Veins by Lawrence C Connolly - a review

The job should have been quick and easy. All Axel needed to do was drive while the others took care of grabbing the briefcase full of cash. No one was supposed to get hurt, but Teejay and Reddy got carried away. The man they robbed is powerful and in an instant, Axel and his partners are on the run, desperately trying to avoid getting killed. Being a local, Axel knows the perfect place to hide out-- the abandoned mines-- but bad memories reside there that Axel would rather forget.

As they race down the twisting road to a shack in the crater of the mine, half-seen things move in the shadows, following each player in the crime, victim and perpetrators alike. Axel recognized Kwetis, the earthborn guardian of the Okwe people and he remembers things his great-grandmother showed him, things he had forgotten as a dream. Everything has been arranged according to Kwetis' plans and this night was foretold ages ago.

Veins by Lawrence C Connolly is best described as subtly haunting, bringing together Native American Okwe myth with a crime thriller. The plot is fast and intense and the characters are wonderfully real,even down to the annoying qualities of Reddy. There were parts that I thought "character hopped" a bit too much and I would have preferred a steadier point of view, but this had only a minor affect on my overall view of Veins. I also would have love to see more of the supernatural side of the story, but this sounds as if it may be only the beginning.

My Recommendation
If you already Know Lawrence C Connolly's work from his many short stories, you'll absolutely want to pick up a copy of Veins. And if you don't know his work, consider this a great introduction. Also in the book are wonderful illustrations by Star E Olson. I look forward to seeing more novels from Mr. Connolly, especially if they involve Axel and the Okwe spirits he serves.