Michael Clark’s The Patience of a Dead Man was a creepy, atmospheric haunted house novel. By the time it was over, Clark let us know it wasn’t really over. It leaves the reader ready for Dead Woman Scorned which you might assume is just round 2. The biggest strength of this novel is that the journey you’re taken on is completely unexpected.

 The first half of the book deals with the origin story, So to speak, of Mildred Wells. While Clark makes it clear in book one that she’s not your run-of-the-mill ghost, the hundred plus years telling how she grew up and then developed her powers adds in necessary bit of backstory. There is a tightrope act here that the author walks carefully making Mildred a sympathetic character but also a rage-filled monster. Not an easy balance to maintain.

At first, I found myself questioning if we really needed more than 200 pages of exposition, but by the time we return to 1971(the time period from book one), the reader realizes that it’s not filler, but essential lore, which will unquestionably figure into the rest of the story. 

When we do return to 1971, there are some issues for Tim that don’t tie directly into the supernatural, but are equally compelling. A little taste of crime writing in a paranormal novel. We are introduced to new characters, such as Andrew Vaughn, and follow their narrative as it unfolds, engaged and trying to guess how it’s eventually going to weave back in to the story we’ve become invested in. The final pages set up book three in a shocking, maybe I should’ve seen that coming but I did not, kind of way.

One of the only issues I had with book one was the development of character relationships, and that was largely gone from book two. The budding relationship between Tim and Holly can be cheesy at times, intentionally so, but paints a much more realistic picture this time around, of a man finding love again after a bad divorce.

As in book one, there are a few technical glitches that can be written off to this being Clark’s first series of novels. I don’t believe for a second that they take away anything from the reader’s ability to immerse themselves. Michael Clark is a masterful story teller whose pacing and plotting made the story come alive and forced me to read the last 200 pages of Dead Woman Scorned in one sitting.

I’ll be starting book three, Anger is an Acid, the moment it knocks at my door, and I can’t wait to see what other stories this author has up his sleeve.

I was given a paperback copy by the author for review consideration.