In a section of Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium, two rival gangs rule the streets. For the Alvarado Street Diablos, it’s been a year since the murder of one of their closest members at the hands of their sworn enemy, the North Rampart Lobos. A drive-by killing in his honor is planned, but things go wrong and an innocent bystander is the victim. Several hours later the one who pulled the trigger … trigger suffers a horrifying death caused by something never before seen in its uniqueness. Many more such cases follow, but all of them involving only these two gangs among the hundreds throughout the city. And each death occurs at the same time of day. The exact same time of day.
What can these two enemies do to survive against an unstoppable power intent on their mutual destruction? How is a gang-hating young boy’s attempt to save the life of a gang member tied into preventing a loved one’s soul from eternal darkness? What does a mysterious psychic’s prophecy conveyed earlier in New Orleans have to do with all of this?
Exploring emotions that define our humanity, from desolation and despair to love, hope, and redemption, The Poe Consequence integrates social and ethnic divisions through acts of fate and supernatural horror for the reader to observe and imagine.
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The characters are what resonate most with me in this roller coaster ride of a thriller. So many people today have a good-guy-bad-guy mentality, but this book shows us that no one is all good or all evil. Our lives can turn in a moment, and we are all subject to being overcome by negative emotions, unless we find the way to rise above them. Steinbaum takes on the difficult topic of gang violence and turns it into a love story. Brilliant!
Loved the story from beginning to end. Tense and exciting but with an ending that featured healing and redemption (always a sucker for those). Great read!
In The Poe Consequence, author Keith Steinbaum connects his interest in poetry and the tales of Edgar Allen Poe with his research into the violent lives of the young LatInos who end up in the gangs of Los Angeles to weave a mystery horror tale of retribution from beyond the grave. After a frightening consultation with a Tarot card reader in New Orleans, Professor Warren Palmer—a lover of Poe’s stories and poems—is accidentally killed in a botched robbery that turns into gangland warfare. He leaves behind an orphan son, Seth, who as a result hates all Latinos, until he slowly develops a respect and admiration for Veronica, his beautiful Latina tutor, with whom his uncle Kevin, his guardian, ends up falling in love. In the meantime, the LA police are puzzled by a series of strange heart attack deaths that plague the two gangs involved in Warren’s death, always coupled with a gangland murder and always at 4 am in the morning. Kevin and Seth, with the help of Veronica and her gangland member brother, intervene to unravel the mystery of the deaths and to help put an end to them.
Keith Steinbaum shows an impressive knowledge of LA gangland life and weaves a gripping story with strong, well-created characters that carry the plot forward. As someone who does not read many tales that involve beyond the grave actors or events, this reader found the link to Edgar Allen Poe’s stories an engaging ploy and an excellent point of departure. A great read!
This book is not like any other I’ve read. I’d classify it as thriller/mystery/ horror. It begins when a man Warren goes to New Orleans and goes down an alley way to see a fortune teller though he doesn’t really believe in these things. She reads his Tarot cards and gives him an extremely grim destiny. She tells him not long from now he’s going to come into an extremely violent situation that will end tragically. with this man who goes to New Orleans and while there goes to visit a fortune teller. She does not give him a pleasant reading. In fact, she tells him not long from now he’s going to be in a dangerous situation that leads to tragedy. And there is where our story begins. The paranormal horror is indeed horrifying but yet fascinating in its connection with Poe. I felt like I was watching a horror movie yet covering one eye and then uncovering it to see what’s going on. Steinbaum writes this tale cleverly, and I will definitely read more of his books!
This is the perfect read for those that love gritty thrillers mixed with a touch of supernatural/paranormal. Kevin is a man who has been pushed into the role of a parent after his brother passes. Through his grief he turns to the wrong things to help him deal. In some ways he’s neglectful to Seth, his nephew. Seth has a lot of anger and resentment, and rightfully so. He doesn’t understand why these things happened to him and his family. Though it’s difficult to wander through the chaotic feelings they both are dealing with, they come through it as better people.
Kevin meets a young woman named Veronica that has a very hidden past. One that can cause even greater issues than she’s been handed through a very traumatic and violent experience. he’s drawn to her but doesn’t quite understand why. Her connection to those involved in their own past is concerning.
When the two factions that were at war and caused the death of his brother start dying off, Warren is stumped. Together he and Seth venture out to find out what “being” is causing the hearts of the members to die off and drop like flies. They’re determined to find out the truth.
The whole book was beyond intriguing and fantastic! I will say there are some extremely hard scenes to deal with. There are sexual assault and detailed violence that may be a trigger for some. Overall though, well written, thought out, and fabulous!