Broken Sigil by William Meikle is a dark and mysterious tale about an apartment building where a grieving person can live and remain in contact, although in an odd way, with a deceased loved one. A NYC Internal Affairs detective named Joe Connors is investigating the shooting death of his former partner and (former) best friend on the force. This investigation is painful because the deceased had been having an affair with our protagonist’s wife. This affair ended over a year prior to the when the action takes place when the wife was tragically killed in an automobile accident. It is through this investigation that the still-heartbroken Joe learns about the apartment were residents can see into the realm of other-worldly. To say any more take away from uniquely dark novella.
Mr. Meikle is a remarkable writer who is able to stretch himself across genres and subplots of the horror and the supernatural. This work started with a decidedly crime/mystery novel flair. At first, I thought I was in for a moody whodunit, but the story progressed into the realm of the supernatural. Interestingly enough, I didn’t feel that the detective component of the story was all that gripping. In fact, I was thinking early on that maybe this would be a misfire of an effort. But once the plot took Joe into the apartment building, I easily slipped into the author’s pacing and I was completely absorbed with the author’s unnerving imagination. The ending may have been a little rushed, but the overall effect is unsettling.
Mr. Meikle is a remarkable writer who is able to stretch himself across genres and subplots of the horror and the supernatural. This work started with a decidedly crime/mystery novel flair. At first, I thought I was in for a moody whodunit, but the story progressed into the realm of the supernatural. Interestingly enough, I didn’t feel that the detective component of the story was all that gripping. In fact, I was thinking early on that maybe this would be a misfire of an effort. But once the plot took Joe into the apartment building, I easily slipped into the author’s pacing and I was completely absorbed with the author’s unnerving imagination. The ending may have been a little rushed, but the overall effect is unsettling.
RSS Feed
