A Density of Souls is more of a daytime television drama in written form. It's easy to follow, but I felt it lacked depth in character development. Christopher Rice is a skilled writer, but this being one of his earlier works, the lack of refinement shows. I did not hate the story, but I did not love it either. I'm not drawn in by teenage and young adult drama. There were too many characters to follow, so keeping track of who was who got to be a chore. The plot is complicated and haunting, and in the end, I enjoyed the thriller aspect. Four stars overall.

I read this a while ago. Sorry for the delay. It just wasn't for me. I didn't realize it at the time but thus sub genre isn't for me.not the authors fault but izhould have realized at the time.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Four childhood friends in present-day New Orleans are torn apart by envy, passion, and a secret murder.
Five years ago, Meredith, Brandon, Greg, and Stephen quickly discover the fragile boundaries between friendship and betrayal as they enter high school and form new allegiances. Meredith, Brandon, and Greg gain popularity, while Stephen is viciously treated as an outcast. Then two violent deaths destroy the already delicate bonds of their friendship.
When the friends are drawn back together, new facts about their mutual history are exposed and what was held to be a tragic accident is revealed as murder. As the true story emerges, other secrets begin to unravel with more dangerous, far-reaching consequences.

Christopher Rice is not as polished an author as his mother. There - I said it. He doesn't have the same finesse with language, the same understanding of the technical aspects of writing...but this still isn't a bad book. It suffers dreadfully from one thing in particular, but we will get to that.

What is great about this book is the heart of it. This is a book about friendship, teenagers and life in a small town. That is the heart of it for me. He understands life in that sort of environment for kids who are "different." I enjoyed Rice's descriptions of the area. He painted a perfect picture of the French Quarter, the empty beaches, the mental health facilities - these things are what drag a read into the story and buy into what the author is selling.

Where this book fell down for me is that it tried to do too much in one book. Too many issues to deal with in one book. Alcoholism, drugs, rape, domestic abuse, infidelity, self-harm...and then, to just add the sugar on top...a natural disaster. Far too complicated - more than it needed to be, that's for sure.

Will I read more? Sure I will. There is enough good storytelling in there to make me go back. I just hope that that tendency to do it all in one book leaves his headspace when writing again!


Paul
ARH

I have tried to read this and a few other books by this author. They are not my type. I will not post a negative review. Thank you.