Mareritt

Reviewed by Awesome Indies

June 30, 2013

A beautifully written, extraordinary metaphysical mystery
5 Stars

Mereritt by Krisi Keley is a beautifully written, extraordinary and fascinating metaphysical mystery that is a great read for anyone who likes a supernatural mystery. It will particularly appeal to anyone who likes a bit of meat in their fiction and especially those interested in philosophy, which is seamlessly woven into the story. Even the mystery itself is of a metaphysical nature.

Four girls have the same nightmares, see ghostly visions and are involved in strange accidents, one of them is in a comma. The question is, is someone trying to hurt them, or are they just mentally unstable? It’s not a case the police can do anything about, so one of the girl’s mother seeks out the local private investigator, Friar Tobe, as he is known. Tobias isn’t a Friar. He left the order before completing his novitiate, but he is a Christian with a clearly profound faith who had been on his way to becoming a Brother, and the locals have taken to referring to him as Friar Tobe. In this way, he is the Christian equivalent of Tenzin from the Rule of a Ten Books by Gay Hendricks . Tenzin is an ex-Buddhist monk and also a PI but his cases are more of a worldly nature.

Tobias is a likeable character, open-minded, self-aware, intelligent and with a highly refined wit that is shared by the equality intelligent female lead, Samantha. She is one of the four eighteen-year-olds involved in the case, and she flirts with him. He finds her enchanting, but since she is a client, he mustn’t fall for her, a fact that adds a nice undercurrent of sexual tension to the story. Ms Keley is a consummate story teller, and this book, like her On the Soul of a Vampire Series has a symbolic aspect, in this case in the shared nightmare. Tobias must piece together all the threads of a mystery that operates on the mental, physical and spiritual planes and that calls for his knowledge of linguistics and his understanding of the spiritual dimension.

All the characters are well-fleshed out and believable ( Sam is more mature than many eighteen year olds but not unrealistically so) and another particularly likeable character is Father Mike. The relationship between the two men has the light touch that comes from a long and close friendship.

This is an entertaining and enjoyable mystery, but it is also much more. It is also a thought-provoking exploration of divine justice and redemption, a particularly wonderful book for those with an interest in philosophy, for Ms Keley has a degree in theology. She knows her stuff and it shows. This is the finest kind of metaphysical fiction in that the philosophy and its world view are not only inseparable from the story, but also are fully researched and don’t in any way impinge upon or overpower the storyline. So it can be enjoyed on many levels; the kind of book that feeds your mind and soul, and perhaps even opens your heart somewhat. It is also flawlessly edited, not a typo or grammatical error in sight. Highly recommended. 5 stars