Death and Devotion

Larry Rochelle
Zumaya Publications (2002)
ISBN 1894869303
Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (8/06)

 “Death and Devotion” begins by setting the emotional stage for the entire book.  It starts off with the discovery of an abandoned dead baby at the base of the Liberty Memorial and what happens next begins a decent into a book filled with passion - good and bad.  By the end of the first chapter we meet one of the main players, Palmer Morel, a man utterly devoted to his once beautiful, vibrant girlfriend Corky.  Palmer seems serious and somewhat melancholy as he helps Corky through her daily routine, one which changed so dramatically only months ago when she suffered a head injury.  Though their life is a quiet, unassuming one, we soon learn that they are part of, through no fault of their own, a plot centered on stopping a plan for light rail into the city.  How this plot affects their lives is dramatically apparent as other characters are introduced within the book.  Cassie, a young day nurse for Corky, finds herself strongly attracted to Palmer.  The growing affection they have for each other soon proves to be a problem as Corky begins to “act out” in defiance of their relationship.  Ellis and Evan, socialite brothers and fierce players in this game of “light rail”, are soon connected to Palmer and his job at the Warwick tennis Club in a way that quite frankly stretches not only imagination but believability, as well.  Other minor characters also join the action as this book builds to an emotional crescendo with an ending that leaves the reader somewhat breathless with relief.

I honestly enjoyed much of this book; the devotion Palmer had for Corky, the relationships he had with his colleagues and students at the Warwick Club, and even the somewhat “twisted” relationship Evan and Ellis have with each other.  These, and the ongoing story of the “abandoned baby”, the introduction of Detective Delgado and “Buddy”, a homeless man, all help to weave the fabric of what is not only an interesting plot but one that ends in a way that the reader is left speechless.  These characters and moments together make for a great basis for an enjoyable late night read.

What I did not enjoy were the somewhat overdone sexual references within this book.  Quite frankly, after reading the first few somewhat graphic descriptions, I found my enjoyment of this book strained as I waited for the next “encounter” to appear.  In my honest opinion, I really feel the author has a wonderful storyline here and though some sexual references may be a necessary part of it, I think most were overdone and written more for shock value as opposed to literary merit.  If properly edited, this could be an excellent book and one that would appeal to many ages.  But as it is now, there are few that I feel would stay interested in this book after the first few “encounters” within its chapters.

At this time I honestly cannot recommend this book for anyone other than an adult.  The scenes are far too graphic and the sexual references too raw to be read by anyone younger than 18-20.  This book is definitely one that I would classify an “adults only” novel, at least until that time in which the author re-thinks some of the encounters within.

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