Readers who enjoy a good suspense-packed thriller, get excited. Author Dan Flanigan is back with book four in the Peter O’Keefe series and you’re not going to want to miss out on this gripping novel. Get comfortable, because you’re going to lose sleep when you dive into this harrowing novel.
An American Tragedy is the fourth book in the Peter O’Keefe series, and author Flanigan kicks things off with a cover that will immediately draw your attention. The cover depicts a school in the background with a teddy bear dominating the foreground.
At the base of the image is a depiction of black smoke curling up towards the teddy bear and the school. It’s a sign of darkness, something being hidden, something potentially evil tainting a place that should be a place of refuge for children and a place of learning.
What will we find when we dive deeper into this book? Well, to answer that question you’ll have to take that first step and pick this book up to discover what author Flanigan has in store for readers.
An American Tragedy gives off the air of the Salem Witch trials come to 1988. Satanic cult crimes have begun to dominate the news. People are quick to fly into hysterics believing that their town is next. That their children will be the next victims of an evil that will steal not just their lives, but their very souls.
Peter O’Keefe is looking to establish his business as a private investigator. He’s got a lot coming at him and his people. A “missing” person’s case seems pretty fishy, complicated by the fact that the individual has gone missing in a foreign country. Then there is a daisy chain case involving real estate. It sounds like Pete has his hands full.
But now a case has landed in his lap and this is one case that O’Keefe would rather not touch. What has happened? Kelly’s old teacher, Miss Ginny, has been accused of crimes against children. The police, Child Protective Services, and others have brought the charges. But at least one person believes that she is innocent.
But Pete would rather be like Pontious Pilate and wash his hands of it and not touch it at all. However, when this case reaches its claws out and touches his family, his daughter begs him to take it on. For the sake of a teacher that she, Kelly, adored she asks him to step in and investigate to uncover the truth.
An American Tragedy is not for the faint of heart. This novel is packed with drama from beginning to end, and insinuations of child abuse and molestation. Author Flanigan does not hold back on how realistic he creates his characters. The characters depicted in this novel range from neutral, to the good guys, to the ones who will do anything at all to see someone go down for a crime that they never committed.
An American Tragedy is heavy on the courtroom scenes this time around. It’s absolutely gripping as author Flanigan depicts what can almost described as a kangaroo court. A young woman is accused of heinous crimes against children. Her accusers are many, and the deck is stacked against her.
Author Flanigan’s attention to detail concerning the trial is impeccable. He will keep you glued to the pages and come back for more with each turn of the page. This author will expertly extract emotional outbursts from readers with this book. There will be multiple times that you’re going to literally exclaim out loud when you read how the judge handles the case as it unfolds.
It’s absolutely perfect how the title plays out in connecting in this book. An American Tragedy is exactly what this story is from beginning to end. O’Keefe is a dynamic main character, and once again author Flanigan depicts how O’Keefe struggles with the load that he is forced to carry.
The impact of the case this story focuses on weighs heavily on all the characters who are impacted by it. You get the sense of just how heavy it is. Lines are drawn, and anyone who doesn’t side and immediately and unequivocally “believes” the children are labeled as “one of them” and called a “Satanist.” It’s absolutely heartbreaking the fallout that some of the characters suffer behind it all.
While An American Tragedy is a dark novel with an even darker theme, author Flanigan still manages to work in some lighter moments that will temporarily lighten the tone briefly. These moments will be welcome refreshers for the characters and readers alike.
An American Tragedy takes the Salem Witch trials from the past and brings them into the 1980s breathing new life into an old by familiar hysteria. This aspect of the novel makes it a truly riveting novel. Readers will see the deck being stacked against Miss Ginny, and will even see the prejudices that were still prevalent even then. These aspects may be shocking, but at the same time, they are true to form and help to create a realistic storyline that could easily have been ripped from the headlines.
Pete O’Keefe is this story’s main character, but the judge winds up being a standout character. Readers who pick up this book will truly come to despise the judge especially, but he won’t be the only one who draws the reader’s ire.
As An American Tragedy draws to a close readers will hope and pray for a “Hail Mary.” Author Flanigan will yet again remind us, as he has frequently done with this series, that not every story is going to have a happy ending.
An American Tragedy is a suspense-filled and truly harrowing novel. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone novel. Most readers will have little issue following along with the storyline as it plays out. There will be some touch-backs to the previous books in this series, they don’t play a large part in this book.
Readers who enjoy suspense crime drama novels will not want to miss out on author Flanigan’s latest novel. An American Tragedy is a gripping novel that will keep you glued to the pages to the very end. You’ll be left wondering what will happen next and will Pete O’Keefe be a part of it. For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Pros:
- Gripping
- Page-turner
- Realistic characters
- Fantastic storytelling
Cons:
- None of merit
Scribble's Worth 
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