Title: Spike: The Search for Redemption
Author: AA Freda
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1532039492
Pages: 254
Genre: Romance Suspense
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop

Read Book Review

This story begins as the Vietnam War has yet to end. Two people meet at a peace rally that quickly turns into a potential riot. A man rescues a young woman and so begins a relationship that will span decades.

Anthony is young man who outwardly seems to have his act together. He’s an army veteran who is now studying law at Columbia. He lives in a converted loft and oversees a cadre of people simply trying to eek out an existence in The Big Apple. Volunteering with a non-profit legal aid group, he does what he can to help the poverty-stricken. But while he spends most of his time helping others, he keeps a tight lid on his own problems that frequently wake him violently from debilitating nightmares.

Angel is a young woman from Mississippi studying music at Julliard and harboring both an ambition for stardom plus a terrible experience from childhood that has left her emotionally scarred. As she and Anthony begin dating, the things they both seem incapable of sharing threaten to send their relationship on the rocks before they’ve truly had time to set sail. But through love, patience, and understanding, a journey begins that drives them toward a remarkable future.

Author Freda has penned a novel that explores the strength and elasticity of human connections. This intimate story of how two individuals cope with personal demons, public responsibilities, and the peculiarities of fate, test the ties that bind. From associations with criminal elements, to the halls of political power, to the highs and lows of fame and celebrity, Anthony and Angel must navigate treacherous waters to enable their love to last.

Writing mostly in the present tense, the author injects a feeling of urgency into this chronicle that covers multiple decades. Dialogue is used effectively, not merely with principal players but with secondary characters as well. As the narrative unwinds, surprises are in store that build suspense around a multitude of events from possible murder charges, to election outcomes, to difficult pregnancies and more. Always at the center however, are the things that Anthony, in particular, keeps hidden. Toward novel’s end, the revelations of these secrets help put in perspective the keys to his personality, behavior, and his ultimate quest for redemption.