Title: The Old Brick
Author: Judy Lennington
Publisher: Toplink Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-1947620797
Pages: 432
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Susan Milam
Awarded to books of excellent Merit
In The Old Brick, author Judy Lennington depicts the adjustments a family must make after moving to a small town in Ohio. With a deft hand, Ms. Lennington portrays the different perspectives that each family member brings to the move. In addition, the folks who populate the small town and the town itself come to life within the book’s pages. Ghostly clues to several long unsolved murders intermingle with the family’s story.
The Carrington family moves to Negley, Ohio, after father Drew Carrington is transferred there to run the town’s post office. Immediately, the village captures Drew’s heart; he is particularly drawn to an old brick farmhouse. Despite her misgivings, Drew persuades Sharla, his wife, to give farm living a chance during the months before school reopens. The couple’s young sons, eight-year-old Thomas and six-year-old Damon take to the farm like ducks to water. However, nine-year-old Elissa fights the move from day one. Once the family is in residence in Negley, Elissa makes her negative feelings known at every turn. Drew and Sharla gain some leverage with their recalcitrant daughter by buying a horse named Lady for her. Soon, Elissa and Lady are spending most of Elissa’s free time together. At work, Drew discovers several pictures of young children in the back of a drawer, and he finds out that all of them disappeared many years ago. Thomas and Damon see a family of homeless children in a deserted house on the land next door, and Drew comes to believe the children are not what they seem.
Ms. Lennington successfully blends the gentle story of a loving family adjusting to a new way of life with the mystery surrounding the disappearances of several local children. The relationship between Drew and Sharla has its small ups and downs, but it is filled with affection; their marriage feels real and relatable. Sons Thomas and Damon are sweet, but not angels. They behave like slightly mischievousness little boys, and they annoy their sister like all little boys should. The author paints an evenhanded portrait of Elissa, and never tips over into making her into an unsympathetic unruly child. All the characters evolve in realistic ways as the story weaves its way through the summer. Although the murder of young children is never less than horrific, the author lets the reader see just enough to understand what happens without stooping to gratuitous gruesome details. The mystery’s solution makes sense while also being surprising. The book contains a few references to youthful indiscretions and one or two swear words, neither of which will be offensive to the average reader.
The Old Brick combines the stories of a family adjusting to small town life, the seasonal routines of the village where they live and a horrific unsolved mystery. The book moves at a gentle pace, and it’s full of details about living in a village not yet fully overtaken by modern technology. The characters come to feel like friends who live next door, and the mystery and its solution add just the right touches of ghostly tension. Readers who enjoy getting cozy with a book over several days will find much to enjoy in Judy Lennington’s The Old Brick.