Dennis Sweet

Piney Parish Dennis Sweet

Dale Magus was a bored high school Senior living in a small Missouri town in 1970. His life revolved around hanging out with friends, listening to rock and roll, and indulging in recreational drugs. His world turns upside down when he meets Piney Parish-a beautiful, young woman who draws him into a radical transformation of values. In the process, she seduces him into the dark and macabre secret world of 'dis-ing': treasure hunting with a gruesome twist. Piney Parish is a mystery that will keep you guessing. As a psychological thriller, it will surprise and horrify. It will also tap into the enchanted memories of those of us who grew up in small towns, and remind us how magical it was to listen to wonderful music, to smoke a little, and to laugh a lot with the friends of our youth. This book is like a chameleon: now a young romance, now an evocation of the Hippy era, then, becoming something much darker. The action is fast-paced and unpredictable, seasoned with events that lead the "hero" into conflict with his notions of good and evil. The characters are very real, and they get under your skin. The most compelling and enigmatic character in the book is, of course, Piney Parish herself: part innocent, part seductress, female guru and criminal prodigy. If Charles Manson and Juno had a daughter, she might be Piney Parish. Does her love lead to freedom, or destruction? If you were alive in 1970, much here might be familiar. If you were not, the book will transport you there in a darkly magical way. Jeffrey Goddin is the author of 'Vasilov's Demon' and 'The Smell of Cherries'.