I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

Sadly,ly I did not have time to read this book before it was archived, however, I still believe it is a worthwhile read!

Thank you @oldstonepress and #netgalley for this e-ARC in return for my honest review.

This was a very interesting story about abuse within the Catholic Church in the 1950’s. I thought it was very well written and had realistic characters. It was very thought provoking.
Many thanks to Old Stone Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

( received complementary copy for review ) Small town drama scandal set in the 1950's .. what is there not to like? My only negative was that for me, I found it ended way too soon! Could easily see this becoming the start of a series. Left wanting much more after reading the last page.

Sycamore Drive is well-written and fast paced. Set in the 1950's, it covers smaller town life and issues that occured with the Catholic church .. Thought provoking and insightful.

I got Sycamore Drive: A Novel by Charles Michael Casper, form NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Sycamore Drive: a Novel, tells the story of the abuse of boys by a Catholic priests, in Boston U.S.A, in the 1950’s, during the time, Eisenhower was President. It was also the time when people looked up towards organisations. Into this world we meat Norman the son of a devout Protestant who befriends Sarah the daughter in a devout Catholic family this leads Norman to convert and becomes involved with a farther Watson and some one high in the church who is also an abuser.

The story is told in such away that when both minor and major, what ever the characters did, both positive and a negative, it was totally within their individual personality that the Charles Michael Casper, had described. The only weakness in the story was the ending, normally I like a story to leave some loose ends at the end however this left two much to the imagination, all though this is a minor point and it should in no way distract from the book.

Sycamore Drive: a Novel is the first time when reading a book, that the words are written in such a way that it made me want to chuck it across the room, (and I use an e-reader) Not because it was bad but because it was so good and got me engrossed in the story.

So if you want to read a story that goes in to some way explaining how any organisations, not just the Catholic Church covered up Child Abuse for so long then Charles Michael Casper has written that book and it is called Sycamore Drive: a Novel

Probably most people are aware of the scandal in the Catholic Church that was brought to light in the past few years regarding pedophile priests, but how many were aware of these situations in the 1950’s, and if so, how many people did anything to expose them?

Sycamore Drive is a tale of one such priest and what happens when his perversion is discovered by a fellow priest. The book delves into how the Catholic Church tried to distance themselves from the offenses both by sweeping them under the rug and sweeping the offender to new locations, still within the accessibility of children. An unusual young man, a conscientious priest, and a few distraught and angry parents try to bring the offender to justice, but are continuously blocked in some way by the church.

The story is told well enough, but throughout I kept thinking there was going to be more to the story, especially regarding Norman, a highly intelligent and somewhat reclusive young man who helps bring the indiscretions to the forefront. I applauded the actions of the priest who tried without ceasing to make the church aware of the seriousness of the situation, but I also kept wondering why no one reported this to the police. Surely, someone on the police force had the same sense of decency and moral outrage that only a few people in the story seemed to have.

The book ended well enough, but again, I felt there was something missing. The ending read as more of a school book report instead of finishing with an engaging finality. There was no deep dig into anything; the story was as glossed over as much as the crime was glossed over by the church.

Even with these faults, I still found the book interesting and it helped me pass an afternoon.

Sycamore Drive: A Novel by Charles Michael Casper. In a fast paced and gripping story of small town life populated interesting and reliable characters, Mr. Casper gives us an astute observations of Catholic Church during the 1950s including it's mismanagement and cover up of pedophilia.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.