I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several other novels by Glen Krisch, most notably, for me at least, was the fantastic historical horror novel Darkness Dwells, which I never stop recommending for those that have the strength for very dark stories. I read that novel several years ago and still remember several scenes. They were that chilling.

Nothing Lasting is very different. I usually avoid reading the synopsis so that I can approach the novel with no preconceived notions about what is going on in the work. I also think sometimes the blurbs give away too much of the plot. I find myself waiting on things that I have already been told were coming. It is probably good that I did not read the synopsis here because I would have discovered that this novel is YA in perspective. I generally don’t go for “coming of age” novels except for a few classics, although there are plenty of exceptions. Point is, I went into this one cold.
It didn’t take more than a few pages for me to realize I was in YA territory but I was still enjoying myself because Krisch is just so good at characters. I tried to look at this story as if I were in my teens and I have to admit that I think Krisch did a very good job of it. He also captured the essence of the 80’s time frame very well, of which I have read enough bad examples to realize is not that easy. It rang very true for me. It is always interesting to think of how plots would be so much different if everyone had a cell phone….

There is much teen angst here, for which I was NOT the target audience, so I have to take away a point because it is MY enjoyment, after all, that I am honestly reporting. If you like YA books you will take as plusses those points that I took as minuses, so keep that in mind. I think any audience will enjoy his fine skills at characterization. The payoff in the last portion of the book is well worth the slower scenes of teen character growth and revelation. In fact, the last 20% of the book is quite compelling, shocking, and dramatic. I found myself racing to see what happened and that is always good.

All in all it was interesting to see a very talented writer writing in another genre than I am used to experiencing him and it was quite enjoyable. 4 stars for a well written book by a talented author who got me to like a YA novel, which isn’t an easy feat.

Thanks, Glen.
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Nothing Lasting is like The Body (aka the movie Stand By Me), but directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Yep, this was a good one!

As young Noah Berkley and his recently divorced dad move to his late grandfather's house, he tries to adjust to his new life. Without his mom living with them, without his grand-dad's support and often without his dad, who as a firefighter often works long shifts, Noah has a difficult time of it. When he meets his dad's "friend" Erin and her son Derek, his life is about to change for the worse. The only good thing he's got going is his pretty new schoolmate Jenny Sparrow, and Noah clings to the thought of her with all he's got. When Derek begins acting like a juvenile delinquent, Noah struggles between doing the right thing or losing Derek. If that was his only problem, Noah would be okay. However, it's not and you'll have to read the book to see what happens next.

Nothing Lasting is more of a YA novel with horrific accents rather than an all-out horror story. YA is normally not my thing, but this book captured and kept my attention. I did find the pacing to be a little slow at times, (teen angst and all that), and though I never felt like putting the book down, I did deduct a star for that. I can't say much else without spoiling anything, but I loved the build up of tension as things began to go south between Derek and Noah. I felt that they were both well developed characters and as the story unfolded, I felt the same way about most of the rest of the cast as well. I cared about them and found it difficult towards the end to deal with my feelings as the truth became clear. To me, that's the sign of a good, (perhaps a great?), novel.

Recommended to fans of coming of age novels intertwined with healthy doses of horror!

You can buy your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Lasting-Glen-Krisch-ebook/dp/B00PYUSA6M/ref=tmm_k...

*I am an online *friend* of the author and he provided a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.* ( )

Glenn Chadbourne sets the tone with his unsettling cover art and Glen Krisch continues the feel in this seriously well written book.

Right out of the gate, Mr. Krisch hit my anxiety trifecta -- pets, kids and old people. Just a few pages in and I had to lay the book aside and walk away to calm down my beating heart. I knew that this was going to be a bumpy ride for me given how I invest myself so much into a writer's world, but, I also knew that it was going to be a rewarding experience in terms of how a story should be told.

The action and suspense were at times too much for my Where-the-F**k-is-This-Going sensibilities. And I mean that in a good way, he had me so off balance. Mr. Krisch clenched my lungs between these pages and was unrelenting in his hold. I had to break away frequently to breathe!

The writing is smooth and consistent. Great care and skill is used in building that tension. The characters are well developed, alive! Lots of believable twists and surprises that kept me wanting more.

It's as if he took elements from other successful stories and combined them in his own blender of madness and poured this little masterpiece out.

This was a good one. ( )

Review copy

Nothing Lasting has been available as an e-book for a couple of years and now it's been released as a Signed Limited Edition hardcover from the folks at Cemetery Dance.

This is a book I may have to reread again someday. Now that I know it's secrets, I think it deserves a closer look so I can see all the clues, because they are there, right out in the open, and I missed them until the very end.

At it's heart, Nothing Lasting, is a story of young love and love lost. Twenty-five years ago, Noah Berkley lost the first and only love of his life.

In 1984 Noah and his Father moved back to to the town his Father grew up in. "It's a time of change for Noah, life changes, location changes, personal changes." One of the biggest changes is his Father's new girlfriend and her son Derek. Derek was a big problem for Noah. Ever have someone in your life who had a penchant for getting you into trouble? For Noah, that someone was Derek Dooling.

The only bright spot in this new town is Jenny Sparrow, although a year ahead of Noah in school, she and Noah become fast friends with the promise of much more.

Krisch lulls the reader into a false sense of comfort with a simple story of adjusting to a new life, but underneath there is a growing sense of dread.

When things start to go wrong, they go horribly wrong.

I'm being purposefully vague in describing this book. It's one of those reads that is best enjoyed as the reader discovers it's secrets.

Nothing Lasting is published by Cemetery Dance and is available as an e-book and now as a signed limited edition hardcover.

Highly recommended.

Glen Krisch's other novels include The Nightmare Within, Where Darkness Dwells, and Arkadium Rising (Brother's Keeper Book One). His short fiction has appeared in publications across three continents for the last decade. Besides writing and reading, he enjoys spending time with his wife, romance author Sarah Krisch, his three boys, simple living, and ultra-running. ( )

I rarely read 'coming of age' fiction. I have nothing against the genre, it's just not the type of book I'm typically drawn to. But this is Glen Krisch. I know his writing is brilliant, so I'm going to read whatever he writes.

This book breaks genre boundaries. Yes, it's a coming of age story. We follow Noah into tumultuous adolescence. It's also a story of relationships - parental, romantic, and friendships. It's a story of boundaries and manipulation, love lost and love found. It's a story of grief and joy. We have Krisch's signature underlying darkness, keeping us on edge. Overall, this is a story with tremendous depth and insight.

Krisch excels at characterization. I hesitate to call them "characters", because they feel real, like I expect to look up from the book and find them standing there in front of me. Even the minor players here are fully developed. We get a firm sense of each of them as people. We understand what they're feeling and why, and what motivates them to act as they do.

The plot is full of surprises. One twist in particular had me saying, "Wow!" out loud. I stopped reading - mind blown. And, honestly, that rarely happens. I read a lot of suspense and thrillers, and I write within the genre myself, so consequently plot twists don't often catch me by complete surprise. This one shocked me.

Glen Krisch should have his name on the NYT Bestseller lists, and I hope that happens for him someday soon. Until then, read this book. And everything else he writes. ( )