Melding Spirits

Innocence on a Collision Course with Evil Twelve-year-old Evan Mason's life has been turned upside down by the sudden death of his father. His mother isn't home much, the insurance office during the day, waiting tables at night. Evan is spending a great deal of time alone. Now he finds himself on a Greyhound bus headed for a small town on the Wabash River where he'll spend the summer of 1958 with his loving grandmother. Evan soon meets his new neighbor, Katie Dobbins. She's a feisty blue-eyed girl with a ponytail, the type of girl Buddy Holly might sing about on American Bandstand; Evan is instantly enamored with her. It seems the perfect summer is underway-but strange things are happening in the woods surrounding the Ghost Hill Indian Mound. There's a dark cloud lingering over the Wabash Valley-It won't be long before it erupts into a raging storm.

About the Author :
Michael E. Burge grew up in the Chicago suburbs and a small town on the Wabash River in Southern Illinois. In the late sixties, he left college to serve on a U.S. Navy destroyer out of Norfolk, Virginia. Upon leaving the service, he transitioned to a career in the burgeoning computer industry, positions in product management and marketing. He is now pursuing his lifelong interest in writing, publishing his debut novel, Bryant's Gap, in 2015 and his second, Melding Spirits, in 2017. Michael also plays piano, paints, and is an avid golfer. He and his family currently live in Illinois.

Review :
THOSE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS of SUMMER 23 August 2018 With "Melding Spirits", Michael Burge crafts a poignant coming-of-age story laced with suspense and grit. Crossing genres, this story is sure to appeal to a wide audience. The characters are an eclectic mix who work well together. Evan Mason, the twelve-year-old protagonist, is on the cusp of teenagerhood, that magical age in which innocence and naiveté still reign, and this is captured in his interactions with his friends and especially with his relationship with Katie Dobbins, his first love. Both are mature for their age, which is refreshing. The neighborhood is comprised of quirky, unique individuals who augment the plot and add humor as well as creative tension. There is a timeless quality to the narrative, and although the setting is 1958 in Laurenville, Illinois, it could be anyone's hometown, which further immerses the reader in the experience. Don't let the seeming tranquility lull you into complacency, however. As quaint as this story is, there is just enough roughness around the edges to add grit, a discreet thread of mystery that develops slowly and then suddenly rises to a crescendo. Most authors would present both the light and dark elements together or at least simultaneously from the start, and in breaking from this tradition, Burge keeps the reader guessing and achieves an exhilarating climax toward the end of the novel. Aside from some profanity, this is a relatively clean read, with no graphic details or bedroom scenes, and I recommend it as a fantastic summer read. Sarah Snider, For the Love of Literature, BookLikes