Review: The Object of Evil by Chris Duryea

The Object of Evil

By Chris Duryea



New Moon Publishing
ISBN: 1450585531
695 Pages

 
 
 
 
Working at any company where the boss is constantly abusive sometimes results in job burnout--sometimes even a desire for payback. What happens if that good employee opens his mind and heart to retribution? Do those thoughts allow something else to enter? Can evil itself take advantage of a situation where an individual just can't take it anymore?

Chris Duryea presents readers with an in-depth look into these questions in her novel The Object of Evil. Will you, the reader, be able to answer the question of whether evil exists as an entity or whether it is merely the will of each individual as they choose each action?

Daryl Tempest is a vice-president and manager of operations at a lumber yard located close to the Mexican border to serve both customers in the U.S. as well as Mexico. While physically located far away from the home office, Simon Snath, the company's owner and president, is constantly checking in with Daryl by phone, even waking him at night, without any concern for Daryl's personal life. He wants to know where Daryl is, why he didn't immediately return his calls, if he was out, and wants immediate, complete action as he directs, even if what he demands is not part of his operation...
Especially when he asks Daryl to cover for him and lie to his wife when Simon is out somewhere with one of his women...

Daryl has a great crew working for him--they enjoy each other, but work hard to keep things going, except for one man, Freddie, who really should have been fired long ago. There's always at least one of those in every office, right? Somehow they find a way to get the ear of the boss's boss and begin to use it...

Because of the economy, sales of lumber have been greatly reduced. But Snath doesn't accept that as an issue and continues to demand sales. He also forces bad equipment and older lumber from his own mill into Daryl's operation, taking no excuses for not dealing with whatever he decides! Daryl had once liked Simon; however, when he moved into this job and reported directly to Simon, things started changing and Daryl was becoming more and more frustrated, Somebody who wants to do a good job will always become irritated and angry when they are doomed to fail by something or someone over which the individual has no control or power...

It was after a weekend trip that Daryl and Sharon, his lover, took to Mexico that it really started. There in Mexico, Daryl was drawn into a tiny shop where there were beautifully crafted masks and he chose one and brought it into his home. Little things started to happen, like his dog hiding, scared in his bedroom when he came home. And that mask seemed to glow at certain times. It also seemed that somebody was in his home or someone running away could be heard. And then Daryl started to get phone calls, Sometimes his name was Leo, sometimes Vincent. He always sounded like Simon if somebody else answered the phone, so everytime he called, anybody else assumed he was talking to his boss...

Daryl was told that he was going to be helped to handle things... Freddie was the first to die, then his wife...

Chris Duryea goes into the nitty-gritty in telling her story, The Object of Evil. Watch as Daryl becomes more and more angry as he finds he's being set up and then acts, even if it means losing his job. But the question to be answered, does he have help?

Book Received
From the Author

G. A. Bixler