Passing the Torch
by L.L. Sanders
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Pub Date Feb 14 2015 | Archive Date Aug 01 2016
Description
Mesa Kingston's first memory of burying a corpse was at eight years old. Back then it had been the carcass of a large lizard her dad found that they buried in the backyard of their isolated cottage. At age fourteen, the body of a young lady accompanied the reptile's remains, and ever since, an accumulation of female bodies began to grow. Now, the only way Mesa can stop the haunting screams of the dead is by drowning them out with flames. Or is there more to the blaze than even she can perceive?
NOTE: A novella of 10,000 words, 70 pages, and an estimated read time of 1 hour and 5 mins.
Advance Praise
“It is simply amazing how L.L. Sanders managed to tell such a profound story with very few words and deliver such deep emotional connection between the reader and [the protagonist] Mesa.” - Faridah Nassozi, Readers' Favorite
“Passing the Torch by L.L. Sanders is a short story comprised of many deeply emotional layers.” - Patricia Day, Readers' Favorite
“L.L. Sanders has successfully penned the elements of a thrilling short story. Passing the Torch piques your curiosity and then pulls you in with its startling book cover and opening narrative hook.” - Cheryl E. Rodriguez, Readers' Favorite
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781506196527 |
| PRICE | $0.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Linda S, Reviewer
Mesa was raised by a single father. Every year they would make a trip to an old family cabin for some father-daughter time.
The book starts with Mesa’s memories beginning at age 8 and continuing to age 18. Her memories that she finally shares with the police are that her father murdered many women and they are all buried behind the cabin. Mesa goes on to say that their voices must be silenced and they will only be silent once Mesa is punished for knowing what her father did.
This is a novella, although I would call it more a short story. It’s very hard to develop a character within such a short time, but the author has done a bang-up job. It was a suspenseful, apprehensive, tension filled trip through Mesa’s growing up years. The ending will take your breath away.
*Warning* This book contains rape situations that may not be appropriate for survivors or those who have been in this type of situation.
*Warning* This book contains rape situations that may not be appropriate for survivors or those who have been in this type of situation.
Many thanks to the author / LLS Books / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Nicki R, Reviewer
Mesa is eighteen years old and is haunted by the screaming voices in her head and the burden of the secrets that she shares with her father.They only have each other because Mesa`s mother left when she was Five and one of the things that they both love doing is escaping the city and normal every day life and going to the old run down family shack deep in the Arizona desert for some quality time together.
The story opens with eighteen year old Mesa setting fire to the shack,when the police arrive and ask if she needs anything she tells the stunned officer that she needs to fix things because she is a murderer.She is taken to the police station and it is there that her amazing story unfolds.
The story flips back and forth between the past when Mesa was 8,12,14,16 and 18 and the present when Mesa is telling the stunned officers that she and her father have murdered and buried up to fifty women in the back yard behind the shack.
It is only a short story which made it hard to build up any connection with Mesa but the author has done a very good job of building up the tension and suspense and keeping the reader interested in the story.I was very disappointed when I finished the book,I would have liked to know what happened to Mesa after the shocking ending.
It is a very good short mystery but there are some scenes that although they are not too graphic or described in a lot of detail might upset some readers.I did enjoy the story and think it's a shame that it's only short and not a full length book.
Sereen A, Reviewer
[Triggers for this novel: description of murder, rape, incest]
I had never read a novella until a couple of months ago when I picked up a free copy of Gerald Durrell’s “Donkey Rustlers” which I had enjoyed. Now I feel myself more inclined to pick up a novella. It’s nice to take a break from novels with all their subplots and complications, and read something straightforward. I also liked the cover for this book. It’s not particularly pretty but I’m used to seeing covers with only a few items that stand as representations; there aren’t a lot of books out there that have a scene from the actual storytelling as the cover. But it’s the perfect cover for a novella.
The book is separated by chapters that go back and forth between the present and the past. With only one narrator, this didn’t cause much confusion as it did for me when I read “The Girl on the Train”. In the present, Mesa is confessing to murders she and her father committed at their cottage which they vacation to. In the past, she is a young girl, with each chapter going from 8 years of age, to 10, and so on, and who is watching all this horror surround her, skewering her mind. Sanders does a great job of describing Mesa’s feelings, from guilt to anger to numbness, in such a short period of pages. Sentences and scenes flowed well, and the twist at the end is truly horrifying, to say the least. Overall, a fantastic novella.
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