Monster
In The Closet by
Karen Rose intertwines murder, relationships, secrets, family,
and lies. Using her potpourri of characters she writes how
close knit family and friends come together while fighting
the dark and scary monsters.
Rose commented, “It was a different book for me. I wrote
it in the beginning of 2016 when we lost three people in our
family, within a three-week period. I was grieving and needed
to write something with a REAL happy ending. Although I was
contracted to write another book, the one that will come out
in February, I needed to go back and visit with my characters,
my old friends. The first parts written were the touchy, feely
scenes and then I later added in the mystery/suspense.”
The cast of characters might have been a bit too much but
it is the relationship aspect that spurred the story on. Rose
delves into the darkest corners of humanity, while showing
that there are people who will step up to make their world
safe. Many of the characters in this novel went through some
horrifying experience and had to face some kind of trauma.
It is this common thread that binds the characters.
The plot begins with eleven-year-old Jazzie Jarvis witnessing
her mother’s horrific murder at the hands of her father,
Gage. Unfortunately, her five-year-old sister, Janie, is also
traumatized when she sees her mother lying in her own blood.
Jazzie has not spoken since the incident and Janie has nightmares.
Trying to help the girls cope and heal emotionally they are
taken to Healing Hearts with Horses that provide therapy to
traumatized children. Their counselor, Taylor Dawson, also
faces her own set of demons. Lied to all her life about her
real father, Clay Maynard, she's constantly looked over her
shoulder in fear. Now she's ready to face her past and find
out if the man she's feared all her life is truly the face
of evil her mother painted him to be.
The author noted, “I think the concept of Equine and
Canine Therapy is catching on. I read an article put out on
Twitter by the FBI where they talk about their victim programs.
The canine units will go out to disaster areas and work with
the First Responders who need an emotional outlet. These animals
provide them a break. In another article I read about dogs
that help children testify in court. A sexually assaulted
child had to testify in front of her abuser. Having this animal
in the court with her allowed her to keep her emotional control.
A friend and I actually thought of starting a therapeutic
riding program for children who were abused. Because of the
regulations and legal issues we had to jump through we shelved
the idea. I understood from my own experiences that taking
care of horses could be a stress release and calming. I could
go out to the pasture and comb a horse for an hour and it
felt like I had relaxed the whole day.”
This story is tension filled. Rose delves into the backstory
of many of her characters, each with their own horrific situation,
whether having been kidnapped, abused, or shot. Readers will
go through a gambit of emotions with these family and friends.
|
