I really enjoy Joseph Souza’s novels, and his latest book, Pray for the Girl, is quite the story. Souza has both a great imagination and a real talent for writing novels that will keep you up at night.
I really don’t understand how a guy who was an intelligence analyst for the Drug Enforcement Agency’s organized crime unit in Washington DC becomes an award-winning writer of both fiction and essays which are published throughout the country. But Souza has done that.
Souza lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and two children and the setting for his new books is a place called Fawn Grove, Maine. The main character, Lucy, had her legs blown off in Afghanistan and spent years as a chef in New York City before returning to her home town of Fawn Grove.
That small Maine town is in turmoil, partly because of an influx of immigrant Muslims. The story includes everything from a corrupt policeman to some very nasty teenagers. Yes, there’s plenty of murder and mayhem in this novel.
One reviewer called it scary and disturbing and another labeled it a subtle powder keg. I can agree with both although I have to confess, I really enjoyed the story and found it a very compelling read.
Souza’s book was published by Kensington Publishing Corp., one of our country’s independent publishers.
I can’t give away the ending but I can promise that you will not stop reading until the final paragraph.