Joe Clifford has always been an author that had a way of allowing the reader to connect with his characters, see events through their eyes and understand what drove them to do the things they did. But in his new book, he takes this experience to a whole new level.
The aspect of Joe Clifford’s new book, Lamentation, I enjoyed the most is the manner in which he explores the innate emotions we experience as we grow older and grow more or less connected to our family circle. This book does an excellent job probing what it means to be family, how people experience and deal with the conflict of feeling responsible for the failings of family members, yet try to pull away and separate ourselves from the heartache that comes from watching a family member spiral into a self-destructive lifestyle. The main character also struggles to come to terms with becoming a full time parent and what that means, both time spent with your child and also the responsibility that brings. He struggles with the burden of living up to the expectations that come with having had parental role models who set the bar high and his uncertainty of being able to achieve that standard, a battle he rages not only for his son, but for the legacy that he hopes to carry on from his own parents. Clifford ‘s writing allows the reader to connect with his character because most people fight the same battles as his characters, albeit perhaps in a different station in their lives. Good writers allow you to understand characters, but great writers allow you to be the character and that is what happens as you read this fine piece of writing. The story is engaging and excellent on many levels. I think this book will bring a whole new range of readers to Clifford’s works and it is well deserved. This novel shows that Clifford is only getting better in his ability to craft a story that is engaging for its plat but also multilayered in its character development. I loved this book and could not give it a stronger recommendation!

Lamentation, Joe Clifford’s riveting new novel, is a page-turner in the classic sense. You can’t put it down. You need to know what comes next.

At the heart of this particular bundle of darkness is an ordinary guy, Jay Porter, trying to get along. He salvages anything of value from empty and abandoned homes, is out of work for long stretches of time, is estranged from ex-girlfriend, Jenny, the love of his life and mother of his young son, Aiden. The bane of Jay’s life is his older brother, Chris. To say that Chris is a loser is an understatement. Chris has a drug problem – and has had for years. He can’t stay clean for long, can’t do much of anything useful. He shows up needing money, a place for the night, and then is gone, back in to the seamy world he chose to live in. Suspicion was cast on Chris years before, when their parents were killed in a car accident. There’s talk of mechanical tampering – a deliberate sabotage of the vehicle.

Chris again becomes the focus of an investigation, when his partner in a computer salvage business turns up dead. This is just the beginning of a very thorny plot that weaves a number of unsavory elements together in Ashton, a small New Hampshire town. Jay overcomes his deep frustration with Chris and attempts to help him out. Layer by layer, Clifford peels back the crime until we arrive at a place we really didn’t expect to be and wish we could escape from in a hurry. What we thought was true, isn’t. What we couldn’t imagine being the case turns out to be true.

Yet Clifford doesn’t tie everything up in one neat package. One question goes unanswered, leaving the reader to wonder and think about the novel long after the last page. As a writer myself, I think this is a great device for keeping the story alive. Another thing I appreciate, again as a writer, is that Clifford’s characters are real people, with levels of complexity, not just types, as is the case with other crime novels I’ve read.

Lastly, on a personal note, as someone who grew up in upstate New York, Clifford’s rendition of snow, cold, and darkness rang wonderfully true for me, and make me glad that I now live in a much milder climate.
Lamentation is truly a fine read.

Jay struggles to prove his brother is innocent. Chris is a drug addict with a history of psychotic episodes. Jay is unsure what to believe but, he is going to stand by Chris, no matter what.

Jay and Chris are characters to fall in love with, or maybe, just relate to. Jay is a “good ole boy” struggling to make a living. Chris has many problems but, he has a huge heart. I was completely wrapped up in their troubles.

With many twists and turns, Mr. Clifford leads the reader through a powerful and moving thriller. This tale is not to be missed!!!

I love discovering a new author. I cannot wait to read the rest of Joe Clifford’s work.

While I enjoy the occasional police procedural or detective tale, I find it difficult to relate to those worlds. As a writer I see the appeal of having a strong, resourceful protagonist whom you can throw into high-drama situations knowing they can believably fight their way out of it.

But as a reader, I’ve always been drawn to the blue-collar characters who stumble in over their heads.

Enter Jay Porter. He’s a menial laborer living paycheck to paycheck, burdened by stress, bills and an estranged lover and their small child. Porter lives in a remote, oppressive town, cut-off from civilization by the New England winter.

Clifford so ably captures this world that it made me uncomfortable. From the opening scene, I felt edgy, depressed. I carried the full weight of Porter’s burden as my own.

That’s some damn fine writing.

That uneasy feeling in the belly swells when Porter is called down to the police station to pick-up his drug-addled brother, who is spouting off conspiracy theories involving town elites. It is further evidence of his brother’s decline, he believes, until his brother’s business partner turns up dead.

As he wades deeper into the fog, Porter unearths a dark secret that puts the life of himself and his brother in danger. With limited funds or capable weapons, and zero well-placed connections, Porter must rely on a loyal friend and an old rival.

Lamentation is my kind of novel. There are no experts, no sharpshooters, no aces in sleeves. There is no posse to rescue the hero. Just a quartet of hard-luck locals with long odds up against the wealthy, powerful and corrupt.

Porter is not the most likable character, or self-aware, but you’ll be rooting for him throughout. I’m already excited for the sequel, December Boys, due out next summer.