, centered on the lesser Caribbean islands, some real, some whimsical, as found in his book Hail Cigaros!, a Kirkus featured review selection.
Jack Young lives with his wife, a social worker, on an underperforming mini-farm in eastern Connecticut. He now devotes full time to writing after giving up teaching chemistry, and is currently in the final stages of book number three … as yet untitled.
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Jack Young proves this in his suspenseful story, The Lost Men of St. Aldo’s. Retired detective Gil Conroy agrees to help Kanada, a psychology teacher, locate her missing brother. His last known address was St. Aldo's New Mind Center, owned by Pastor Brumestead. Conroy believes a friend’s disappearance is linked to St. Aldo's, occupied by the forceful pastor. The fearful residents, including the sheriff, aren’t willing to divulge information and it appears Kanada wasn’t truthful. The ex-cop suspects sinister activities are taking place at the heavily guarded compound, where bells are rung constantly and men in hooded robes wander around. An invitation to tour St. Aldo’s is too good to decline but leaves Conroy very wary of the pastor’s intentions.
I couldn’t believe how twisted and vengeful Pastor Brumestead was in Jack Young’s wonderfully written novel, The Lost Men of St. Aldo’s. His behavior was so bizarre that I actually found it comical at times. Conroy definitely lacks people skills and when he bears a grudge, he usually takes action. The story was impressive in content and contained an interesting but sorrowful drama. It was vivid, especially the horror scenes at St. Aldo’s, so I could not help but feel compassion for some of the characters. The author allowed the suspense to build up instead of divulging too much information, making it difficult to figure out what the pastor was really up to. The cover illustration is appropriate for the story. This book is recommended.
