The House of Storms

The House of Storms  is a very well written novella filled with danger and suspense.  It is also a time capsule of post WWII life in the USA.  Ben Dane, his sons and their friends are off to a vacation that turns into a case for the famous detective.  His boys Frank and Joe are very like the Hardy Boys, who with their friends are caught up in the case and help Ben gather information.  It is an action packed adventure with a little romance for seasoning.  It has an amazing plot with a deadly car chase, a Dark Magician, a Seer from India, a waking dead man, and a slithering assassin.  Geron is a great storyteller and this is a great book to read on a dark, stormy night reading in bed with a flashlight.  I highly recommend you read this book. 

I'll preface my review by saying I've never read any Hardy Boys stories.

Mr. Kees has created a wonderfully intriguing and fast-paced story I found hard to put down. It would have benefited from being broken into chapters the way a publisher would have done had the book been printed on paper instead of being published electronically. The advice given to the author not to create distinct chapters did him a disservice.

I'm glad I didn't abandon it when I struggled to find a stopping point; The House of Storms is a wonderful read. The nostalgic look at an earlier time, the careful use of language, and the stringing together of minor events and clues is masterful. I felt transported to a simpler era. Detective Ben Dane, his sons Frank and Joe, and their friends Chip and Tony deserve better than to be abandoned. The sleuths should make further appearances in future installments.

There are minor technical issues, but the strength of the writing makes them irrelevant. In spite of them, I rate The House of Storms the highest possible at five stars.

Very well written. As Geron knows, i'm not a huge fan of 'teen' stories. However, these are not the usual, angst ridden 40 year old 'teens' adults so often write about. They felt honest and real to me.  Wonderfully crafted story. Well worth reading ... with a nice coffee and a box of chocolates!!

This story reminds me of the original Hardy Boys stories (from the 1920s to the 1950s) in many of the ways it is arranged, but with gay twists.  There are multiple levels to the story, ranging from detective story to suspense to tribute.  The use of logical deductions (and sometime misdirection) by the characters in the story.  There are some 1940s stereotypes used in the story for effect.  

The story is quite reasonable from the initial premises.  "Accidents," attempted murder, rare snakes, illusionists, best friends, and more-- all play parts in the story.  Different characters reveal their strengths and weaknesses as the story unfolds.  All in all, a good story, invoking nostalgia for some of us, and yet the story is logically constructed with plenty of the element of surprise.  Should the author write an eventually sequel short story, I would certainly read it.

Paul