Erik Therme presented a fairly fast-paced mystery in his story "Mortom". Protagonist Andy Crowl's cousin, Craig Moore, left him all of his property when he died, which was a complete shock to Andy as he hardly knew his cousin. Andy and his sister Kate traveled to Mortom to sign the legal paperwork and authorize the sale of Craig's former home, and that is where the mystery really picks up. There is one main mystery and several sub-mysteries happening within this story. Andy was a reasonably shaped character; he was interesting in his obsessive need to solve puzzles and the slowly revealed history of his failed marriage, he was very self-involved and rude quite often. This reader would have liked to see some growth or realization in Andy, although he did sort of acknowledge his narcissistic behavior towards the end of the story. Kate gave off a superior vibe; she was squeamish, irritible, and for an educated woman, seemed dumb at times. No spoilers given here, there is a reasonable explanation for some of her behavior. However, brother and sister bicker throughout the story, making this reader wonder why Andy asked his sister to accompany him to Mortom in the first place. Kate seemed suspicious of her brother and seemed to go out of her way to thwart his attempts to solve the puzzle/mystery, even withholding information from him quite often. This reader found that quite odd behavior for siblings and found it increased her dislike for the character, Kate. On reflection upon finishing the novel, this reader considered her own adult children - total opposites, they love one another as blood relatives, but definitely do not like each other and choose not to spend much time with one another. Knowing how their relationship is made the Kate/Andy relationship easier to understand and begrudgingly accept. None of the characters in the story allowed this reader to empathize for or with them; however, this reader's dislike for Kate pushed her into rooting for Andy, out of spite towards her! Therme created visual settings that this reader could truly "see" throughout the entirety of the story, and he offered many well-placed red herrings, as well. This reader figured out one of the sub-mysteries and most of the main mystery fairly early on, but was intrigued by the path Therme created for readers to travel. After finishing the story, this reader had mixed feelings... it was only after ruminating on what was read, allowing various details to percolate in her brain, that this reader really appreciated the story. I recommend this story; it was refreshing to read a well edited piece free of grammar and spelling errors. A free review copy was given in exchange for an honest review. ** Review originally published on Amazon reviews, June 1, 2016. **
