[KMP]⋙ PDF 1324 A Story of Faith and Obsession M Dolon Hickmon Books

1324 A Story of Faith and Obsession M Dolon Hickmon Books

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1324 A Story of Faith and Obsession M Dolon Hickmon Books

Periodically I take a break from more "literary" reading to indulge in an exciting thriller or mystery. Many of them disappoint me, some because they are just all about the plot with terrible writing, or at the other extreme, they have huge plot holes or unresolved endings that don’t satisfy. Others are o.k., but completely forgettable because they don't do anything but the mystery or thriller story—there’s nothing else there. I personally find Gone Girl to fit into this category. It teaches us nothing about the world or what it means to be human. 13:24, on the other hand, belongs to that rare club which includes Tana French's The Likeness, Amy Mackinnon’s Tethered, and a few others I’ve read which maintain a tight, compulsively readable plot, appealing style, and also have something meaningful to say about our world and our lives. I agree that this is a really important book that depicts the horrors of the Christian discipline subculture with restraint and respect for the victims, not a whiff of exploitation. It is also a completely successful, well-written mystery-thriller. Isn’t it ironic that this book was self-published, when so much dreck in this genre is put out by big publishers? Clearly there is some fear around exposing the darkest sides of Christian fundamentalism in this country. Fortunately, the book is finding a growing audience through word of mouth, which it deserves on all counts, whether the reader has any specific interest in religious cults or not, it’s such a strong read.


Tags : Amazon.com: 13:24 - A Story of Faith and Obsession (9780991106608): M Dolon Hickmon: Books,M Dolon Hickmon,13:24 - A Story of Faith and Obsession,Rehoboam Press,0991106601,Mystery & Thrillers Thrillers,Family & relationships,Fiction - Espionage Thriller,Fiction Thrillers Crime,Thrillers - Crime,vigilante justice; child abuse; ptsd

1324 A Story of Faith and Obsession M Dolon Hickmon Books Reviews

The media frenzy highlighting the Duggar sexual molestation perpetrated by the eldest brother , and the subsequent fall of the of the Quiverfull family , led me to this most excellent read. The author lends personal experience as a child victim, of the perverse parenting promoted by a very twisted mind set of religious fanatics. The fervor takes a step beyond, as the story unfolds, men obsessed with dominion over the innocent and vulnerable. The evil spews in the dark corridors of the psyche with perpetratration of deeds dictated by men of God. This is an enlightening read, believable , and probably closer to truths we would rather not know.
Mr. Hickmon has given us a very candid, dark novel of child abuse, molestation, pedophilia, and murder for the sake of vengeance. Also included are religious zealots, stealing of identity, and stories of victim survival.
I thought the book's jumping about was a bit dis-jointed since the storyline tracks will switch quickly and without lead-in. I would have preferred a smoother flow.
The author delves into issues of the older, conservative Christianity, in which brutal corporal punishment was very much the reality. Any of us old enough will surely remember the sadistic behavior of the clergy as teachers.
More so, the book has its primary roots in the sick minds of zealots and abusers.
Kudos to Mr. Hickmon for telling this tale, having lived some of it himself. The content is dark by the very nature of its subject. Sadly, though a novel, this subject does permeate our world today.
A good lesson for me is to never judge a book by its cover, literally.

Before I start my review I have to confess that when ’1324′ first came to my attention I had no interest in reading it, not even with Vyckie Garrison of NLQ’s recommendation. I took one look at the cover, saw the shaggy-haired heavy metal lead singer and the animal skull above and decided this book wasn’t something I’d be interested in. I knew there would be descriptions of physical and spiritual abuse and figured I was not going there again because this book would trigger me as well as be about heavy metal, a type of music that just isn’t my favorite.

But I have to admit it, was I extremely wrong! When I started reading ’1324′ I was hooked from the first page. It is more than simply another book on spiritual abuse, at its heart the novel is more a who-done-it, a first rate crime novel coming from a unique angle. There are multiple stories and subjects tightly interwoven into an integral whole. It is one of those books that you cannot put down because you have to know what happens next and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat dying to get to the next bit.

The procedural cop epic has always been my personal favorite since my earliest television watching days. I could easily see 1324 as a script for “Law and Order SVU” or my all time favorite, “Homicide Life on the Street”. You will find the type of plot twists that leave you guessing who the actual villain is. It feels very real and, like the creators of Law and Order love to say, ‘ripped from the headlines.’

The book also does what great procedurals do, introduce you to something you didn’t know, a new sub culture or something just outside your comfortable life. The overarching theme most don’t know much about outside the world of Evangelical Christianity is the subculture that believes in physically disciplining children for any infraction, real or imagined.

’1324′ deals with religious physical discipline of children. This is especially timely now that the Pearl’s book on child discipline ‘To Train Up A Child’ is in the news media as being the catalyst and inspiration for the murders of Hana Grace Williams and Lydia Shatz. You see, much of the book ‘To Train Up A Child’ deals with the extreme Christian belief that you can make a child obey by beating him or her hard enough and long enough to ‘break’ their spirit with a belt, a plastic plumbing line or other hard implement.

While ’1324′ doesn’t name the Michael Pearl discipline book, it is easy to make the connection with the child abuse advocated in ‘To Train Up A Child’ with the abuse written about in ’1324′. I only wish I could force every overzealous Pearl-follower to read the heart wrenching words of Josh, one of the main characters, as he experiences physical chastising.

I’ve written many a time about my first encounter with Michael Pearl’s ‘To Train Up A Child’ upon joining my old church. My youngest was 4 years old and had been in and out of the hospital with spinal meningitis and idiopathic thrombotic purpura (a bleeding disorder) and she tended to cling to me all the time. People at the new church gave me Pearl’s book and I was told I must physically discipline Laura to make her stop clinging to me. Yes, I was told to beat a child with a rare bleeding disorder to stop her from what I knew was natural behavior in a child that had been in and out of the hospital. That type of cruelty is at the heart of ’1324′.

One of the best things about ’1324 A Story of Faith and Obsession’ is that it shows how wrong and twisted that type of discipline can go. As the story unfolds the main characters, Josh – lead singer of the band Rehoboam, Chris – a teenager who finds solace in the music of Rehoboam and William, a detective tasked to find the person who cut a killing swath through his town. All story lines and three main characters come together in an explosive ending that makes you question where discipline ends and sadism begins. A must read!
Periodically I take a break from more "literary" reading to indulge in an exciting thriller or mystery. Many of them disappoint me, some because they are just all about the plot with terrible writing, or at the other extreme, they have huge plot holes or unresolved endings that don’t satisfy. Others are o.k., but completely forgettable because they don't do anything but the mystery or thriller story—there’s nothing else there. I personally find Gone Girl to fit into this category. It teaches us nothing about the world or what it means to be human. 1324, on the other hand, belongs to that rare club which includes Tana French's The Likeness, Amy Mackinnon’s Tethered, and a few others I’ve read which maintain a tight, compulsively readable plot, appealing style, and also have something meaningful to say about our world and our lives. I agree that this is a really important book that depicts the horrors of the Christian discipline subculture with restraint and respect for the victims, not a whiff of exploitation. It is also a completely successful, well-written mystery-thriller. Isn’t it ironic that this book was self-published, when so much dreck in this genre is put out by big publishers? Clearly there is some fear around exposing the darkest sides of Christian fundamentalism in this country. Fortunately, the book is finding a growing audience through word of mouth, which it deserves on all counts, whether the reader has any specific interest in religious cults or not, it’s such a strong read.