Review: 'In ignorance he drinks poison, in arrogance he refuses the antidote.'
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2013
The title of this review is from The Ramayana, the obvious source of the title of this latest book by the gifted North Carolina author Laine Cunningham, and  indicates the rather extraordinary novel theme of a work that is likely to become the recipient of many awards (it has already been Short-listed in the Pirate's Alley William Faulkner-William Wisdom Contest). Reading this intensely compelling novel that places serial killing in the context of fantasy, spirituality, and mystical otherworld atmospheres may be an introduction to this author for some (this reader included), but likely her degree of finesse will result in a strong following. Cunningham's credentials are solid: her own writings have garnered multiple awards (the Hackney Literary Award, a James Jones Literary Society fellowship and well as fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, the New York Mills Cultural Center, Wildacres Center for the Humanities, the ecumenical Blowing Rock Convention Center, among others. But of interest is her `second career': she write highly successful book proposals and she has ghostwritten or rewritten nearly 400 manuscripts in a variety of genres. She has also restructured, developed and edited hundreds more for clients ranging from thrillers and crime novels to self-help, business and medical books. Her specialties: book-length fiction and nonfiction manuscripts and collections, book proposals, query letters, development, coaching, consulting and editing. This is a writer who knows her trade from every angle.The book opens with a grisly passage of a serial killer's devastation of a young girl - a scene setting situation that immediately seduces the reader into the concept to the story. We then meet Priya Conlin-Kumar, a mixed heritage of Indian and American (she is the product of a gang rape of her mother in India) who moved to the USA, and now working with the FBI for the past fifteen years. Priya is well-schooled in the law (FBI) but equally influenced by her studies of the Ramayana: The Ramayana is one of the great epics of Hinduism depicting the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. The Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages (Vedas) in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and devotional elements. Visions based on this spiritual source aid her in uncovering the mystery of two serial killers. There is also a powerful love interest between Priya and the local sheriff and this crossover between the brutal killings and the sensually dark passion Priya is experiencing gives her  access to the power of the Dark Goddess Kali. Her ability to solve the heinous crimes satisfies both the laws of man and spiritual laws. And it is this admixture of carnal lust with the influence of the mysticism of the identities from the Ramayana that results in a tapestry so well woven that it literally is a story that remains with the reader permanently. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 13