Family Inheritance

I read this book in 4 hours and lost sleep because I simply could not put it down. The Bayou setting intrigued me all the more. LeBlanc knows how to set a scene and build tension to such an extreme, she keeps her readers yearning to reach the last page. I will definitely read her next book.

Family Inheritance begins like the first strong jolt before a slow climb to the mother of all roller coaster rides where terror is just around the next curve or over the next hill. Deborah LeBlanc's prose is a flying leap into the labyrinth of madness and self-doubt that stops long enough to catch a breath before the next hurtling plunge into the abyss. Writing with power and imagination strongly rooted in Cajun Louisiana, LeBlanc's images are unforgettable and permeated with the odors of red beans and rice and the constant lurking presence of childhood fears waiting to jump out at the last turn of the jack-in-the-box's crank.

I am not a reader of suspense/mystery/horror/thriller genres, so found myself very surprised by this book. Not only was I drawn in by the twisty-turny plot, but by the family psychology and characters! I also lost several nights' sleep from reading late into the night, but it was worth every minute. LeBlanc's uncanny handle on characters and the workings of the mind (both "normal" and disturbed) was masterfully handled. The scene-setting was not unlike a real Louisiana swamp that holds you and refuses to let you go. Family Inheritance met and exceeded my personal touch stone for books of excellence: unforgettable characters that stay with you long after the last page is read. I'll be buying and giving copies of her next book, Grave Intent, to others just like I do with Family Inheritance...but the first copy goes to me! It's hard to believe that this is LeBlanc's first book out the shoot. Can't recommend this book enough, no matter what your genre preference is. Get a copy today -- just be sure you're well rested before you open the cover!

If you like horror and suspense, you've got to check this book out. It is quite an amazing first novel. Set in the bayous of Louisania, this thriller really lets you into another world and sinks you deep into the cajun mystique. It has all kinds of twists and turns. This really is a page turner. If you are a thriller/horror fan, I think you will really like this one.