‘Our Trespasses’ by Michael Cordell

Published by TCK publishing,
15 October 2021.
ISBN: 978-1-63161153-7 (PB)

Twins Matthew and Jake Davis, lived with their parents, Ruth and Ed, on a farm in the small town of Hatchett, Nebraska.  Their father died of a heart attack when they were just fifteen years old, after which Ruth struggled to maintain an income by keeping a few cattle and growing crops. She received little help from her sons and was dealt a further blow when Matt suddenly decided to move to New York.  What prompted the young man to leave so hastily isn’t revealed until near the end of the novel and his leave-taking ruptured his relationships not only with his mother and brother, but also with the girl he left behind.

Matt and Jake, who were almost indistinguishable to their friends, had very different personalities. Nevertheless, from their earliest years, the pair shared a kind of psychic bond.  Their uncanny connection had worried their mother and, whilst they were growing up, she tried to hide it from friends and neighbours. Even whilst Matt lived miles away in New York, the mystical tie between the brothers persisted.  So, when Jake is murdered, Matt knows what has happened even before he receives the phone call from his hometown. 

As Matt makes his way home for the funeral, he starts to become aware of some strange and disturbing phenomena. To his horror he realises that the paranormal forces that bound him to his twin in life are just as strong, perhaps even stronger, now Jake is dead. Before long it transpires that Matt has stumbled into a battle against malevolent forces that are being channelled through his dead sibling. Despite his resistance, Matt is in peril of losing not only his life, but his very soul.

The plot unfolds with a steady and deliberate inevitability. Terror creeps through every chapter, stalking Matt and those around him as he desperately tries to discover Jake’s killer.  The unwilling detective is forced to engage in a spiritual battle between good and evil – whatever the cost. 

Michael Cordell is a playwright and screenwriter as well as a novelist and all his literary skills are evident in this novel as the reader is teased and terrified in equal measure. Our Trespasses is a well-constructed spine tingler that will appeal to readers who enjoy their murder mysteries spiced with dark, scary, and supernatural overtones. Just the thing for wintry nights!
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Reviewer: Dot Marshall-Gent

Michael Cordell  is a novelist, playwright and produced screenwriter. His first novel, "Contempt", is an Amazon Best Seller and Amazon Top 10 Legal Thriller. He has sold three screenplays to Hollywood, including "Beeper", an action-thriller starring Harvey Keitel and Joey Lauren Adams. Michael currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. You can reach Michael at.  michaeljcordell@gmail.com

Dot Marshall-Gent worked in the emergency services for twenty years first as a police officer, then as a paramedic and finally as a fire control officer before graduating from King’s College, London as a teacher of English in her mid-forties.  She completed a M.A. in Special and Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, London and now teaches part-time and writes mainly about educational issues.  Dot sings jazz and country music and plays guitar, banjo and piano as well as being addicted to reading mystery